Sifting Through The Budget Barrel
March 8th, 2024
Free agent OLB Leonard Floyd.
Joe is not comfortable with the Bucs banking (hoping?) that edge rusher YaYa Diaby is that-guy this fall who will put the Bucs defense on his back and make opposing quarterbacks regularly eat dirt.
Joe hopes Diaby turns into that-guy. But hope is not nor should ever be a strategy. It worries Joe that after Diaby was named a starter as a rookie year last season his production declined.
So yesterday, follicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN put out his tier list of free agent edge rushers. Legal tampering begins Monday and on Wednesday, the free agency dinner bell rings.
Barnwell has six tiers for edge rushers. In his third tier of what he deems “capable starters” is a well-traveled edge rusher that Joe always liked. That man is Buffalo outside linebacker Leonard Floyd.
Floyd turns 32 right about the time the regular season kicks off and he has had no less than nine sacks in each of the last four seasons with the Rams and Bills. He didn’t miss a start for those playoff teams.
Floyd had the splashiest season, putting up 10.5 sacks in his debut year with the Bills, but he was also the 12th man on the field when the Broncos missed a game-winning field goal attempt in November, only for Denver to get another try and make it. This was Floyd’s best season (without Aaron Donald’s assistance), and he should get a comfortable raise from the $7 million the 31-year-old made last season.
Joe doesn’t sweat over the salary cap. If a team wants a player, they will find a way to work him under the cap.
What’s not to like about Floyd? He produces, he answers the bell each week and he is a winner. Isn’t that the kind of guy you want?
Joe is fully convinced banking on Diaby to be a beast as good or better than Floyd this season is a gamble. Diaby may very well be that good. But Joe sure would like to see it first. Yes, Joe is a burning bush kinda guy.
Having a solid veteran like Floyd playing opposite Diaby would go a long way to help the Louisville product.
March 8th, 2024 at 3:58 am
Go get Jadeveon Clowney
March 8th, 2024 at 3:59 am
Love Floyd too
March 8th, 2024 at 5:28 am
Burning bush?
You like red heads, eh? 😎
March 8th, 2024 at 6:30 am
No to the likes of Jadeveon Clowney or a Chase Young, they give up on plays. We had enough of that with DWhite. Please let’s get this guy Chop Robinson from Penn State. As it relates to giving ur all n playing until the whistle blows, this guy is talented, but what separates him from others is that he has the heart, passion, true grit, n determination of a Hardy Nickerson, Derrick Brooks, Ray Lewis, Willie Lanier, Dick Butkus, n Ray Nitske. Need I say more. Again, no to these Primadonna AWOLers who develops a “time to clock out” attitude when things don’t go their way or the opposing team is outplaying them.
March 8th, 2024 at 6:40 am
Ironic that he was drafted with our pick we traded to get vh3🙄
March 8th, 2024 at 6:57 am
Bucs could easily have drafted Floyd in 2016 but didn’t want him.
They had wanted Jack Conklin until brand new Titans GM Jon Robinson used his insider knowledge and swiped Conklin right out from under us at #8.
Bucs were sitting at #9 and traded down 2 spots with the Bears.
Chicago drafted Leonard Floyd #9.
2 picks later the Bucs selected Vernon Hargreaves….
March 8th, 2024 at 7:58 am
I don’t hate or love Floyd.
I do see that he only had a 51 snap counts in the two playoff games last year.
Is his 31-year-old body too old to play a full season and playoffs?
2 games played in playoffs with a total of 1 tackle with 3 assists, no sacks is not someone that I want to pay a lot dough to.
March 8th, 2024 at 8:19 am
I think YaYa is going to explode this upcoming season. 12 sacks minimum.
March 8th, 2024 at 8:20 am
Good pick Joe, Blue collar kinda guy…
March 8th, 2024 at 8:23 am
just need a solid veteran presence on a two year deal until yaya is fully ready
March 8th, 2024 at 8:29 am
Exactly.
March 8th, 2024 at 8:39 am
Andrew Van Ginkel has Todd Bowles written all over him….go get him asap
March 8th, 2024 at 8:44 am
Get Chop….chop chop
March 8th, 2024 at 8:48 am
YaYa’s production fell because teams figured out that he was the only edge rusher to be concerned about and I think he hit a wall of sorts. I expect double digits from him next season. Most definatly need someone on the other side for teams to watch. JMO.
March 8th, 2024 at 9:11 am
Not sold on Floyd either. On the smallish side for an DE/OLB (6’3″ & 240 lbs) which all too often means that he’d excel mostly when other top DLinemen can spring him. In his first 4 years (with Chicago), he was pretty much average for an OLB (averaged 4.5 sacks/year, 11 QB Hits/year & 6.5 TFL/year). But then with the Rams (2020-2022) he blew up (averaged 10 sacks/year, 20 QB Hits/year & 9 TFL/year). Pretty much did the same last year with the Bills.
I see Floyd as being a Shaq 2.0 version. IF our DLine plays tough, he’ll do well. If it doesn’t, he won’t be the one to lift it to greatness. Better ways to spend our limited $$$.
March 8th, 2024 at 11:42 am
Vernon Hargreaves eeew
March 8th, 2024 at 11:50 am
Joe : Yes, Joe is a burning bush kinda guy.
It sailed right over their heads Joe.
March 8th, 2024 at 1:50 pm
Citrus County Says:
Joe : Yes, Joe is a burning bush kinda guy.
It sailed right over their heads Joe.”
If these holy places, things, and days cease to remind us, if they obliterate our awareness that all ground is holy and every bush (could we but perceive it) a Burning Bush, then the hallows begin to do harm. Hence both the necessity, and the perennial danger, of ‘religion.’ – C.S. Lewis Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
March 8th, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Would LOVE to get Floyd!!!
March 8th, 2024 at 5:58 pm
For ^^mtn^^ : Such an esoteric reference (C.S. Lewis) at this here website might cause some to wonder if he is the next best available free agent. But likely not the Joes.
March 8th, 2024 at 6:14 pm
@CC
Had a good friend who was really in to C.S.
Good stuff, always give credit where credit is due, but not my thing really
What comes to my mind with that particular C.S. quote is from something solid
One Lord, one faith, one baptism
March 8th, 2024 at 6:20 pm
@^^mtn^^
Can I get an AMEN ? AMEN
March 8th, 2024 at 6:26 pm
Amen
Hallelujah
March 8th, 2024 at 6:38 pm
I rarely spend time following threads anymore. Given the time of year, and I’m not talking about free agency, it is comforting to know not everyone is a BONEHEAD.
March 8th, 2024 at 6:44 pm
Todd Says:
March 8th, 2024 at 5:28 am
Burning bush?
You like red heads, eh? 😎
The BONEHEAD remark was steered in this direction.
March 8th, 2024 at 6:54 pm
Was a closer for awhile, lemme see if I can go to the mound & get the save:
Isn’t that FA C from Dallas a red headed Biadasz?
March 8th, 2024 at 7:08 pm
@ ^^mtn^^
“One” is a fastball “Two” is a curveball.
You just threw a slider but I caught it.
March 8th, 2024 at 7:25 pm
It comes as no surprise that with the handle such as “^^mtn^^” you would operate at higher altitudes.
March 8th, 2024 at 7:26 pm
Uhhhh, thought 3 was the fastball?
Anyway, thanks for catchin’ it!
March 8th, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Say good night Gracie. Good night Gracie.
March 8th, 2024 at 7:31 pm
“Citrus County Says:
It comes as no surprise that with the handle such as “^^mtn^^” you would operate at higher altitudes.”
Yes, very high only ~20% oxygen up here
March 8th, 2024 at 7:33 pm
oops, make that ~14% O2 up here, 21% at sea level
See, very Lupe’
March 8th, 2024 at 7:34 pm
Groucho
March 8th, 2024 at 8:07 pm
Not Groucho, George Burns and Gracie Allen. 1950’s stuff.
March 8th, 2024 at 8:09 pm
You need to work double hard in that territory. But you do have friends there.
March 8th, 2024 at 8:14 pm
oops, wrong cigar
March 8th, 2024 at 8:17 pm
You are forgiven.
March 8th, 2024 at 9:03 pm
thanks
think i’ve lost 40 IQ pts since i started posting here ……
…. and i needs them desperately
March 8th, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Take a deep breath of that thin air Amos your IQ will come back shortly.
March 8th, 2024 at 10:14 pm
@ ^^mtn^^
I had to refer to the Urban Dictionary because I did not know the word Lupe’.
First you threw a slider and then followed up with a Phil Neikro knuckelball.
I’ll be pondering Lupe’ for a while.
March 8th, 2024 at 11:12 pm
Lupe’ is an Hispanic girls name that is pronounced Lou Pay
Loopy 🙂
March 9th, 2024 at 7:44 am
SMH. Of course Ya-Ya’s production went down when named as a starter late in the year.
First he was going to hit the rookie wall, and there was more tape of him,
as the starter, the OL would increase their film study of him.
March 9th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
^^mtn^^ Says:
March 8th, 2024 at 11:12 pm
Lupe’ is an Hispanic girls name that is pronounced Lou Pay
Loopy 🙂
Lupe’……Touche’
March 9th, 2024 at 4:10 pm
🙂