Team Glazer “Silenced” Many Critics
April 8th, 2011
With their British kickball team cruising toward another league title and a possible European championship on a sliced player budget, and the Bucs a 10-win team that needs an elevator to reach the middle of the pack of NFL spenders, Team Glazer hasn’t heard much from their detractors lately, so notes Tampa Tribune scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman.
Perhaps you’ve heard of these haters, those who march the streets screaming that the owners are stashing fistfulls of cash in secret vaults while refusing to invest it in their teams.
Kaufman Twittered his musing yesterday.
Ira: Between the surprising 10-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and first-place Manchester United, the Glazer family has silenced many of its critics
Joe’s noticed that Team Glazer also has been much more visible in the past year — more quotes, more statements. And their comments seem to reveal a more personable tone. Even just the other day, noted Euro soccer site TribalFootball.com reported Joel, Bryan and Avi Glazer watched the soccer team live together in England on Wednesday, hardly a common occurrance.
Hmm, Joe can’t recall hearing a quality anti-Glazer rant on the radio this year.
Maybe Team Glazer has silenced its critics? Funny how winning can do that.
April 8th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Gotta give the Glazers credit on this one. Not because of Raheem or even Dominick, but theGlazers went out and hired a very experienced scouting department while also bringing in undocumented consultants who know what the heck they are talking about. That was smart of them. Let Rah shine in the spot light while the real decisions get made behind the scenes.
April 8th, 2011 at 10:59 am
I think maybe, unlike most NFL owners, they have figured out that hands off is the way to go. Hire good people, and then trust them to do the job until they can’t or don’t. The same kind of thing Joe says about the team itself…”Give Blount the ball until it doesn’t work anymore, then do something else.”
April 8th, 2011 at 11:14 am
tha Glazers will silence critics when they add some big time free agents 2 go with our youth movement. It will only fatten their pockets
April 8th, 2011 at 11:14 am
WeNeedDefense,
Way to have no idea what you’re talking about…
Dennis Hickey – Director of College Scouting (14th year with Bucs, 5th year at this position)
Jim Abrams – National Scout (6 years with Bucs)
Shelton Quarles Coordinator of Pro Scouting (3 years in Bucs Personnel)
Most Bucs College Scouts have been with the team for 4-5 years.
April 8th, 2011 at 11:48 am
I have to ask…for how long do the Glazers have to prove that theory wrong before you understand it does not hold true?
Imagine if the Bucs had managed to get Haynesworth…or even Bret Favre. This team would be a joke because of the very theory you hold forth. We would not be on hte road to success as we are now.
“Big name” free agents mean next to nothing, except in rare circumstances. Name one time the last few years when there was actually someone worth bringing in that was not over the hill? Most of the talent in Free Agency has been subpar for years.
The Bucs have never been big movers in Free Agency. Never. The closest they came was with Gruden, and look how that turned out. A superbowl in his first year, and not contending for one since. A mess with the cap because the Bucs were paying for players that were not even in the league anymore?
Yes, free agency can have it’s uses. But not to pay for big names unless they are actually worth what you spend. $100 million for Haynesworth would have been a huge mistake.
The perfect example was when the Bucs brought in Faine…now there was a smart move and a good investment. Freeman would not have come along so quickly without Faine here.
Free Agency should only be used to bring in LASTING solutions to weaknesses that remain after addressing most in the draft or in trades. If you cannot get 3-5 years out of a free agent, it’s not worth spending the money on him.
If, after this draft, the Bucs are 1-3 holes away from competing, then they should explore free agency. Explore it. Don’t spend recklessly. The idea is to get the best talent you can, at as young an age as possible.
April 8th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Joe said: “Perhaps you’ve heard of these haters, those who march the streets screaming that the owners are stashing fistfulls of cash in secret vaults while refusing to invest it in their teams.”
I’ve been going back and forth on this for the last few yrs….there seems to be evidence that supports both theories. For me, the 9 figure contract they offered to Haynesworth and the willingness to pay 2 head coaches the last few yrs has me believing money may be an issue, but it’s not the driving force behind decisions being made at One Buc
April 8th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
@ Pete
Nice way 2 use ur imagination in projecting how things would work out had we acquired Haynesworth and Farve. I’m speaking on our current status and not our status when Rah was named head coach. At that time we had problems at virtually every position, on top of our horrible, last place run D which was in part with us trying 2 sign Fat Albert. If that would’ve happened then u say come up with a ton of hypothetical situations we MIGHT have faced.
Look at how we fared with tha youngest and most IR filled rosters, along with a number of rookies played and u really think we aren’t ready 2 compete? I’m not saying go reckless like we did in 09, but this is an entirely different situation from tha past. Far as Faine goes…LMAO. How is an injury filled, over paid, under played center who days are numbered a smart move and good investment? He helped Freeman, but he’s still not worth being tha highest paid center in NFL history. Once tha CBA crap clears, we will have plenty 2 spend on top of several FA that can contribute, along with players coming back from IR, on top of this yrs draft.
P.S. This is a rare circumstance
April 8th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
“highest paid center in NFL history” – IMHO
Feeling a little hyperbolic are we?
Faine was the highest paid center in the league WHEN he signed his contract. Any center that currently leads the league in salary will also be the “highest paid center in NFL history”.
April 8th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
@ Hire
Yes, I did kno that and was speaking on his contract at tha time he became a Buccaneer.
You’ve now been promoted to Captain of tha Hyperbole Police Unit. Time 2 make ur quota
April 8th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
LOL…
You’re right. I’m being kind of a prick today. My apologies.
April 8th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
@IMHO
I’m not actually in 100% disagreement with you. My main gripe is the “add some big time free agents”
Which I, perhaps mistakenly, took to mean “big name” Free agents.
As for right now, you make a very, very good point. And I’m not against going free agent hunting…depending on the results of the draft.
Thankfully, this year we’ll know those results before Free Agency starts up. That’s goign to leave us with a lot of options…although the competition will be fierce as well.
April 8th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Pete- Free agency can be a crapshoot but not any more than the draft is. This year is a good example of where premium players in their prime can be picked up in free agency. Lamarr Woodley and Ray Edwards are both available and are still in their mid 20’s and far from washed up. They will only be on the market because their respective teams won’t be able to win bidding wars for their services. It has nothing to do with them not being wanted anymore because they are over the hill. Either one of those guys are more proven pass rushers at this point than ANYONE in the NFL draft. Not one defensive end in the draft has stepped on an NFL field and proven anything yet.
April 8th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
The bottom line is that the one thing the Bucs truly need to add to guarantee their competitiveness next year is a pass rush. It’s just good sense at this point to supplement the crapshoot that is drafting a pass rusher with a free agent acquisition who already has NFL sacks on their resume. Was it a mistake to sign Hardy Nickerson? Sometimes you get a combination of a team that is well under the salary cap dovetailing with a player on the free agent market who is young and in their prime at a position of need for said team. Such is the case for the Bucs this year and someone like Ray Edwards. Add in the fact the Bucs could be FORCED to sign a high priced free agent under a new CBA, and its potential salary floor, and I really don’t understand what anti-free agency peoples argument is anymore.
April 8th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I’ll say one more thing- The only reason teams like Pittsburgh and New England don’t sign other people’s “big time free agents” is because the big time free agents they sign are their own that they have drafted. The Bucs aren’t in a position to operate like that yet because the players they drafted some years back who are now free agents aren’t stars who are worth big contracts. When its time for new contracts for guy like Freeman and Williams in the future, then the Bucs can just resign their own “big time free agents”.
April 8th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
@ Pete Dutch
All is good. This team has a feel of tha 97-98 team, except were better suited on offense, as opposed 2 defense. We had a weakness at WR, we signed Meshawn. Lack of pass rush, Simeon Rice. QB problems, Brad Johnson. Defense was set. Now its tha opposite with tha defense needing more help.
@gitarlvr
Woodley, yes. Edwards, no.
April 8th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
I have to agree with you, gitarlvr.
This year is like none other, and perhaps if there was a time to delve in as far as substantial opportunities, this would be it.
I’m just a bit gunshy after the Gruden experience. I actually liked Gruden in a few ways, but his talent evaluation in Free Agency (and draft) outright sucked.
I don’t know who is out there at Defensive End. And I would love to get a simeon Rice and a Hardy Nickerson on the team.
@IMHO
I agree. We have an incredible Offensive Core here, with the only real weaknesses along the line (just look at IR to see that). If we can get that straightened out, I could see us being a hard hitting offensive juggernaut.
But I also think we need the defense as well in order to win championships…otherwise we’ll go the way of the raiders the year we faced them, or the way of the Cardinals a couple years ago.
On the brightside, I think our defense is only about 4 players away from being great. 2 DEs, a Safety and a good MLB could make a huge difference…and maybe a CB now. Address 3 in the draft and we could bring in FAs to finish it.
April 8th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Too bad the Rays are in the toilet, and this whole Manny deal stinks.
I have no beef with the Glazers right now. i just hope they don’t try to keep my money if things continue to go South with the NFL-DMA. (De-certified Moron’s Association) or I guess you could call them the NFL-DMF’s. yeah, I like that better.
April 8th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Weneedd…By “undocumented consultants” do you mean illegals? Are we using people that are not suppose to be in the country to scout? Did one of these people get the job over you because of cheap labor? Hmmm, this is a new one for you. I do know what you meant, but you also showed your arse once again on this comment, as was pointed out ab
ove.
April 8th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
gitarlvr:
And don’t forget the Packers… or the Eagles.
That’s exactly the type of team Dominik is striving to be.
April 8th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
WeneedDefense: The Glazers did not hire a scouting department, they fired the decision makers (Gruden/Allen)
April 9th, 2011 at 9:47 am
Credit for the 10-6 season goes to the following people in this order:
Josh Freeman
L Blount
Greg Olsen
The WRs being able to catch and run decent routes
Mark Dominic
The scouting department
The “Undocumented Consultants” 🙂
The offensive line backups during the 2nd half of the season
Easy schedule, very easy
Backup QBs on the opposing team
Backup RBs on the opposing team
Opponents lack of desire to play once they realized they were out of it and there coaching staff were lame ducks
The secondary
Rich Bisacia and the special teams
And last of all, the guy who added the LEAST amount of value: Rah
April 9th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
WOW! Weneeddefense, I never heard it that way.That is truly original.
April 9th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
WeNeedDefense,
Guess you’re not gonna give Rah credit for one of the best half time adjustment D. Coordinator in the league. Check the second half yardage for teams against the Bucs. IT’S DOCUMENTED…
April 9th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
“Guess you’re not gonna give Rah credit for one of the best half time adjustment D. Coordinator in the league.”
LMAO!!!!!
That ain’t a stat. Funny how you idiots like to invent stats that fit your wishes. “pay nooooo attention to the first halves people.”
Rah will show you this year how awful he is.
April 9th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Yeah, you’re right. No coaching goes into half time.
Did you enjoy life in the band??
April 9th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Joe, yeah those are another couple of teams who have drafted well enough throughout the 2000’s that they don’t necessarily need to turn to other teams high priced free agents to fill their needs. BUT, my ultimate point is that the Bucs drafted like Shiznit under the Chucky regime to the point where they can’t yet afford to act like those teams. They will need to supplement through free agency, when prudent, for the next couple of years, to fill holes on the roster, until they reach a point where the team is self sustaining through quality drafts—–like the above mentioned teams. THEY ARE NOT AT THAT POINT YET AND SO CAN NOT COMPLETELY IGNORE FREE AGENCY LIKE SOME PEOPLE WANT THEM TOO!!!!!!!
April 9th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
And let me disabuse some of you of another common myth.
Some of the teams that some of you seem to think ONLY build their teams through the draft do, in fact, also build, at least selectively, through free agency.
PACKERS- SIGNED FREE AGENT CB CHARLES WOODSON- 2009 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR- BIG PART OF THE PACKERS WINNING THE SUPER BOWL IN 2010- FREE AGENT SUCCESS STORY
PATRIOTS- SIGN RANDY MOSS AND TRADE FOR WES WELKER(BELICHEAT GIVES UP 2ND AND 7TH RD. PICKS) FOR OTHER TEAMS PLAYERS WHO BECOME CATALYST FOR PATRIOTS RECORD SETTING 16-0 REGULAR SEASON AND FURTHER SUCCESS.
The point is that even the vaunted teams that some think only build through Jedi-psychic awesome drafting also turn to sometimes high priced free agents to supplement their team.
I’m sure someone will point to the lack of the the Steelers signing any big money free agents immediately prior to either of their super bowl victories as proof that ANY team can always win the super bowl through NEVER signing big name free agents, but that is one super success story out of 32 teams and only an ignorant fool would assume that all teams could replicate that path to success.
OH BY THE WAY, DID I MENTION THAT IT TOOK BILL COWHER 14 YEARS TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!! 14 FREAKING YEARS!!!!
If the Bucs can win another super bowl in less than 14 years by signing a few key free agents then count me in. The key is to not sign other teams washed up and injured o-lineman and running backs (stuessie, deese, garner). Some of Gruden’s later(after his succesful signings leading to the super bowl)signings were laughable. At least Derrick Ward was still young and had potential(Ward is actually a good back behind a more talented line than the Bucs had in ’09). I don’t know what Gru was thinking with some of the has beens he signed.
April 10th, 2011 at 5:19 am
We Need Defense,
I guess we can all rest easy because you have explained why we went 10-6 last year. I know this is a free country and we all have freedom of speech, but I’m a believer that this rule shouldn’t apply to complete morons like you. Your ignorance could quite possibly infect others. Your list is the single most stupid thing I have read in as far as I can remember. To put the head coach last on a list of why a young, inexperienced team that went 10-6 is laughable. Do you really believe your nonsense, or are you trying to be funny? I can guarantee that you never played any sports, because if you did you would understand how ridiculous your worthless list is.
April 10th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
We dont need defense as much as we need a certain poster to go away. Why is JBF.com serially cursed with moronic posters who just wont go away?
April 10th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
This is the list buddy.
Credit for the 10-6 season goes to the following people in this order:
Josh Freeman
L Blount
Greg Olsen
The WRs being able to catch and run decent routes
Mark Dominic
The scouting department
The “Undocumented Consultants”
The offensive line backups during the 2nd half of the season
Easy schedule, very easy
Backup QBs on the opposing team
Backup RBs on the opposing team
Opponents lack of desire to play once they realized they were out of it and there coaching staff were lame ducks
The secondary
Rich Bisacia and the special teams
And last of all, the guy who added the LEAST amount of value: Rah
April 10th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Nice argument, Weneed. You really proved your point with that! I see you come from the Thomas school of thought, when you have no facts to back up your argument, either repeat yourself or ignore the facts.
April 10th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Argue? With who? Goofballs who cant see what is really going on?
Blind allegance to Raheem is you guys stance.
April 10th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
You are so weak! It never stopped you from arguing before, did it? It’s amazing that only you and your bff Thomas know “what’s really going on”. Every expert, coach, player, and sane person in the world has a different opinion. But I guess they are all wrong and you two got it all figured out. Why don’t you two geniuses get together and solve the budget crisis too.
April 10th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
“Opponents lack of desire to play once they realized they were out of it and there coaching staff were lame ducks” – Weneeddefense
Looks like someone needs 4th grade English class…
April 10th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I am actually being very conservative on this one. Thomas and Eric would have Raheem ranked even lower. In fact, there is substantial evidence that Freeman and Olsen won games DESPITE Rah sabbotaging the game plan with idiocy.
April 10th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
And what is this substantial evidence? Come on, don’t talk out of your arse, give some facts! Once again, it shows how weak you are. Obviously, since you never argued when HGO and myself brought it up, you never played any sports, so what exactly qualifies you as the expert?
April 11th, 2011 at 12:11 am
WeNeedDefense considers STATS Inc an “undocumented consultant”….
April 11th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Sheesh…can’t we all just get along? lol.