“It Wasn’t A Good Locker Room To Begin With”
January 26th, 2012
When the Bucs walked off the field in 2010, after a 10-6 record, what was wrong with their locker room?
Joe struggles to find an answer to that question. But Tampa Bay Times beat writer Rick Stroud says the Bucs locker room was subpar entering the 2011 season and Mark Dominik didn’t do enough to fix it.
Speaking yesterday on NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk Live, starring Mike Florio, Stroud explained that the Bucs’ rockstar GM told him he didn’t feel comfortable bringing in free agents when the lockout ended because there wasn’t enough to time to be sure the free agents were a good fit with the roster. Stroud scoffed at Dominik’s decision-making saying, “it wasn’t a good locker room to begin with.”
Again, Joe’s not able to find what exactly was wrong with the Bucs’ locker room, per Stroud’s logic, when the asinine lockout ended in late July. The Bucs were “yungry.” The Bucs were one of the more unified teams during the lockout. The Bucs were confident. The Bucs had their share of veterans in the locker room, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Bucs had second-year players with lots experience. The Bucs marched out to a 4-2 record with wins against Atlanta and New Orleans.
Obviously, Dominik can be skewered in hindsight for not providing the Bucs enough depth. But the 2011 locker room was bad before the season started? Joe’s just not buying that.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:06 am
LB’s, LB’s, CB’s and Safeties. They failed to upgrade the defense.
Barrett Ruud anyone?
I love how people still hate Ruud (and for what?) but yet still want to make excuses for Raheem.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:10 am
LOL Some rockstar he is…
January 26th, 2012 at 11:19 am
I don’t know about the locker room. I do know they gave big $ to an unproven (yes consistantly hyped) linebacker (Black), who had no experience calling the defensive plays. When that didn’t work, their next best idea was giving it to a rookie. Genius.
Not having an experienced LB who was comfortable calling plays in enough to fire Dom.
Really, at a good portion of the positions needed to be shored up with some experienced guys. EJ Biggers? CMON MAN. Lumpkin? CMON MAN! A rookie TE backing up a guy who can barely practice? CMON MAN!
January 26th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Stroud may have picked up something while hanging around but it’s just his opinion. The lockout put a kink in the normal process for preparing for the season and if anything, may have impacted short term decisions regarding FAs. You have to wonder though why our veterans DIDN’T appear to step up in the locker room during the nose dive this team took. Where they happy with the way things were headed? Didn’t they see a need to step up in front of all the young inexperienced players in the locker room. Or did they tired of Raheem and just wanted a change? We’ll never really know.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Adam schefter reporting schianao to buds a done deal!
January 26th, 2012 at 11:26 am
Greg Shiano reported as coach for Bucs on ESPN
January 26th, 2012 at 11:31 am
@Joe. Come on its time to quit supporting this guy. Dominik should have been fired and is much responsible for this downfall as anyone. Why not create a poll and see what the fans thick of this guy. I’m sure you are in the minority for supporting this guy in any capacity. Here’s one that hopes once the coach is hired Dominik is stripped of all powers.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:35 am
Brad:
Joe likes Schiano better than Chip Kelly.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:38 am
Brad:
Joe will give — and has — Mark Dominik a fair shake. If you are among the angry crowd that has to find someone on the Bucs to hate now that Morris is gone, too bad. If Joe giving Dominik a fair shake angers you this much, perhaps there is another site that will keep your blood pressure down and give you solace.
January 26th, 2012 at 11:43 am
I like how Stroud keeps everything on the up and up. He was honest about this team during the season and he has credibility in the national media. I take his work before anyone else. He has earned that respectability.
January 26th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
@joe. Love the site but thought I one can have their own opionion. If you go back to all my blogs I have always blamed Dominik before Morris was fired. I in fact was not Morris hater. He had to go but being Domink’s fingerprints are all over this team I believe there was enough evidence to clean house completely. Just one mans opionion.
January 26th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
I will love this hire and hope he gets to hire his own staff. Now the Glazers need to start looking at available FA’s. Time to change the environment around here .
January 26th, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Joe, I agree. The locker room didnt turn sour, until the bucs lost Gerald McCoy and Earnest Grahm for the season. Those were two leaders playing at a very high level on their respective sides before their injuries. Plus, face facts to all those haters; the bucs record simply states, they lost every game that both didn’t play in, and were 4-2 with them.
Without those 2 guys, the team didn’t have a chance in many ways. Not enough people stepped up and fought, and the Bucs ship rain aground on an Italian reef.
Is it me or did Raheem really Schettino the Bucs ship once McCoy and Grahm were lost? Maybe not to the same extreme degree, bc they did still at least have SOME well fought losses, but he was out in S. Tampa partying (with or without players, does it even matter?) on Fri and Sat nights in the midst of a losing streak, according to numerous people with mouths and eyeballs. That is just irresponsible.
January 26th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I’m tired of all this bashing of Dom. He made mistakes yes, but he also had to go with Coaches Opinions.
And as a coach sometimes you believe you can fix a player and tell people to keep this player over this one and you are wrong. And if this locker room was so bad last year how come every media outlet reported wonderful team Chemistry including Stroud. Remember Joe Baker was the Linebackers Coach and he has sucked at every position he has coached. He sunk this team more than anyone. He was a Kiffin hire.
Dominik should be on the hot seat this year, but he is a good scout and did find Penn, Quarles, LeBlount, Parker. As for Ruud, I think he is available after losing his job with the Titans to a ROOKIE. If Rah hadn’t lost the team for the last month, I would have given him a pass with no off-season.
This new hire shows a Plan and fits the players we have. I think it is the right one. Just give it a chance before we string this guy up.