Will The Glazer Streak Be Broken?
March 7th, 2013
“There has never been a player that has ever been drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that left this organization because of money. And if you’re not drafting well over a long period of time, guys don’t get re-signed. Donald Penn? Re-signed. Davin Joseph? Re-signed. Big money contracts. And if you’re leading the way with free agency, and I think we’ve seen this over the years with teams, if that’s the way they lead the way, it hasn’t proven to be successful. We will be happy to spend in free agency. But we have got to build a team, and we have to draft well and build a foundation for this team. But we’re open-minded. Whatever we’ve got to do to win. — Joel Glazer, Jan. 2, 2012.
Team Glazer has said it numerous times; the Bucs have not lost a homegrown Buccaneer in free agency that they wanted to retain.
It’s been a common refrain from Team Glazer in past years when pressed about not spending money in free agency. Team Glazer has tried to drive home the point that poor drafting didn’t leave enough homegrown veterans to re-sign and the team didn’t want to dive into unrestricted free agency to build the core of the club.
Now Joe knows Michael Bennett was not drafted by the Bucs, but since Joel Glazer (see above) lumped undrafted Donald Penn onto the list of drafted players developed in Tampa and re-signed for big cash, Joe will consider Bennett a homegrown talent that the Bucs could and should re-sign and not lose to a higher offer. Bennett was an undrafted free agent in 2009, and the Bucs signed him that October after Seattle cut him.
So Joe is wondering whether the streak Team Glazer has referenced will be broken this season in the case of Bennett.
On paper, there is no logical reason to let Bennett walk. He was an absolute beast against the run. He rushed inside and outside. He notched nine sacks and forced three fumbles, and stayed healthy. He’s in his prime at 27 years old, and the Bucs are hardly deep at defensive end. Adrian Clayborn is coming off major knee surgery and is not versatile. DaQuan Bowers is not as good as Bennett, has yet to play a full season, and he’s got gun charges hanging over his head.
Joe can’t imagine any scenario in which the Bucs would not want Bennett to return — other than his price tag. If Bennett leaves town, Joe will consider the Glazer streak broken.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
In my opinion, that Joel Glazer statement was as CLOSE to a FLAT-OUT LIE as you can get (I crashed my truck into house while hearing that)
March 7th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
did they not want Warrick Dunn???
also we did not draft Penn. GM Bruce Allen signed him off the vikings practice squad.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
No way does Bennett have more upside than Bowers. Bowers was a shoe in for first pick in the draft, until the knee issue arose. That doesn’t seem to be an issue here, and he looked like a beast in the making the last few games
That being said, I can’t believe they would lose Bennett. He is the kind of success story you pray for in the NFL. You bring him in as an unknown- and he works hard to become a very good player!
Then you let him walk? From a position of need, that has no depth?
What about Miller? He was home grown, and excelled at what they ask him to do!
We are supposedly trying to build a winning team, yet we let two starters from the D-line walk?? After they were number one in the league at stopping the Run??
That’s not the blueprint for success. That’s the receipe for failure!
I know. I’ve watched that receipe being cooked in this town since I was a little kid- in the teams first year.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:26 pm
@the_buc_realist – Joe referenced Penn and his status specifically in this post.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Gambling on Bowers is a bad idea. Suck it up and sign Bennett. We need the depth.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:33 pm
Couldn’t agree more. Letting Bennett walk could have dangerous consequences.
Above poster stated that Bowers has more upside than Bennett…What upside? To be one of the best defensive ends in the game? Bennett has already fulfilled that upside. Bowers has a long way to go.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:34 pm
Although I’m nervous about Bennett, everyone is panicking like he’s as good as gone. We have no idea what’s happening in the negotiations. For all we know, Bennett won’t sign anything until he gives free agency a try (nothing wrong with that at all, this is a business). Maybe he thinks there’s a team that will pay him $15M per year? Who knows what’s really happening. Who’s to say they’re not already really close on a deal? If he walks and signs a reasonable salary somewhere else, I’ll be right there with you with my pitchfork. However, I’m not going to get myself worked up now.
March 7th, 2013 at 4:55 pm
True testing free agency isn’t always a bad thing from a clubs prospective, sometimes it helps them to save money when other teams don’t value the player as my as that player may think. Bennett has made it clear that he wants to stay in tampa, I think he will. If not its still. Bucslife for me
March 7th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
The whole Glazer promise at first was just a public relations move one year before the new mandated CBA. All the years of Manchester United and the Glazers lack of spending in free agency made them appear to fans as cheap. But lucky for us, with the Glazers publicly renewed interest they didn’t wait till this year (2013) to spend when they would be forced to. Last year, with great luck and timing Dominik hit a free agency homerun when he signed VJax and Nicks, in a slow free agency market last year. So the Glazers premeditated publicity stunt turned out to be a brilliant stroke of luck. Then Dom turned around and hit an homerun in his draft strategy. This year will be tougher in FA, when there are so many teams having to spend so much money. I think the Bucs already have an ideal what Michael is worth and they will match all offers until it’s more than their numbers. Same go’s for Miller. Same go’s for Blount.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
I believe all this stuff about Bennett leaving is stupid. I think the Bucs will let him test the market to get a true market value — no one can say at this point what he’s exactly worth — and he’ll be a Buccaneer long term.
Does anyone really think Dominik is going to hitch his horse to another sorry azz Clemson product as his savior?
No worries, Bucs fans. MB isn’t going anywhere.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
The Bucs will bring Bennett back at the right price, but likely some team with more money than sense will throw a bucket of cash at him and he will be gone. Clayborne will be back next year (the man is a beast), Bowers has a ton of upside and could very well turn into a monster (not worried about his legal stuff in NY that will get resolved with some kind of fine) the there is that guy we brought in last year Tenemishsisi (no clue on his name) that played well. Plus the fact that this draft is loaded with good DT/DE we can get more depth in the draft on the cheap.
Save the money from Bennett sign two FA CBs, draft best player available in the 1st round. Then we can fill needs with our 2nd and 3rd round picks. Dont be surprised either if we trade back into the 1st or 2nd rounds again to steal another great player like we did last year with David.
Let Bennet walk, he will be overpaid.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:11 pm
To everyone worried about Roy Miller, he will be back. The Bucs will let him test free agency to see what his value is and match the best offer. RM is going nowhere.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:15 pm
Bennett is like 25th or 26th in the NFL for sacks.
With the passing league, there are 20 guys with 10 or more sacks and a lot of them are getting closer to 20 sacks a season.
This makes Bennett average to slightly above average… but definitely NOT an elite pass rusher.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:25 pm
Could find out today if Ronde Barber will retire. Tiki said that he believes Ronde is meeting with Bucs today
March 7th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
i still think they sign both Bennett brothers first day of free agency and possibly Roy Miller and Williams too. I have a feeling the bucs will move with speed and precision at the start of FA. Yes I am an optimist. Go Bucs!
March 7th, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Bennett should be retained, because 3 starting caliber DEs are better than the 2 we’d be left with and neither has played close to as many snaps as Bennett. No knock against Bowers or Clayborn, but Bennett has been thee guy on our DL since the first time GMC went down, there’s been no DLmen on our line whose been better since with the exception McCoy in 2012.
March 7th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
What a lot is forgetting is that Bennet wants to play with his brother. He may be the one holding back trying to get Domonic to ink two not just one contract.
March 7th, 2013 at 6:10 pm
I am so sick of people saying bowers is going to be so great. Yes we was at one point projected to be the first overall pick. At this point that means absolutely nothing; how many first overall pics have been busts? Right now Bennett is our best DE, will he be the best on our team next year? Who knows! But AC is coming off an injury as is bowers- who showed he was good but not great at the end of last year. IMO Bennett is second only to gmac on the Dline and those are the two that we should care about right now
March 7th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
I am sorry but that is a lie.
Sapp, Brooks (forced to retire), Simeon Rice, Lynch etc all were released in significant part due to $.Michael Bennett? $. Roy Miller? Were there other less significant factors? Sure, there always is with veteran players, but $ is a huge, (most significant)part.
Anyone who does not believe that is being foolish.
The entire 09 budget cut / dumping veteran players was about saving $. The fact that he can say this with a straight face is concerning.
March 7th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
@Thomas,
Although I totally agree with you that money was a factor in those decisions, age was probably just as big of a factor (if not bigger). All of those guys were beyond their primes. The one player I can remember us losing in the prime of his career was Thomas Jones (again, I know we didn’t draft him), even though I really can’t remember the circumstances as to why we didn’t re-sign him.
It really wasn’t a very smart statement by the Glazers. Almost every decision to keep or let a player go is at least partially based on money, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You shouldn’t overpay for a player. If another team is going to overpay and you don’t think he’s worth it, you have to let him go. If someone is going to pay Bennett QB type money, then Aloha Mr. Bennett, I wish you well.
March 7th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
@Hawaiian Buc
Couldn’t agree with you more. And Glazer didn’t say “we never lost a player to money”. He said “we never lost a player that we wanted to keep because of money”, and there is a big difference. I hope we find a way to sign Bennett that is both profitable for him and smart economically for the team!!!
March 7th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
Buc Fan #238 , check PFF. Bennett was near the top of the league at QB pressures.
March 7th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Never? Well, maybe never since he’s been around. Allowing Dunn, Sapp, Lynch, Rice, Brooks, etc to go had a lot less to do with money and far more to do with age. Doug Williams on the other hand…
March 7th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
I’m fairy certain that Dominik has probably already told Bennett and Rosenhaus not to sign anything until he has a chance to counter. I don’t see Dominik letting Bennett walk.
Bennett is about to hit the market the same year as his brother. There wasn’t going to be any way that Dominik was going to be able to get him inked before free agency started as I’m sure this is a dream scenario for those two and they will probably be trying to work themselves as a package deal. It’s smart to let him test out the waters to check his value as long as Dominik gets the chance to match offers. I’m about 85% sure Bennett will be back with the Bucs although I’m not a huge fan of his brother.
March 7th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
You check your facts.
20+ other guys are ahead of him in sacks.
Go look it up. No assuming.
And the trend is EVERYONE is getting sacks in tge NFL. 20 guys with double digit sacks with some near 20? That is unheard of… making Bennett quite pedestrian.
March 7th, 2013 at 11:13 pm
Was hoping for Martellus and Mike Bennett combo, but I think we get Dustin Keller instead.
March 8th, 2013 at 2:00 am
lol @ thomthom spouting crap again.
never changed or learned to be a man. just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean they are foolish. also, just because you spout your beliefs and opinions does not make the “facts”.
March 8th, 2013 at 6:40 am
To me Michael Bennett is a good, not yet great player who should be signed. I don’t think he is a player for whom the opponent must game plan around so I would not put him in an elite class to command a commensurate salary. But he did play hurt much of the year and played with tremendous effort and heart so perhaps he will be rewarded by the Bucs with a slightly higher offer to retain him. Can’t have enough DE’s
March 8th, 2013 at 10:15 am
@Bucsfan238
Not one of those guys ahead of Bennett has a secondary that allows opposing QBs to get rid of the ball in less than 3 seconds on every single play either. The fact that Bennett is one of the tops in the league in pressures, and plays almost every down, helps his value. He should be kept, but only if the price is right. Overpaying players at any position kills teams down the road. If he isn’t retained, I’m sure Dom will be drafting a DE to groom behind Clayborn and Bowers.