The Demise And Fall Of Michael Clayton
September 5th, 2010
St. Petersburg Times beat writer Rick Stroud took a break from deleting Tweets breaking new ground on Twitter to touch base with now former Bucs wide receiver Michael Clayton last night.
In short, Clayton seemed in good spirits, though not happy. Bucs general manager Mark Dominik, per the quotes cobbled together from Stroud, seemed more meloncholy than Clayton.
Tampa Bay ended the relationship with its enigmatic receiver by releasing Clayton, whom they will pay not to play this season.
It was the closest thing to an admission by general manager Mark Dominik that the organization made a mistake last year in signing Clayton to a five-year, $26 million extension with $10 million guaranteed, including $3 million for 2010.
“I hate to characterize a person as a mistake,” Dominik said. “I will say this: Some of the people I have the most respect for in the National Football League are the people that make the decisions for the right reasons for their organization. I’ve always kind of followed that mind-set… “
Stroud went on to point out that Clayton had fallen so out of favor with the Bucs, that in theory he would have been the No. 8 receiver since the Bucs kept seven after the final roster cut.
Dominik noted Clayton took the news well. Of course he would. It’s not like he’s not going to get a salary this year. Joe’s not suggesting Clayton is happy but if the guy has cash coming in whether he plays or not, that will temper the emotions of losing a gig.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Great guy! 🙂
Bad football player.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Idiots. Michael was just on the cusp of regaining his rookie form and having a HOF season. He feels so bad about last year he has decided to give all last seasons salary and his guaranteed cash. If it wasn’t for Gruden, Clayton could have been a contender.
September 5th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Even the local drunk on the radio says Gruden ruined his career.
September 5th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Clayton said he wanted to sign and play for an southern division foe so he can play against the Bucs twice a year. I hope he does but I don’t think LSU plays in the NFL. Was this guy the team comic.
September 5th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
How many chances does one get to prove themselves.
September 5th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
For now on this saying will be coined:
“________ more chances than Michael Clayton.”
Fill in the blank.
September 5th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
What in the heck is “meloncholy”.. is that being somber over melons or something?
September 5th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
As Gomer says: “Surprise! Surprise!”
September 5th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Blount was cut by Titans . Does this mean Bucs pick him up and peanut goes?
September 5th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Another body bein’ paid not to play
September 5th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Dom seems to be great at drafting players, but add this guy to the list of failed FA signings. Has he signed anyone other than Jones or Vincent who are still on the team?
September 5th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Sheen…He worked the Penn deal out, and K2 is still on the team as well. If my memory serves me Spurlock is still here as well. He gave Clayton a shot, and was man enough to admit the mistake and cut ties. Same with Ward. I think three of them are gone, you are being a bit dramatic.
September 5th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
The Clayton signing was the big screw up by Raheem and Mark. The Ward signing was bad, but no where near as bad as the Clayton signing.
In the 2009 offseason, Ward had just come off a strong season and was one of the best running backs on the market. Other teams considered signing him also. We took him, and thought he would improve our rushing attack. But he just disappointed.
That same offseason, it was pretty much common sense that Raheem and Dominik should’ve let Clayton walk. The guy had done anything since 2004 except complain how mean old Chucky never game him a chance. I mean, you just don’t reward a guy who’s only caught 3 TD passes since 2004. They sign him, and he performs exactly like we all knew he would. Awful business decision.
September 6th, 2010 at 7:43 am
I see that Dominick and Morris are willing to admit mistakes and fix them, so this is totally fine for me.
I would still like to see a deal for Rude to be worked out…though I have to admit, I’m more than a little curious to see if Black could play MLB.
September 6th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Good points McBuc, I guess I was thinking more along the lines of UFA’s, which Penn was an RFA and K2 a trade. Forgot about Spurlock though, and forgot to mention the whole Crowell experiment. I guess what I am wondering ulitmately, is how many passes does one get before the Glazers say enough. Or, at what point does someone raise their hand and say “maybe I’m not so good at this aspect, maybe I need some help?”
For the record, this along with the coordinator debacle last year is the only sticking point I have with this regime.