Here Comes The Dominik Bashing
January 2nd, 2012
Joe can already smell the new divide among Bucs fans. Now that Raheem Morris is home sharpening his core beliefs, a new man will be tied to the Tampa city whipping post until the Bucs start winning again — that would be rockstar general manager Mark Dominik.
Frankly, there’s not a Bucs fan in the world that could convince Joe that Dominik is more than 15 percent responsible for the mess of the 2011 season. Joe’s written before that the historic failure of Raheem’s staff deserved the lion share of the blame — for a team that exemplified hungry over a season plus six games but then effectively quit in a big way.
But Dominik’s already getting skewered mightily, even a matter hours into a new era. Surprising to Joe was St. Pete Times columnist Gary Shelton’s long take today out of the Dominik-Glazer news conference at One Buc Palace. Here’s a snippet that troubled Joe.
That’s the thing about the Backwards Gang. Some of the ringleaders got away. Some of them stared into the cameras Monday and tried to explain why tomorrow is going to be different from today.
Sure it is. Tight-fisted owners are going to spend freely, and a short-sighted general manger is going to get smarter, and an immature bunch of players is going to grow up overnight.
Either that, or the Bucs will meet here in another three years to fire another coach.
Oh, during their news conference, Joel Glazer and Dominik suggested they shared the blame, too. Who is to disagree? The Bucs’ roster is filled with players who will have successful careers with whatever Arena Football League team they end up with. The Bucs lacked enough cash and enough commitment to free agency to give Morris a roster that would have made a better argument in his behalf.
First, Joel Glazer didn’t “suggest” he and Dominik shared blame, as Shelton wrote. Glazer flat out said they owned their share of blame. Why Shelton didn’t pick up on that (it was crystal clear), Joe has no clue.
Second, calling Dominik “short-sighted” is almost silly. Dominik, if anything, was “long-sighted,” if there was such a word meaning too focused on the future. The Bucs needed more veteran talent to hit their goals for 2011, but how could Dominik or anyone else have forecast an across-the-board, midseason failure of the coaching staff?
Lastly, if Shelton really believes Team Glazer is “tight-fisted,” then blaming Dominik surely has questionable merit. And it seems Shelton doesn’t realize that the new NFL labor agreement will compel Team Glazer and the rest of the owners to spend hard cash on salaries come 2013.
The reality is Raheem had all the talent he needed on his roster to keep his job. Maybe not win the division, but surely stay employed and have the Bucs poised for impact upgrades in 2012. A truly “yungry” looking team through this past season — even with ups and downs — would have gotten Raheem another year.
Raheem has only one man to blame, and Joe believes fans should recognize how much blame that guy deserves.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:25 pm
Bill Polian just got fired from the Colts. Pretty shocking. He was fantastic for that franchise. Should’ve fired Dom and hired him. 100 times better.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:26 pm
I wonder how much power Mark Dominik will have with an experienced HC in town. I do think he’ll be able to work with him though. Dominik, to his credit, has always been a team player and loyal to the Buccaneers.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Dominick is as much to blame as anyone in this monumental meltdown. PERIOD! Bad drafts, bad depth, bad signings or lack thereof(he should be canned for the Q.Black signing alone), and above all, bad leadership. Yes Mark, the bullseye is squarely on you and well it should be. You are an arrogant, self ansorbed A-hole how loved to bask in the glory of success but was nowhere to be seen or heard when times were tough. Although I support the firing of Morris, I really want to see you unemployed. You are bad business.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Could not agree with you more, this team had enough talent to go 10-6, so everyone did not leave this team. I was screaming for free agents prior to the season, and i still stand on that there was talent that could have helped this team, but i watched week after week and saw these players quit on Raheem, regardless of what anyone thinks, bottom line is that has nothing to do with a lack of talent, but the fact that he lost this team. They checked out on him, when the players are looking in the camera and saying we will show you how we feel about our coach and we will play accordingly.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Joe here,
And Bucnole is exhibit A of what Joe’s talking about in the first couple of paragraphs. Sheesh.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:33 pm
patrick, you really haven’t paid any attention to what has happened the last 5 years or so in indy or you wouldn’t be saying that.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Shelton, an award winning journalist, has the integrity and fortitude to call’em as he sees’em!
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Raheem had to be fired, and I’m glad he was. But it will not be fair to Raheem if the Glazers and Dom suddenly decide to bring in free agents this offseason when they didn’t do it while he was here.
I wish Raheem the best. He did a bad job here, but it’s sad to see a HC coach leave a team regardless.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Come on Bucnnole, show a little class. That was personal a WAAAY over the top.
Things are changing anyway and hopefully for the better. It’s not like Dominik is going to hold a HC back if the Glazers really want to spend. From what I’ve heard Dominik is a nice guy, very personable and not deserving of your remarks.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:39 pm
impossible to know right now what our talent actually is on this team. the schemes, both offense and defense, never played to the strength of the players. we are loaded with untapped and misused talent in my opinion. dominik will stay.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:41 pm
If Don is only 15% of problem. What 85% did he do right. Or do you mean Don is responsible for 15% of the team. If so WTF does he do.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Get Herm in here to coach the defense. Was here with us from ’96-00, back when our defense was awesome! He knows the Tampa 2 and he’ll bring discipline to this team.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Joe here,
@Patrick — It’s very fair when it comes to Raheem. He’d still be here if he were able to motivate his players effectively — young and old.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:42 pm
When Dom is saying to us that he planned according to what he saw after a 10-6 season is what you should be hearing from dom today. I am sure he had his butt on the skillet when he had got called on the carpet this morning, he even admited that all that matters is winning and he is willing to share the responsibility of personnel decisions, sounds like someone got smacked around a little bit to me. There is not one player on this roster i can say, that is great, not one. Josh Freeman looks like a player who has no idea what he is supposed to do. So going forth just know that Dom is probably on a short lease, but it seems that the Glazer family trust him to right the ship, and with him we are stuck with, so lets move on.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Joe here,
@MTM — Meaning if we’re dividing up blame for 2011, Joe would give Dominik 15 percent of it.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:46 pm
I just hope Gotbbucs’ statement about the team having untapped and misused talent is correct because they looked like s**t the last 10 weeks!
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Stop calling Dom a rock star. He has been an average GM at best. Shelton is right about the lack of talent on that roster. There is zero speed on that roster.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Joe, I realize your refering to Dom as “Rockstar” was tongue in cheek, I’m interested in your opinion of a few topics. 1) has Dom drafted a player,one, that looks to be a potential Pro Bowler? I realize IRS early, but do McCoy, Miller, or Price even come close to resemble Warren Sapp or even Booger McFarland for that matter? How about Kyle Moore(former Buc) or A.Benn?
2) Regardless of how tight fisted the Glazers are, has Dom signed any free agents one would consider a key contributor asides from our punter? D.Sproles signed for less than Q.Black, Laurent Robinson was a street free agent and starred for the Cowboys, and Stephen Tulloch would have given our defense a leader and someone for Mason to learn from, for little money.
3) Did Dom do his best to right this ship, to show the leadership a first rate G.M. is asked to do? Support the coach he chose? Assured the fan base proper measures are being taken to return this team to glory? Just curious.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:48 pm
I would agree that the shorsighted remark for Dominik is unfair, as the Glazer Boys wanted a long term plan.
problem is the long term plan blew to pieces.
To say there was a “midseason failure of coaching staff” is too simplistic. It was the same Rah and staff coaching the same way. Core beliefs and all. Just like it was the same Gruden in 08, coaching the same way. Both teams collapsed, although Rah’s more dramatically.
The more likely truth is the team had very serious weaknesses personnel wise that were exposed. Similar to the Rams.
For that Mark Dominik is way more than 15% responsible IMO.
But, they did clean house on one side of the ledger. A good experienced coach might be able to help Dom make better choices.
Im down with it. Make a complete search, which was all a lot of us wanted last time.
Feel a hell of a lot better than I did Sunday.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:50 pm
I feel Dominik has or should only be given one more year in his position.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:50 pm
http://thecovertwo.com/2012/01/bucs-player-tweets-about-jeff-fisher/
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
I agree with most of what you said Joe. This team had some success last year and had a great deal of continuity (by NFL standards) coming into this year. I don’t think there is any doubt they were getting better as the year was coming to an end (obviously I’m talking about 2010). Once they started losing, all hell broke loose and there was a total team meltdown. It’s hard for me to blame the GM for that. When things go bad (and the players stop trusting their coaching), players react in many different ways (I am speaking from my experience playing basketball). Some players try to cover for the mistakes of other, thus doing too much. Others quit on the team and start playing selfish. Some just plain stop trying. Some start passing the blame on others. This is just the result of losing. It really doesn’t matter how good (or bad) the coaching is, players are going to react negatively to losing.
Dominik has provided some talent to this team in a relatively quick period. However, clearly not enough. He has yet to really hit a home run in the draft. He’s got some good players, but no great ones yet (although hopefully some will become great). He needs to do that soon, and bring in some established players as well (which aside from a kicker, he has done a horrible job of). He should definitely be on a short leash, but I don’t think he should be fired yet.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
my point is that i dont think theres any way that guys that have been playing this game at an organized level since middle school can consistently be that out of position every play unless the scheme dictates it. i still have no idea what scheme we used
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:02 pm
@bucnole Do you know Dom personally? I dont know how you can say such an arrogant thing when you dont even know him. A-HOLE
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Yeah, that sure was a mid-season coaching collapse after a year and 6 games of decent. I can’t believe the coaching staff got so over-confident that they absolutely quit doing their jobs. Just sent players onto the practice field and said “Eh, do what you guys want, we’re so good we can win anyway”… Yeah, right. What changed with the coaching after week 6? Seriously, even the playcalling was the same. Run Blount 2 or 3 times for no gain, then abandon the run, put the game on Free’s shoulders and when he makes mistakes we’ll just tell people he’s still “learning”. The coaching didn’t change after week 6. Unless you were inside One Buc and saw diminished game planning time being put in, or visibly saw the coaches backing off of the players in practice, how can you or anyone possibly say coaching changed after 1 year and 6 games? Yep, I’m sure Millard went from that pre-season beast to being a teddy bear in practice too. Maybe Yarber started working with the WRs on how NOT to get open for week 7. Van Pelt had to be teaching Freeman the “Vinny Testaverde” techniques of being an NFL QB by week 7 this year. Joe Baker must have thought the LBs were ready to learn how to tackle without using their arms, a highly skilled ability.
Just because the team collapsed as a whole about the same time (week 7) doesn’t mean the coaching changed. It could mean (and I say could because just about everything is speculation) that our lack of depth was being exposed. It could mean that we had some guys that had mediocre (at best) talent that were getting abused and the rest couldn’t pick it up for them. It could mean that as the team started to slide, some players didn’t have the desire to keep playing 100% when the rest of the team wasn’t doing well either. It could mean that we didn’t have the veteran players to get into the weaker players heads and kick them in the backside and lift them up to play better. It’s like the water spiraling down the toilet, it just keeps swirling around until it gets enough then it all goes down the drain. This thing built up to what happened starting week 7, from many things. The coaching may not have been the greatest, but it wasn’t different than the previous 22 games.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:08 pm
wow…ppppffttt I bet you bit on that WMD lie as well….as confused as a mongoloid at a magic show,,,,
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Dom is young and yea he whiffed on few decisions, I think he will be fine. He can work closely with a veteran coach. You can’t have a coach, players and GM learning on the job. A coach and staff with experience will help Dom.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Well written Joe. The difference this year was that Freeman didn’t save the team in the 4th quarter like he did last year. I believe Rah and Olson were just average coordinators at best and couldn’t maximize talent. Certainly there needs to be an upgrade in talent, but the coaching staff had to go.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Much like the sub-prime mortgage mess, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Whether Dom was asked to be cheap by ownership or he’s that way normally, he should shoulder more than 15% of the blame for this mess. While Morris should and has received the lion’s share of the blame (it’s his job to coach up whatever players he has), you can’t make a silk purse out of a cow’s ear. I don’t believe this roster is as talentless as most posters do, but neither do I think the Bucs are stocked with an abundance of talent. Way too many undrafted free agents on ths team. Reminds me of an expansion team. So good riddance Rah, Rah, but you weren’t served well either by ALL others involved.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:11 pm
I just cant imagine bad coaching alone can lead to a buccaneer record for points allowed and get down 42-0 before halftime, lose ten in a row, etc.
Then again it was former bucs coach Raheem Morris.
Maybe that does give Dom a legitimate pass.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:13 pm
I think he has drafted some good players, but that’s ALL he did. He hasn’t really “missed” on any free agents (namely because he didn’t bring any in, except the punter). He has found a handful of gems on other team’s practice squads and the scrap heap (Dez Briscoe was the only Bucs receiver with a 2 TD game this season. Legarette Blount, when used properly, is a 1,000 yard rusher, Preston Parker was undrafted). And Dominik doesn’t get credit a big move he DIDN’T make. He didn’t overpay to keep Antonio Bryant (the Bengals did, and he never even got on the field). If The Glazerati let him sign a few FA’s, that should be the easy part.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:15 pm
This guy has been an epic failure – signing or resigning Ward, Clayton, Black, Trueblood; trading up for Benn, who has been invisible and injury prone; trading up for Stocker (same); letting go of Caddy and Rudd for Lumpkin and a rookie. Well, at least there’s the kickers. Morris needed to go, and maybe you can make a case that MD shouldn’t be fired, but to still call him a “rockstar” is pure Tarzan level nut swinging.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:18 pm
IT PROBABLY CAME TO A POINT WHERE DOM HAD A CONVERSATION WITH RHEEM AFTER THE DRAFT, COACH IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED, OH NO DOM, I THINK I GOT WHAT I NEED. DOM: ARE YOU SURE, NO IM GOOD, MY GUYS ARE AWESOME, DOM AGAIN ASKS ARE YOU SURE. RHEEM: I GOT EVERYTHING I NEED, WE ARE ALL YOUNGRY AND READY TO GO. DOM: O.K. COACH, IF YOUR GOOD, RHEEM: I DO NEED A PUNTER, DOM: YOU GOT IT, ANYTHING ELSE, RHEEM; I ALREADY GOT MY GUYS, WE ARE GOOD, DOM: OK THEN.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Have any of you played sports? The team was successful through six games. They knew how to tackle. They protected the ball. QUITTING on fundamentals means coaching is being tuned out and there’s no discipline/fear or failure.
The coaches lost the team. Period.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Joe,
You have a weird obsession with Dominik. If he is only 15% responsible for 2011 failure then he must be only 15% responsible for 2010’s 10 wins.
Thus, he is no rockstar.
I agree that Rah is a bad coach and mostly responsible, but Dom’s draft picks have been a virtual disaster. The 3 pro bowlers on this roster were not Dom draft picks. Many players from those 3 drafts have made pro bowls – but no Bucs.
I don’t think that any player outside of Freeman and maybe Williams has proven to be a worthwhile draft pick at this point – terrible record.
We all know what a joke he has been on the veteran market with Black, Ward, Clayton, Nugent, Crowell etc.
Rah was a disaster but Dom sure didn’t help him out in any way, a rockstar is the last thing that he has been.
He was retained bc they just extended him. Period.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:28 pm
He’s not a journalist. He’s a blogger employed by a newspaper. He has never, never done what a real reporter does.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Man Joe, I used to read your website everyday…but now it seems you are just bashing Morris just like some ignorant fans. The WHOLE staff failed not just Morris. I don’t think Greg Olsen should get another OC position. The man always tried reverses or passes on 3rd and 1!!!! When he had a bruising back and powerful offensive line. And why can’t the Db’s coach or LB’s coach get his f-ing guys to show up? So everyone, not just Morris deserves this blame.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:33 pm
THANKS TOM THAT DOES SEEM TO BE THE PRIMARY REASON THAT THEY KEEP HIM, DONT WANT TO PAY ANOTHER PAYCHECK FOR SOMEONE NOT HERE, SEEMS SIMPLE TO ME, NOT SURE WHAT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND, IF IT CONTINUES TO GO DOWNHILL HE WILL GET HIS IN DUE TIME, TIME TO MOVE FORWARD AND GET THIS PAST US, TIME FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I’m dieing to hear Joe try to defend the signing of Quincy Black, Sean Jones Derrick Ward and Michael Clayton.
Exactly what elite players has Mark Dominik drafted Joe? Josh Freeman? Blount has turned out to be a barely one dimensional back with fumbling issues. His heralded late round gems are limited to Cody Grimm and Mike Williams. Arrelious Benn has been a huge disappointment, along with Myron Lewis, Roy Miller and Brian Price. The verdict is still out on Mccoy while Clayborn and Bowers remain good picks in my mind.
So basically you have a guy that’s made 8 draft/free agent mistakes that seriously hurt the team and really only accounted for the acquisition of a good QB, decent wide receiver and two good pass rushers. Did I miss anything? Mark Dominik has done a horrendous job of acquiring talent and deserved to get axed just like Raheem.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:35 pm
I want to hear how many elite players Mark Dominik supplemented the Buc roster with, seriously. When that number is zero, I want to then hear you again try to defend Mark Dominik.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:36 pm
@thomas 2.2
Good points, but you have been stating former bucs coach Morris was worst coach bucs have ever had (i agree).
If that is the case you really cant measure Dom’s performance can you?
Even with good drafting we would have stunk, so u cant judge the drafting……….
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:36 pm
I have posted Mark Dominik’s draft record here, and I am sure most have read the “rockstars” dismal results.
Here are a few pro bowl players he passed up in the draft.
Earl Thomas
Jason Pierre-Paul
Jimmy Graham
Rob Gronkowski
Lesean McCoy
Mike Wallace
Maurkice Pouncey
Clay Matthews
Quick,l name me ONE Impact player (difference maker) “Mediocre Mark” has drafted.
Thank GOD the “Rockstar” will be spayed and neutered by our new head coach, who will have the final say on Talent Procurement.
You watch how many of Mark Dominik’s draft picks will be starters next year when our new coach takes over.
Many of our “starters” only start because we have no one else.
Cody Grimm is slow, and Mason Foster was run over by Atlanta’s Michael Turner.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Davin, Penn, Talib, Freeman and Winslow are the most talented players on the roster right now; One of them was drafted by Dominik, and Winslow I believe was acquired by Dom. But if you listen to Joe, Winslow is the worst tightend in the NFL, so I suppose he doesn’t count does he?
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
NAILED IT Apple Roof. Thank you for making a list of bad misses by “Mediocre Mark” (love the nickname too, you’re on a role tonight bud). I was far too lazy to formulate a list like that, but it is a damning one, when you consider the crap he chose instead of them. Joe is completely out of line in his defense of Mediocre Mark.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
No way Dom is only responsible for 15%. His track record is well documented. Him and the Glazers rested on last years mirage. Other teams sought to improve their rosters and we stood pat hoping the team would improve. That alone is just asine. Counting on rookies as your defensive ends and one as your middle linebacker is just bad management with zero depth behind it. Then you had no depth at running back and Dom said Lumpkin would be the guy. Letting a proven veteran in Caddy walk. The whole team wanted him back. Dominik deserves 33.3% of the blame if not more. My prediction is Dominik will help in the coaching search and then step down to a lesser role.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:40 pm
i’m really wondering if there has already been an under the table hand shake with a head coaching candidate that has already agreed to work with dominik. i think they probably gave raheem today to say his goodbyes and tomorrow they’ll get on with it.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Shelton is an idiot!!! To say we didn’t have money last season is beyond me. We had the most cap space of anyteam. That is why we are in this situation. Dom. and Ra built our core up through the draft, and did a solid job at it. The Glazers wouldn’t allow us to spend on the top FAs in the offseason. We needed to sign a CB like Jonathon Joseph, who signed fairly cheap. Also needed a LB, and OT. Also, they dropped the ball on the RB. Who is Lumpkin and Madu??? They will be an AFL player at best now that we hopefully will get a serious coach.
I have been a huge supporter for Ra’ since I wanted him to be hired originally. But, if you lose your locker room, then its time to go. Thats just the facts. They quit on him and that will not get better. We need to overpay Jeff Fisher and lure him here. We are his top option along with possibly Indy if Caldwell gets let go. If he doesn’t then we have a great shot at signing him. His no nonsense attitude is exactly what this team needs! That was Ra’s problem, he wanted to be best friends, not a HC. Fisher would get our young guys in order. The only way I think he would come here is for the Glazers to commit to spending money on FA’s. We are a DE and DT, two LB’s and a whole new secondary away from being a good D. That is a lot to get. IF Claiborne is still there when we pick, we have to grab him immediatly. Walk straight up to the commish with the pick. IF he is already drafted then hopefully RG3 is still there. Trade our pick to whoever gives up the most so they can get him before Washington or Miami picks. Look at what ATL gave up to get Julio Jones. We could get a little more than that since it is for a franchise QB. Who I think is better than Andrew Luck. IMO
IF I was GM…I would try to get Cleveland to trade us both of their 1st round picks for Josh Freeman. Then with their 1st pick which is either 4 or 5. Not sure exactly, but anyways, we should draft RG3 ourselves!!! He is more accurate, better runner, smarter player, and all around better than Josh. I really like Josh, but RG3 will be better for sure in the NFL IMO. And we could have the #6 pick and take Claiborne if he is still there. Then with the other pick in the teens/early 20s, draft Courtney Upshaw. That gives us a better QB, stud CB that will be a shut down CB from day 1. And a starting LB in Upshaw to pair with Foster. With our 2nd round pick. Lets pray LaMichael James is still there and take him. To have James and Blount would be F’n amazing!!! That right there instantly makes our team better by leaps and bounds! GO BUCS!!!!!!
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:43 pm
And sorry for the essay bytheway…I just started typing and couldn’t stop!!
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Hey in the first home game next year someone other than ex bucs coach Raheem Morris will be running on the field as Head Coach.
Life is good.
The madness is over. Be happy.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:48 pm
The irony about being ignorant like Joe is, is that in spite of overwhelming evidence that Joe’s ENTIRE point of views coming into the the season that “the plan” was right on, no free agents need apply, cornerback was a “strength” of the team (remember that gem?), EJ Biggers was an up and coming starter, yup washed away in a sea of evidence to the contrary. Joe doesn’t look back to learn from this, nope its all the coaches fault for why Joe was wrong. Let’s not look at the debacle against the 49ers in the MIDST of the 4-2 run let’s believe a team composed of 30% undrafted free agents should be competitive. Let’s look at a 10-6 record, 9 of which came against non-playoff teams (and many 4th qtr comebacks) as the blueprint for the real ability of this team. Let’s not point to the fact that frugal teams like StL and KC also crashed and burned this year. I hope Joe is happy lest it prove wrong the saying ‘ignorance is bliss.’
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:49 pm
<blockquote<
Thomas 2.2 Says:
I don’t think that any player outside of Freeman and maybe Williams has proven to be a worthwhile draft pick at this point – terrible record.
What about the Clayborn? Foster is showing growth at the hardest defensive position to learn on defense. Bower didn’t get to play right away, so he’s a little behind, but he’s also coming along.
Luke Stocker showed growth…in what little opportunities he was given. Price has been good. Roy Miller has proven a solid backup…and drafts are not JUST about starters.
Dom brought in Winslow, who has been one of the best producers on the offense. Dominick is responsible from getting us Blount and Ted Larson, both good players. He also got us Bennett, who has been doing okay.
All of those are good players and some have potential to be solid starters.
I think Dominick has done a lot better than you and others are giving him credit for. Yes, he’s made plenty of mistakes…but it happens. I don’t see them firing Dominick anytime soon.
HOWEVER, I think we’re going to see more firings on the coaching staff. We still have the same LB, CB, and OL coaches. I’m better when we get a new HC, he’ll make more changes.
The Glazers won’t fire Dominick. They fired Allen and Gruden together and ended up making a mistake (in some peoples view). They need Dominick to play out the search for a HC. And Dominick hinted today that he would be willing to give a HC more power if it meant winning.
– P.D.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:54 pm
@areal. They fired the entire coaching staff. They also fired Allen after Gruden. Wow is all I can say.
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:57 pm
@arealbucsfan
We fired the entire coaching staff. Every single person! And Dom. should stay for sure. He has done some great things building this team. The only problem I have with him was drafting that P.O.S. Gerald McCoy with the #3 overall pick. We could have drafted Eric Berry or Joe Haden and made a huge difference on our D. I know Berry is hurt, but whose to say he would’ve torn his knee up on our turf, which happens to be the best in the league??? Also, Trent Williams was there too. A combo of Penn and Williams with Joseph and Faine would be a ton better than the combo of Penn and TrueBlood!!
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Nice knowing you.
Just curious though…why is it wrong to see a glass half full once the roster is set? To have a positive attitude instead of expecting disappointment?
I’ll never understand people who think the worse of everyone and everything.
I knew the focus would shift onto Dominick, just as Joe knew it. Because certain people are just not happy without a target. The best coaching staff in all the NFL could be assembled. They could draft the best picks available. Three top Free Agents could be signed.
And yet…certain people would find something wrong and blame 1) the coach, 2) the GM or 3) the owners.
It’s a never ending cycle.
Many of these people were not even visible until the Bucs started losing. Thomas made a good point the other day…at least he’s consistent. I’ll give him that. I almost never agree with him and I really don’t like him, but at least he sticks with his views.
Instead of hides until things go a certain way and then jump on/off the bandwagon.
QUESTION:
If the players Dominick drafted start doing better under the new coach, will you give Dom credit? Nope. Because your mind is made up. The coach will get credit until Dom is gone, and then you’ll either blame owners or the new coach. Because you need someone to focus your hate on.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Signs are favorable on Clayborn but 7 sacks and 30 tackles hardly gets one pro bowl consideration, I am encouraged by Bowers but it is too early to tell on both.
I disagree on Foster, I was not impressed with him at the Mike. Stocker was a non-factor, he dropped more balls than he caught so who knows.
Winslow had talent but is completely undisciplined and he needs to be released along with Talib, T Jax, Jones and Black.
Blount is not an every down back and the team should consider drafting one early if the value isn’t there on defense.
Eric – I mostly agree with what you said, Rah was the worst but the truth is Dom is here bc he got a 4 year extension just months ago and not for any other reason as Joe argues.
A rockstar this guy is not.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:02 pm
IF Claiborne is gone at pick #6 and we can’t find a trading partner for someone wanting RG3, I would like to get Blackmon or Reiley Reiff. We could play Reiff at RT for now and keep Penn at LT. Or swap them, I don’t think it will matter. But Reiff is a monster who will control the line and throw people around. He is NFL ready right now and easily a 10 year starter!!! Blackmon is the nastiest WR I’ve seen come out of college since Calvin Johnson! He is insane. Great speed and even better catching skills. Goes up for the ball like Fitzgerald, speed of Steve Smith, and a pure route runner. Either player would be a great addition to solidify our Offense. GO BUCS
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Not according to the Bucs website under the coaching list. They removed Morris and Olson…no one else. It’s possible they didn’t update it yet, but they seemed to have the time to remove olson and morris, so I doubt that’s why.
I take that back. I just checked again and the entire coaching staff page is now gone.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Stocker was terrible, barely worthy of even a seventh round choice. Claybourne showed flashes but was caught out of position allowing running backs the ability to turn the corner way too many times. Foster, well, he’s the worst argument of the bunch. As the leader of the defense, the one to call out formations and plays, the young man failed miserably. I realize these are young players, but for Yahoos like “A Real Bucs Fan” to put these guys over as making strides is laughable. Take off the pewter colored glasses and see this team for what it is, the WORST team in history. Any defender on a team the was worse than Leman Bennett’s 1986 defense( I was there) doesn’t deserve to be consider to be “making strides”.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Just how are we gonna survive without the core beliefs?
And who will go to the lab now?
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Joe here,
@Thomas 2.2 — Joe had to laugh when you wrote Joe has weird obsessions. Of all people. …C’mon, you’re going to say “maybe” Mike Williams was a worthwhile draft pick,
As Eric astutely pointed out, you can’t call Raheem the worst coach in the history of Bucs football and then say the general manager can’t pick players and maintain any credibility.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Thomas, I agree with everybody you said needs to go with the exception of Winslow. I find myself defending the 3 time Buccaneer leading receiver daily it seems. But you don’t cut your far and away best pass catcher, and a guy that shows heart and goes all out every single game. No way.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:07 pm
I will absolutely give Dom credit if players pan out. I hope they do, all of them, even GMC.
As a reminder, I have never said that GMC is a bust yet, just that it appears that way today. Also, GMC may end up being a decent run stuffing tackle, my point was always that selecting him at #3 overall and paying him a 60 mill contract was a mistake – it was.
Surely of his draft picks will end up better than they appear today or he will be considered worse than Allen.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:07 pm
And also Thomas, I know T-Jack has been dreadful this year but I’d actually keep him another year. Or at least a few games into next year just to see if he can get back to his old self.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Come on guys. The Glazers want to make money. They will invest money only when they think they increase the chance to make more money. Three years ago, they fired a coach who disagreed with them about how to win and make more money. They hired a young guy, went young all over, except for Bates and whatshisname, and lo and behold after the second year they were 10-6 and except for a couple of bad calls would have been 12-4. Not unsurprisingly, they thought this success meant they had found a way to make more money than anyone else and also win. After year three, they find that having a coach who was young with a bunch of young players who were young was not the answer. I am very optimistic now. They still want to make money. They have good young players who will be physically at their peak in another year or two, and with the knowledge they need some veteran coaching and a few veteran players for leadership I think they will probably be a pretty darn good team, even if they don’t rise to the level of Pittsburgh or New England before 2015. They will win, they will make money even if not Super Bowl winners we can be proud again.
Raheem was a mistake, but the success of last year was alluring and deceptive. Let’s see if the lesson was learned. They are pretty smart about making money, and I’d like to think they will do it again.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Joe:
You can’t call the GM a rockstar when he has presided over a 17-31 record, 2 last place finishes and one next to last, never drafted a pro bowl player and signed Clayton, Black, Ward etc to large contracts – that is absurd.
Yes, it is an obsession.
Rah was the worst, no doubt. I haven’t called for Dom’s job but shouldn’t be getting kudos.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Joe here,
@K2TheSoldier – Joe doesn’t defend the signing of Quincy Black and Joe perhaps was the loudest voice hammering that point relentlessly when it happened. Joe was off the Kregg Lumpkin bandwagon the moment Dominik pushed it, though to be fair Lumpkin was a third-string running back that possibly Allen Bradford was supposed to keep without a helmet on Sundays. Yes, Bradford was a bad pick.
Joe’s hardly a Dominik-can do-know-wrong guy, but the talent and depth was there last year and through six games this season to win games and be extremely competitive.. It’s hardly Dominik’s fault the team collapsed, which is why Joe assigns him only 15 percent of blame.
IS it Dominik’s fault the Bucs forgot to use LeGarrette Blount on opening day and didn’t rediscover the slant pass until several games into the season? Does Dominik call the Benndaround over and over? Did Dominik lose the team to the point they stopped tackling and couldn’t manage to fill gaps in a one-gap system? Is Dominik responsible for the horrific slow starts, aka the team getting outcoached before the opening snap?
Drafts take years to fully assess. Dominik’s had plenty of misses but also brought in a franchise quarterback and fully gutted a team that was talented enough to win 10 games last year.
You can argue it all day, which is why Joe wrote this post. But Joe suspects many of the Buccaneers you think suck will look just fine next year — here or on another team.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Joe here,
@Thomas 2.2 — Joe can and will call Dominik a rockstar. The nickname was given for his celebrity-tour-like status after the highly touted drafts and the 2010 success. Nothing else. Joe’s pretty certain Dominik has no aspirations of a music career. … Frankly, “rockstar” pisses so many people off and is so polarizing that Joe is sure to use it through the 2011 season.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
I hope somebody wrote the core beliefs down so they can be passed on to the next generation.
Chapter six: How to Get Down 42-0 in second quarter.
Chapter ten: Never,ever,ever, under any circumstances stop the run.
sorry, enjoying this too much. Likely makes me a bad person.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Joe here,
@Eric — If Raheem had only hired one of his uncles as a discipline coach, he’d still be in that lab.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:22 pm
apple roof, you listed off a bunch of players that more than half the league passed on in the draft and players we wouldn’t have drafted anyway cause there wasnt a need. every gm in the league passed on tom brady 5 times with the exception of one.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Has Dom done a good job picking talent or giving Rheem people he needed, i think you have to give him a mid level grade of C or C-, what got us to this point was a team that lost ten games in a row, and got beat down in most of those games. The team quit game after game, if there would have been effort and at least a reason for hope, then Raheem would have gotten another year to show what he could do. Dom got an extension and that is the reason he is still here. Dont over think this, it is as simple as that.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:23 pm
Joe here,
@Eric — Enjoy yourself. It’s supposed to be fun. Don’t worry. Joe has the core beliefs memorized and will use them as a barometer for all future studies of Bucs football.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:23 pm
Gerald McCoy is the 8th highest paid player in the NFL, and he is not even “Top 8” at his position. Way to go Dom.
Dom also cut Derrick Brooks in favor of these bum LB’s.
He should step down.
If. Claiborne isn’t there, and the trades down value is t there, the. We should take Trent Richardson.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:24 pm
The Bucs that I think suck include Geno Hayes, Sean Jones, Quincy Black, EJ Biggers, Myron Lewis, Kregg Lumpkin, Roy Miller, Rejus Benn and Sammie Stroughter. I seriously, seriously doubt that any of those players, all guys who receiver substantial amounts of playing time for the team, will be successful next year, or at any point in their NFL careers.
Here’s another Dom decision I left out; It was Dominik’s decision to not bring back Caddilac Williams, a proven 3rd down running back who went on to have a solid year filling in for Steven Jackson in St. Louis. Dom decided it’d be better to keep the immortal Kregg Lumpkin as our 3rd down, and essentially primary running back. I’ve already detailed the rest of “The Rockstars” crappy moves, and like Thomas said, he’s been responsible for putting together 2 last place teams out of 3 years he’s been tenured. That’s unacceptable.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:26 pm
JOE, you refused to call Calvin Johnson, “Megatron”, and you will call Dom, “Rockstar”.
“Mediocre Mark” is where it’s at. Fact.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Oh, and the franchise QB he brought in was one of the primary reasons for our failures this season. Not saying that I’ve given up on Josh, but it is what it is.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Rockstar connotes accomplishment. Please see above for what Dom has accomplished. The team’s record is his resume. He can’t be commended without winning.
Am I saying that he is a failure? No. But praise must be earned. The best you can say about Dom is that the jury is still out.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Dom also brought in Hayneswurf. That was a medocre thing to do.
And no excuses about the injurys, you draft better or you get someone in FA, don’t ever pick up Haynesworth. He epitomizes the lack of effort this team has.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Joe here,
@Tom — First off, Joe doesn’t engage in such negative ridiculous thinking. And guess what? Cornerback was a strength of the Bucs this year in relation to the rest of the defense.
If the coaching did its job this season, the Bucs probably would have gone 8-8 and it would have been rather easy to weed out the garbage on the roster and the team could have zeroed in on its needs and addressed them in the draft and free agency — better known as the plan.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:31 pm
I agree, jury is out.
1 more pisspoor offseason with Dom calling the shots, the. He should he let go.
Dom and Derrick Brooks should swap spots. Tampa Bay Storm has a bunch of “Rockstar” talent.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:33 pm
@Funky, the Bucs pick 5th in the draft. The Rams likely take Blackmon @2 and someone, probably Cleveland or Washington, moves up to 3 to take RGIII. Cleveland has 2 #1’s they can drop on Minnesota for the right to move up one spot. If it is Cleveland, then the Vikes take probably take Kalil to protect Ponder and open holes for AD. That leaves Claibourn for us at 5..
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:34 pm
8-8 was the best anticipated record with this group of talent???? Is t Dom paid to win 16 games in a season?
Should’ve atleast kept Caddy. Really stupid move.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Ok now we have fired raheem…..thank god! So now i go on to various sports sites and all i see is Fisher to interview with the rams now dolphins….Ok so these teams are looking is there any news on who were looking at or who you want Joe???
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:36 pm
“If the coaching did its job this season, the Bucs probably would have gone 8-8”
That’s gotta be one of the most ridiculous statements I’ve ever read. Wow.
Really, K2, so the Bucs didn’t have it in them talentwise to go from 4-2 to finish 8-8?–Joe
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:37 pm
I’ve never commented before, though I get lost reading all this nonsense from time to time.
So Joe is saying Dominik deserves 15% of the blame and a bunch of people pile on Joe. WTF? Nobody in their right mind could lay anything close to half the blame for the collapse of this team on the GM.
I’ll give it two thirds Raheem and Dominik and the glazers can split the other share. JOe’s on the mark here. You can blame players but you can’t fire the team so there’s no point. Greg Olson turned into the worst offensive coordinator in the league and Raheem ddin’t get in his ear.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:38 pm
And Bill, I may be wrong, but I believe the Rams are more likely to take the offensive linemen Kalil. The Browns could take anybody between Richardson, Blackmon or RG3, with the likely choice Griffin.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:45 pm
In my opinion Dre Kirkpatrick looks better the claiborn.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:47 pm
I think Joe wants to have Dom’s baby.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:50 pm
@ Joe, 2 of those wins were narrow wins in which we trailed most of the game against teams that will be selecting number 1 and number 3 in the NFL draft this spring. Don’t be naive. The other two were against divisional opponents, where you can largely throw talent and record out the window most of the time.
The two losses were a complete tail whipping by the Niners and a game against the Lions that was FAR worse than the score board says it was.
So no, after the 4-2 start we didn’t have it in us to go 8-8, not at all. The narrow wins against the horrendous Colts and Vikings only strengthen my case, and take away from yours.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Joe here,
@K2 — Joe’s not familiar with the concept of “narrow wins” having any relevance. The Vikings played close games all season with good and bad teams. Most NFL wins are narrow. And you don’t throw talent and record out the window in division games, but coaching, because of familiarity, is more important than ever in those games.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:57 pm
K2,I can see the Rams taking Kalil, especially with all the injury issues Bradford had this year and a solid runner in Jackson, plus having Brandon LLoyd. If Cleveland doesn’t trade up I think Washington will to get RGIII, leaving Richardson for the Browns, since Hillis is likely done in Cleveland, thanks to the Madden Curse. I think Claiborne will be there for us at 5, but do we want to take a corner that high?
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Blackmon would look great in a Bucs uniform, we need playmakers, and we need to do whatever it takes to get him. Makes Williams a good number two, would create depth and gives us a star to hang our hat on.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Yep, the rams will take Blackmon, and once again the bucs are going to be shut out from getting a burner WR that can actually make plays. Instead, we’ll probably draft richardson who will be no where near the RB he has been, and thomas will have another player to hate on with GMC
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Canadian Buc, I like the idea of trading back and getting Kirkpatrick or Jeffrey around 10 or so. That would be a much better spot for a corner or the #2 WR in he draft and we pick up another draft pick
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Justin Blackmon looks unreal hes playing awesome in the Fiesta Bowl right now 2 TDs carrying his team. big strong guy who is a beast running with the ball.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:11 pm
@ Joe, Narrow wins against the worst teams in the league have plenty of relevance when judging talent of a football team. Just like all the narrow wins we had against sorry teams last year. Coaching is big against division opponents, sure. So basically you’re making your case based on 2 wins this year? That’s an outrageously weak case.
@Bill, yeah I’ve been thinking the Skins will make a strong push for either Peyton Manning or a trade w/ somebody to get RG3. Don’t forget that the Browns also have another 1st round pick, which could encourage them to take the franchise QB in RG3, then with Atlanta’s pick in the mid 20’s try to take a 2nd tier wide receiver or running back. Just some possibilities. I could of course see them getting Richardson or Blackmon as well. Watching Blackmon play through injury tonight and score two TDs is making me want him more and more. I’d also take Claiborne, but like you said, taking a CB at 5 is pretty high. Maybe taking the scenario of trading back and taking Kirkpatrick and getting another draft pick is the way to go, I like that idea too. But I have heard some pretty damning cases against taking Kirkpatrick, so I’m not sure. MAN, draft talk is so much fun isn’t it lol.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:13 pm
Blackmon is a beast, wow
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:14 pm
He would make Josh look better overnight, and right now that is saying alot
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
@K2 what have you heard about Dre.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:17 pm
OMG…………Justin Blackmon……..one can DREAM!!!
Can you imagine? Not sure he’d be there at 5 but it IS time to go offense early, no?
Then again there are going to be a lot of FA WO’s out there too.
Fun again in Tampa Bay?
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Narrow wins = Narrow mind
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Dom may have the final word on the talent selected … draft picks and free agents. But just like all NFL teams, the Bucs have a group in place for the purpose of evaluating potential talent. The GM and the coaching staff depend upon their recommendations and expertise (or lack thereof). This group is headed up by Dennis Hickey, Director of Player Personnel, and has been pretty much intact since the early days of Gruden. From the standpoint of sharing the blame, I believe you could throw them in for 15-20% as well … maybe more. When you really think about it, the too few hits and the many misses in terms of personnel have been pretty consistent over the last 10 years, regardless of GM. So maybe ownership should do some self evaluation in that area as well.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Guys i hate to be the one to say this but……Lets say Justin Blackmon actually slides down to #5……….ONE CAN ONLY DREAM!………..But Rockstar dom passes on him and picks Mo claiborne……….Would that bring everyone right back to square ZERO at excitement level??? IT WOULD FOR ME.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:25 pm
@canadianbuc, I’ve read things among the comment section that he’s overrated and what not and doesn’t make a lot of plays. I’ve got a buddy that swears he’s overrated and would hate if we picked him. I’ve personally only watched him when he’s played the Gators, so I can’t give you a real opinion on the guy. What’s your opinion on him?
I hope everybody is watching Blackmon tonight, he’s dominating through injury and making him more and more worth that 5th draft pick if he’s there. For all the talk we’ve heard about getting help around number 5, we haven’t selected a first round offensive player yet and this guy would help our offense out tremendously.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Draft talk is a blast, although I’d much rather be talking about Bucs Playoff Football. Blackmon is a beast but I’d bet the only way to get him is to trade up. I have always liked the idea of trading down if you can get an extra pick and get a player that will fill a need. What have you heard about Kirkpatrick?
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Narrow wins against terrible football teams and pretending like they’re something to be proud of=what Zany and Joe?
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:32 pm
I think we need to move forward as an organization from what the bucs were and really start focusing on what we are. We are no longer that dominant defense that ended steve youngs career, or even that amaizing defense that just about won us the superbowl in 99 with zero offense. We need a coach to come in and polish these guys and add depth. I think before we all head to the top of the skyway lets just see what happens in the weeks to come because im sorry to say but people have forgot that we do have talent on both sides of the ball. A good coach with some experience and just a few more playmakers and this team will great again.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Via bleacher report they put together highlights of each 1st round player and i watched it and dre looked very good it was against LSU an he looked like a hard hitter he looked very fast with fast reaction to plays and made a lot of play behind scrimage. But he didnt look to big he looked like a small guy to me. If we could get Blackmon that would be amazing he is the down field play guy we need that would lift the pressure off Mike and then i say we get a vet at WR and keep guys like Parker and Briscoe and maybe try to trade Benn because to me he looked horrible thiss year and doesnt look like he can be a good NFL wr.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Ill have to watch that video Canadian, that sounds pretty awesome. Do you have a link for it? If not I’ll try to dig.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Joe is right. Raheem failed to coach.
When Rah was the coach, everyone just loved Mark Dominik… so now, everyone hates him after Raheem failed at his job?
Mark can’t coach those guys. And of course neither could Raheem. 🙂
Time to move on and look towards the bright future!!! Can’t wait to see Mark’s team pan out to be perinnial contenders!
Right? This is what everyone said when Rah was the coach. why should it be any different now?
Mark is the Rockstar GM baby! Dude is gonna have another A+ draft along with some major FA signings!
Oh yeah!
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Ill get a link 1 min
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:40 pm
I agree that it’s time to go offense this April. and if we do and there’s a way to get Blackmon? You HAVE to, just have too.
After all, we have gone D the first two rounds the last two years. It’s time to give #5 some SERIOUS firepower and this kid obviously has it, no?
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@K2: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1006724-2012-nfl-draft-order-players-top-5-teams-will-target#/articles/997330-2012-nfl-draft-big-board-with-video-highlights
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:45 pm
sh!t wrong link just go to that link look through 1-7 and the next page will be it.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:46 pm
LB’s is what we need.
I’d like to trade back for more picks and take LBs and tweeners.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 pm
@Canadianbuc, if Blackmon is available at #5 and Mediocre Mark takes Claiborne instead, Dom will need to be castrated to prevent his seed from infecting this earth again! I still think the Rams take Blackmon number two though.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Alright thanks Canadian
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 pm
LMAO @ Greg
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:58 pm
k2 comment if u watch it.
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:00 am
Wouldnt be surprised If the colts called up stanfords football front office and asked them that if the game go out of reach for them (winning or losing) then to please rest him! LOL
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:04 am
We may want to look into trading up for Blackmon ourselves, he is putting on a highlight show tonight!
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:08 am
Only if the cowboys had a good qb
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:10 am
Yes please Justin Blackmon, open up so much for everyone else.
Just a few points or thoughts here on Dom.. We all talk about how the Glazers are so cheap on payroll, fa’s and such, right? Don’t you think some of the blame should also be put on the college/pro player director and his scouts? They report to Dom on all of the players they supposedly scout. Whose to know if the Bucs as an organization aren’t being very frugal with that department? My point being this whole organization from top to bottom, from the CEO to the secretaries needs to be better funded and rou much more effeciently.
If they are looking to hire an “experienced” coach and staff; I’m sure he will have his input on all of the measures we always discuss on here and the things that none of us even thought about. Lets see the staff that is assembled, that may tell us a lot about the future of this team.. fingers crossed it’s good!
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:23 am
Raheem is gone, and hopefully the fans will let him go quietly without too much bashing or insults.
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:29 am
Mel Kiper has Blackmon going 5th–for one time, and one time only, I hope he’s right!
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:35 am
@Patrickbuc, I agree, the scouting department needs to be cleaned out as well. 3 yrs ago, everyone on this website was calling for the scouts to be replaced, and it didn’t happen then. Take a look at Apple’s draft list, and Joe wrote an article a few months ago that listed some of Gru/Allen’s drafts and all their busts, and you can see why Gruden relied on FAs–their draft picks were mostly s**t, with the exception of 2 or 3 guys in a four year period.
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:38 am
JUSTIN BLACKMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:40 am
Mike Sherman will be our guy and will do one hell of a job! He’s very capable of moving Dom in the right direction with personnel be it draft or FA’s and cleaning up what we have on roster now he’s got credibility to pull in some serious asst coaches and and a DC and OC…. He’s our best shot at righting the ship GO BUCS!
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:43 am
Who says we go after Lynch?
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:44 am
God Brent, I hope you’re wrong, Sherman looked like crap coaching T A&M!
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:15 am
Guys, I think we need to go with Morris Claiborne with our pick. Our defense needs to come first in the draft, because that’s the worst side of the ball for us right now.
We can get our wide receiver in free agency. This year the list receivers available is pretty good:
DeSean Jackson
Dwayne Bowe
Wes Welker
Marques Colston
Robert Meachem
Mario Manningham
Reggie Wayne
However, I think a good chunk of these guys will stay with their current teams. I imagine NE will keep Wes Welker and that the Saints will keep at least one of the receivers (Colston or Meachem). I see DeSean Jackson leaving Philadelphia and looking for a new contract and I think Dwayne Bowe is a possibility. Reggie Wayne will likely not be re-signed in my opinion. The Colts appear to be cleaning house.
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:35 am
“Gerald McCoy is the 8th highest paid player in the NFL, and he is not even “Top 8″ at his position. Way to go Dom. ”
——-
First of all, I don’t think that is true in any way. I would love to see the source. Second, his contract was only a result of his draft position (as all first contracts are). He was the 3rd pick, so he will be the 3rd highest rookie that season. That has nothing to do with Dominik. Again, so many fans have no freaking clue what they are talking about. They just sound stupid and eliminate any valid points they may have.
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:45 am
I’m not really a McCoy fan either, but it’s true that the defense was better when he was healthy.
Example: In the win against the Falcons earlier this year, we held them to 30 something yards rushing I believe and limited Matt Ryan to only a 55% completion percentage.
But he’s ended up on IR two straight years in a row, and bottomline has not been there for us. We can’t totally count on him to stay healthy. Same thing with Price. But I WANT them to get healthy and ready this offseason, don’t get me wrong.
In the offseason, we need to sign some good veteran backup DT’s as insurance. Roy Miller and Frank Okam are not quality depth players.
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:57 am
proof is in the pudding that we have a young gun as a gm…just look at the tween-age zit on his forehead…a little cover up would go a long way on his frankenstein shaped forehead….otherwise, he must have sucked up pretty hard to the “glaciers” as everyone on staff was fired but him….that includes waterboy & strap carrier as well….ok dom bring in cowher and build a defense…..adam from ny
ps
defintion of a glacier: a slow moving glazer that is turtle-like in building a winner
January 3rd, 2012 at 3:02 am
For all those saying it was talent not coaching that hurt the team this year, I guess you didn’t actually keep upwith the team through the season.
What part of “lack of talent” leads multiple teams to not only say the team quit but that they knew what plays the Bucs were going to run. If I were a player and the other team was stuffing us every play because the playcalls were so repetative and obvious I’d have trouble being motivated to play for the coaches.
What part of “lack of talent” leads to an end around from Benn being called every single game of the year with zero results to show for it? Legit coaching would have stopped trying to force that failing play.
Some say it can;t be coaching because when we were 0-10 they were coaching the same way they were coaching when we were 14-8, well isn’t that a problem? Not adjusting your coaching style when it isn’t working is on the coaches not a lack of talent.
What part of Morris yucking it up with Aaron Rodgers during a time out in the 4th quarter of a close game rather than focusing on getting his team focused and finding the right playcall is “lack of talent.”
If you bench LGB for fumbling because turnovers aren’t acceptable anymore why can K2 fumble in 2 straight games without any punishment? Screams bad coaching, playing favorites. Same goes for Price being sent home when Talib has been allowed to punch guys, argue with officials, etc.
The talent may or may not bethere but we don’t know because we had a bunch of clowns coaching this team and no matter the talent that Dom signed we weren’t going anywhere until a real coaching staff was hired.
January 3rd, 2012 at 6:33 am
If we could bring in Cowher at HC Spags at DC and someone like a Norv Turner (If he is fired) I believe we are set
January 3rd, 2012 at 8:33 am
Hawaiian:,google nfls 10 highest paid players in 2011, numerous articles place gmc 8.
January 3rd, 2012 at 8:44 am
As one whom hated the Hiring of Morris, as well as Dominick, I agree with the premise of allowing the new Coach to find out who is bad or good on the team. Personally, I think that GMC was & is a bust. But Clayborn will be a probowler within 3 years. And I believe that none of these talented kids were ever trained at their positions, nor were they properly developed. As for Dominick, how can we praise or bash him when none of these kids were ever fully trained. I will just be happy to see a Cowher or Fisher come in here and put his foot down, hard! Then, after we see who he keeps and who he gets rid of, we will get a better picture of Domicks choices.
January 3rd, 2012 at 8:50 am
My thoughts on three potential HC candidates for us
Brian Billick (Has love affair with the Bucs/Freeman)
Chip Kelly (Oregon HC)
Tom Clements (GB QB Coach…former OC). If nothing else, make him our OC.
January 3rd, 2012 at 9:23 am
We do not have a coaching staff, yet must prepare for the draft. Dominick has been retained to this point, probably to prepare us for the draft. The Glazers still think he drafts well.
New Coach in place, draft complete, who knows?
I think Dominick will be fired shortly after the draft. He sucks at Veteran FAs. And despite some people(ahem!) trying to defend him, he is probably about 40% responsible for this years disaster! I said in in March- his refusal to resign two team Captains- Ruud and Caddy, guaranteed we would not have a winning season. Raheem wanted both of those players back, and they would have made a huge difference.
This ignorant” draft only, team of babies” is , by his own admission, Dominick’s “plan”. Well guess what? It failed miserably!! And Dominick should get booted out the door right on his ass, Too! He STARTED the season with huge holes in the defense. He did NOTHING to sturdy up obvious weak areas- like LBers and the ( Ahem!) horrific secondary.
Let him stay thru the draft, then kick his smug lil butt curbside.
Raheem was over his head, and his unbalanced discipline with the team caused him to lose them completely. Time to go!
Nice guy, bright future- but time to leave here.
Dominick took last years success as a personal stamp of his greatness. He was so convinced he was a “Rockstar”, that he dumped our already scare vet leadership, refused to add players in weak areas, and rewarded the laziest slacker on the tram with a big contract
Time to go, GM man, time to go!!
Um, right after the draft
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Capt Tim….the goal is not to have a ‘winning season’, the goal is to build a lasting contender for the future. Neither Cadillac nor Ruud were going to accomplish that. Would they have given some veteran leadership to this team?…yes. Both were FA’s and both would have cost us more than they were worth.
January 3rd, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Thomas 2.2, why don’t you challenge Capt. Tim’s words because that’s exactly what I said to you yesterday! And was nailing you to the wall with facts until a good samaritan (you know who) came along and saved you further embarassment!
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:26 pm
@Patrick: Dig the name man.. I would take an unproven Blackmon over any of these besides maybe Colston whose not leaving NO.
I wanted to comment on your list of potential fa wr’s:
DeSean Jackson: not a number 1, probably franchised then traded
Dwayne Bowe: borderline #1, can’t see him leaving KC franchise tag
Wes Welker: not leaving
Marques Colston: not leaving, franchise
Robert Meachem: might be.. but not a 1, more like a 3
Mario Manningham: no thanks
Reggie Wayne: no thanks
I would like to see the list of potential defensive fa’s to compare. Ask Jerry Jones if he still regrets passing on Moss? He took Dez Bryant, and he himself has said he’s not as good Blackmon his teammate. If he’s there we have to take him imo. It’s easier to fill in lb’s, rb’s, safeties, then it is true #1 wr’s and qb’s.
January 4th, 2012 at 6:43 am
Desean is difficult to place, and Bowe is a #1 and reggie wayne is consistently crafty just a lil long in the tooth