The One That Got Away
January 26th, 2015
Seahawks DE Michael Bennett — who the Bucs let walk away for no good reason — ride’s a cop’s bike in glee after defeating the Packers in the NFC title game last week. Joe hopes to talk to him tomorrow.
As you are reading this here corner of the interwebs, Joe is en route to Tampa International Airport where he will board a plane for the Valley of the Sun and Phoenix, as Joe makes his annual trip to Super Bowl Media Day.
Joe will be in downtown Phoenix (no, the event will not be held at the birdcage the Cardinals call home in Glendale, due west of Phoenix) to catch all the hoopla, hysteria and, yes, hotties flaunting their wares at media day.
Joe promises not to ask any Patriots player about balls. Honestly.
However, Joe does plan to talk to good guy Michael Bennett, the Seahawks top defensive end who the Bucs let walk away for no good reason two years ago. All Bennett has done is solidify one of the top defenses in the NFL the past two seasons and play in the Super Bowl in as many years.
Instead, the Bucs decided to cast their lot with Da’Quan Bowers.
Whenever the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune sees the Seahawks play, he can’t help but lament this terrible decision to let Bennett leave. He elaborated in a TBO.com podcast with Olivia Stacey.
“Looking back, Bucs fans say, ‘That might have been the worst move of all in the last few years.’ Letting him go. He had nine sacks, Olivia, for the Bucs in 2012. He looked like a player on the rise. He wasn’t old,” Kaufman said. “We are not sure what he asked for in terms of money. But whatever it was, they didn’t meet it. And they let him hit free agency and an outstanding team like Seattle pounced on him. He has been [Seattle’s] best defensive lineman. That says a lot because that has been the best defense the past two years and he has played a key role.”
Well, Joe asked Bennett last year how much he wanted from the Bucs, a team he truly wanted to stay with. Let’s just say it would not have resulted in an overdraft of the Team Glazer checking account, and Bennett was willing to take a hometown discount he wanted to stay so bad.
Kaufman went on to say Stacey should keep an eye on Bennett Sunday in the Super Bowl because Bennett makes a difference.
He sure does. Bucs fans can tell the difference with him gone the past two seasons. And it has been an unpleasant experience to say the least.
January 26th, 2015 at 7:05 am
lucky man…I am happy for him !
January 26th, 2015 at 7:13 am
This horse is very dead, its carcass rotting. Much like the Buccaneer brand.
January 26th, 2015 at 7:52 am
The TWO that got away:
Michael Bennett……..Luke Kuechly…..
Two players who would have made the defense so much better.
You just shake your head, over and over.
But yes, it is beating a dead horse and the Bucs are currently smelling like something that has been dead for quite a while.
January 26th, 2015 at 7:54 am
Rumor on the street is that the Joe(s) have signed up for the Russian Senior Dating….
January 26th, 2015 at 7:56 am
Well going to his second Super Bowl I’m sure now he’s glad the Bucs let him go.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:16 am
Agree joe. It’s still tough to swallow watching us hand that contract to Dashon goldson when Bennett deserved more.
I honestly cannot point fingers at schiano. Dominik had the trend of keeping draft picks too long (see bowers, Myron Lewis) and wanted to get bowers his playing time. Dom had all control so I put this decision as well as several others on him. I’m glad schiano benched bowers bc one he didn’t deserve it and proved Bennett belonged in Tampa.
4-5 years at a little over 7 mil per ? The fact they couldn’t muster that up is pathetic.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:21 am
Tom Edrington Says:
January 26th, 2015 at 7:52 am
The TWO that got away:
Michael Bennett……..Luke Kuechly…..
Two players who would have made the defense so much better.
You just shake your head, over and over.
But yes, it is beating a dead horse and the Bucs are currently smelling like something that has been dead for quite a while.
Ahh Tom to be honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of keuchly in 2012 and foster was not bad at all in schiano scheme. Him and David formed a recognizable and well respected LB duo. I just don’t think foster is a fit in a Tampa 2 now.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:22 am
Bennett must think he died and went to heaven. Good for him. He deserves it. I am very happy for him.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:23 am
Frankly, I’m tired of having salt poured on an open wound. I could care less what he does now. He’ll never be a Buccaneers again, at least not in his prime. And when he retires, I’m sure it will be as a Seahawk.
He is for the Seahawks what Rice was for the Bucs.
Move on people. It’s done. Nothing will change that.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:25 am
Tom Edrington Says
“The TWO that got away:
Michael Bennett……..Luke Kuechly…..
Two players who would have made the defense so much better.
You just shake your head, over and over.”
While I agree with Bennett, I don’t with Luke Kuechly. Even so, I’ve moved on. So should you.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:27 am
This one is entirely on Schiano’s shoulders. He chased away Bennett for Bowers.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:33 am
Rockstar!
Add that to the list of outstanding moves….
Rockhead set this organization back to expansion years in terms of talent.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:44 am
Be careful Joe….or you’ll make me start agonizing over losing Bo Jackson!!! Now, that’s the one that really got away!!!
January 26th, 2015 at 8:46 am
meh Says:
January 26th, 2015 at 8:27 am
This one is entirely on Schiano’s shoulders. He chased away Bennett for Bowers.
Right which is why he benched bowers for teo Neishem.
Remember , Dom had ALL roster control. Full control.
Look at why schiano did with will Gholston. Gholston took a step back with lovie.
Idk man. I think schiano got a raw deal with a Dim-whit gm and was the scapegoat of josh Freeman’s drama and bomb out that effected the team.
January 26th, 2015 at 8:51 am
This is one of the main but not only reason the Rock Star had to go. You let Bennett walk for the NFL equivalent of pocket change. Then overpay for Bowers, Goldston and the rehabbing Revis.
DOM ass should never be allowed to give his opinion on football ever. How or why ESPN hired this idiot in incomprehensible.
January 26th, 2015 at 9:06 am
Buc’n Enough Says:
January 26th, 2015 at 8:33 am
Rockstar!
Add that to the list of outstanding moves….
Rockhead set this organization back to expansion years in terms of talent.
Let’s hope that our current GM & coach doesn’t set us up for failure for the next 10 years, so far from his track record there not doing so well.
January 26th, 2015 at 9:09 am
Can we stop? He is gone, sayaaaa!! Stop it Joe. Move on, please!
January 26th, 2015 at 9:11 am
Its funny, cause stat wise, his best year was under Coach Schiano. ( even better than his 2 seattle seasons!!!)
But this is what happens when a GM had roster control and drafted 2 Busts of DE 1st and 2nd round!!!
January 26th, 2015 at 9:11 am
Thanks Dom!!!!
January 26th, 2015 at 9:13 am
Somehow he has become Reggie White or Bruce Smith since he left Tampa.
While I agree they should not have let him walk and had the job to the gun toting, burger eating #91, it’s also time to move along. I also agree Dom fell in love with his draft picks, and handed those pics jobs without and competition most of the time.
January 26th, 2015 at 9:36 am
we have lots of players that went on to do much better things once leaving the greg schiano regime. gilberry had double digit sacks for cincy, George selvie, roy miller is on to another contract in Jacksonville, darelle, blount, talib and somehow we managed to keep the players that sucked……everyone bangs on lovie for what he brought in but it’s much worse to have the talent in house and let it walk and in the case of Bennett it’s two consecutive superbowl appearances. clear sign of not changing the scheme to fit your players which you would do if in year 2 your scheme still isn’t showing any sign of improvement. L&L are 10 times better than schiano and Dominick even with the misses in free agency
January 26th, 2015 at 9:45 am
@ buc’n……..rockhead LOL!
January 26th, 2015 at 9:50 am
@bucs4lyfe
why look at the truth and the stats! Coach Sciano’s defense was trending up each year. in only 2 years the bucs went from the bottom to ranked 16th !!! It all came crashing down when Lovie took over!
Bennett – 9 sacks with Coach Schiano
Bennett 2014 – 7 sacks with coach Carroll
January 26th, 2015 at 9:58 am
The question for me is “IF” Doninik was as good as good as some claimed – why didn’t he override Schiano’s plea to ousts Bennett because he was a model Schiano man.
News flash – he played injured and still finished with 9 sacks!!!!
So allowing him to get healthy in the off-season and letting him return was just to hard.
Bennett deserves his success and the others at home and unemployed deserve theirs too!
Dam Schiano and DOMINIK – Bert and Ernie!
January 26th, 2015 at 10:26 am
Ira is wrong. The worst move was the trade of a 1st and 4th for one year of Darelle Revis. The “rockstar” bypassed a bunch of very good FA corners so he could give up the pick that was Sheldon Richardson so he could pay 16 million for a corner that didn’t win the team one meaningless game in his career.
I’d rather have Sheldon Richardson(or Star Lotulelei) a 4th and Brent Grimes/Sean Smith/DRC and millions to spare than one year of an overpaid corner coming off of a knee injury. Letting a good DE go is not comparable.
January 26th, 2015 at 11:16 am
This was the rock stars decision and now he’s an analyst wow how fair is that
January 26th, 2015 at 11:23 am
Good for bennett and for you to joe, a week in superbowl town, got to love that..Have fun joe..
January 26th, 2015 at 11:52 am
Agree w Tom.. I rem analysts saying our trade would be defined based upon how Star performed. Just another horrible move to continue to bring this franchise backwards.. And then to make sure Revis was off the roster, to use that third round pick for Charles sims, egh…
January 26th, 2015 at 12:19 pm
another wonderful move by the ROCKSTAR! But most of the local media pinned all on Schiano.
January 26th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
LORD HAVE MERCY PEOPLE!!!!
How many times must it be stated!!!!!
Schiano stated that he NEEDS a safety to run the type of defense he wants. Why would you draft a MLB when you NEED a certain type of safety for your defense. The selection of Barron over Keuchly was something that had to be driving by Schiano himself. How could that not be?
On to the Bennett front, how could you make a conscious, logical assumption that it was Dom that didn’t want Bennett when HE WAS THE ONE that found him off the waivers? Doesn’t it seem more likely that Schiano didn’t want him around?
But i guess if you admit that, you’d also be admitting that Schiano isn’t as great a talent evaluator as you believed.
January 26th, 2015 at 2:38 pm
Have a nice time attending all the hoopla associated with the big game. I’ve driven through Phoenix a few times, what a mess of traffic that seemed like it was never ending. Only Houston was worse in my travels.
January 26th, 2015 at 3:19 pm
There’s a reason why Mark Dominick is at BSPN and Greg Schiano is looking for another head coaching job. They messed up one the most important position in football, the quarterback, a la Josh Freeman.
January 26th, 2015 at 5:47 pm
Joe
Just like you told bucs fans a few weeks ago…. Let it go. Michael Bennett no longer plays for the bucs. Shoulda woulda coulda. Move on. Just how you told us all to do not long ago.
January 26th, 2015 at 11:37 pm
@Celly Dom was also the guy who spent a 1st and 2nd round pick on Clayborn and Bowers and wanted to give Bowers the opportunity to start. There were also rumors of Bennett’s shoulder injury or whatnot going on that drove his price to a one-year 5 mil dollar deal.
In the end Dom is the one responsible for his moves, he was the GM not Schiano. To what level Schiano had influence over personnel moves is debatable. The person who signed off on the moves was the GM, his name was Mark Dominik.