Mark Dominik Ranked No. 5
April 25th, 2015
Joe never understood the vile hatred too many had for former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. Yes, it took him a while to learn the NFL ropes, but once he did he was just fine.
Sadly, he was Pearl Harbored when leaky, sleepy quarterback Josh Freeman went mental.
Joe never hears anyone kvetch about Bruce Almighty, and his drafts made Dominik look like Ted Thompson. Guess it is easier to hate on Dominik because he was a nice guy.
Well, Tony Villiotti of NationalFootballPost.com decided to rank all former general managers of the past decade who held their position for at least three years. You know what, he has Dominik ranked No. 5.
Just to put it in perspective, Dominik was ranked higher than such notables as Mike Tannenbaum, Rich McKay, Bill Polian, Jerry Angelo, Al Davis, Scott Pioli, and, oh, yeah, Bruce Almighty (who was ranked just three steps above last-place Matt Millen).
What is it about folks in the football world know that fans don’t? Hhhmmm?
April 25th, 2015 at 8:05 am
I would rank al davis (raiders) and jerry jones(cowboys) at the extreme bottom of my list. owners should not also be GM’s.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:08 am
port richey…you left out Danny Boy Snyder……
April 25th, 2015 at 8:18 am
I am glad Joe, that you think that Dominik was a great gm. Some people’s measuring sticks are just different than others. Most fans though don’t care if a GM throws reports a couple of scoops or will text reports to release a story that they want released!
A lot of outsiders did not see the yearly change in Dominick’s philosophy, did not pay attention how high every year he was drafting ( avg. 9th )
Whatever Dominik says just keep nodding your head Joe, like every other local reporter that never question the supreme leader that was Dominik!
April 25th, 2015 at 8:20 am
Dexter Jackson
April 25th, 2015 at 8:21 am
I am no fan of Jones but he has drafted more pro bowlers in last 5 years than any other gm. Guy might be a tool but he can draft better than lovie and he understands that oline is not optional positions on a football team. I might be wrong on the exact number of years but it’s a good streak of pro bowlers and more than any current gm
April 25th, 2015 at 8:21 am
I seen where Jerry Jones his pic more Pro Bowl players and people who been in the league more than three years than anyone else the last 5 or 6 years!
April 25th, 2015 at 8:24 am
Completely subjective. Dominik didn’t get the job done, and hasn’t been hired since. His record was unacceptable.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:26 am
I was wrong about time frame….
1. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
The skinny: Almost 15 percent (14.72) of Jones’ draft picks have been Pro Bowlers (34 players, 14 more than anybody else currently making draft decisions). Among his non-first-round picks who have paid off are RB DeMarco Murray and TE Jason Witten, a third-rounder who has been to 10 Pro Bowls
April 25th, 2015 at 8:31 am
I agree Dom was tad better than his reputation from Buc fans suggest. Just a tad though. But better than Scott Pioli AND Bill Polian? No way I can get behind that line of thinking. No way. Polian has more executive of the year awards than Dom has years as a GM.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:32 am
Hmmm, where to begin:
I dont draft O linemen stands out most to me right now (we’re still hurting from that one).
Horrible signings where we overpaied for hyped players (Eric Wright being the most stupid expensive decision stands out most to me) and Hawk Goldson.
Wasted 1st’s on Adams, Clayborn (with a known physical ailment….then a 2nd on Bowers), Barron (by trying to save face after Claiborne was taken in a trade up by Dallas after our trade down when everyone knew we wanted Claiborne but he sucked too), the Revis trade.
Yes he’s a nice guy, had a few draft hits like GMC and David. But to be ranked #5 by someone, I think this guys who gave him that rank is just trying to get his name out there. Dom was pretty bad IMHO.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:34 am
Dom was just terrible. His drafts were some of the worst I’ve ever seen.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:36 am
Polian brought three teams to the Super Bowl. Dom couldn’t even get to the playoffs. In Indy, they had seasons where every single person on the team was drafted by Indy. Dom LOVED big name free agents. Like when Joe says Buc fans love players theyve heard of, so did Dom. I’m a huge Polian fan… can you tell? Lol
April 25th, 2015 at 8:37 am
Bruce Allen was just the worst. But just as it is somewhat difficult to determine culpability in last year’s debacle, was it Lovie? Was it Licht? Do they deserve equal blame? Is power shifting a bit from Lovie to Licht? I’d love to know the answers to these questions from an unimpeachable source!
It’s the same with Allen. How much power did he have, and how much was Chucky dictating the players he wanted?
I tend to believe that in both cases the coach had the ultimate power in player selection not the GM. Gruden came here with lot’s of leverage and brought in his boy Allen, not hard to imagine who called the shots there.
Lovie did pretty much the same although he had to hire an outsider, not somebody he had worked with, as GM. I’m curious about the dynamic between those two. And if it’s changing? Because Lovie wised up? Because the Glazers started listening more to Licht and he balance of power shifted.
Understand just as Josh Freeman is the albatross that drug down Dominik this year’s QB pick will be the same. There is NO DOUBT that the success or failure of this QB will dictate how Lovie will retire…and how Dominik will spend the rest of his career.
Now if they trade down and pick a DE…the fan base will howl…but Lovie and Licht avoid the “career” decision that determines the rest of their lives. Yes you ultimately need a QB to get to the big game, but they could build the rest of the team and they may believe they can at least win with Glennon. With Koetter calling the plays if they improved the rest of the team around Glennon they could buy a couple of years to find their QB. Just sayin’.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:45 am
And he is still a “Former” GM because???????
April 25th, 2015 at 8:47 am
Dominik would only rank #5 if there were only 3 other Gm’s in the category!
April 25th, 2015 at 8:51 am
I’m not sure that hate really describes how the many Buc fans feel toward Dominick. For me, it’s more like disappointment with his legacy. After all, you can’t deny that the Bucs are in a deep hole because of his failed drafts. There aren’t many players that were re-signed and most were traded for peanuts or cut. The proof is in the pudding here.
April 25th, 2015 at 8:59 am
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
April 25th, 2015 at 9:10 am
Dominik’s track record as the Bucs GM is a mixed bag. He was good at pulling off trades and managing the salary cap. He didn’t have much success in the draft or free agency. At the end of the day, the results on the field is the biggest measure of success.
Dominik worked with two subpar head coaches, a QB that had a meltdown and a philosophy change of building through the draft to building through free agency. Was Dominik responsible for hiring the coaches and changing the way the team was built or was it the Glazers? I would say it was a little bit of both. Dominik inherited a team void of talent but he didn’t do much to improve the depth or overall on field success. To his credit, he managed to draft/sign a few building blocks in McCoy, David, VJax. For all the draft picks and free agents signed, it’s just not enough to say he was a Rockstar.
April 25th, 2015 at 9:21 am
Gruden deserves credit for game coaching and for winning the SB. The rest of his tenure was just “hanging on.” His decisions were poor, cap-bounded and short-sighted. But he did win a SB.
Allen gets no love. He did not win and, like the knight in Indiana Jones, “he chose poooorly.” It’s not hate; it’s history.
Dom was like Raheem: a spur-of-the-moment impulse hire from inside the organization. He never grew into the job. He always lamented the loss of Brian Price as a life-sucks end to a good decision, and he may have been right.
The reactions to Dom are one part anger at ownership (putting an unqualified rookie in to “build through the draft”) and one part amazement at how poooorly he chose. The football world warned us all about Freeman — not that he would turn out just the way he did, but that the Bucs were risking five years of the franchise on a risky low-percentage passer. Chris Landry was skeptical from the start. To build through the draft, you had to have some foundation before an all-in gamble.
We all hope Licht chooses wisely, and it seems we have a foundation in place –both in players and in coaching– to make a gamble work.
April 25th, 2015 at 9:35 am
He was the worst GM in team history and the team is still trying to get something going after the poor drafts and signings …Barron , Revis, Freeman , Clayton big contract extension , Leftwich , Clayborn,Brian Price , Trading up for Benn in the second rd , Derrick Ward ,Wright , etc i could go on and on …
April 25th, 2015 at 9:41 am
I miss Dominik, especially right now. 🙁
April 25th, 2015 at 9:43 am
It took the Colts 9 long years to pick a QB #1again, but with Polian onboard choosing Manning over Leaf, history did NOT repeat. The common denominator rooted between Jeff George & Ryan Leaf is immaturity. Now, Polina looking at the Bucs quandary, believes Mariota is the choice to make. Do you want a 9 year setback to play out? GO Mariota!
April 25th, 2015 at 9:44 am
And if Dom’s ok too, that’s fine too.
April 25th, 2015 at 9:49 am
Dom was the worst GM in Buc(NFL?) history!
There is one criteria for judging a GM.
Does he know how to build a competative team.
Dom took a bad team, and every year- managed to make them suck worse!
The only mystery- is why joe continues to support and defend that steaming pile
April 25th, 2015 at 9:53 am
I gather perhaps he’s better suited as a talking head than a GM. I dunno. Maybe Joe wants to twist this into a pretzel?
April 25th, 2015 at 10:14 am
Tony Villiotti of NationalFootballPost.com.
Wonder who he thinks we should pick in the draft ?
Be very concerned……
April 25th, 2015 at 10:18 am
Whewww..then go whisper in Dom’s ear to change his mind. Gimme abreak! Lol.
April 25th, 2015 at 10:20 am
Is John Madden curse here too?
April 25th, 2015 at 10:50 am
One guy’s positive opinion of Dominik does not represent “folks in the football world”. If it did then Dom would be a GM somewhere else 2 years after being fired for doing a terrible job when he was GM of the Buccaneers.
A handful of good acquisitions compared to dozens (plural) of bad ones does not a good GM make.
NEVER drafting OLine in 5 years speaks for itself.
A GM’s primary job is to acquire talented football players. Mark Dominik was not very good at identifying and acquiring talented football players.
Dom was more responsible than any other single person for the 30-70 record over the last 100 games.
It’s not “vile hatred” to point out the obvious. The obvious is that Dominik was not a good GM. He was certainly NOT some scapegoat who was dismissed unfairly. Dom was fired because he did a very bad job.
Joe’s apologist attitude towards Dom is the thing that is hard to understand – not the fans dislike of the horrible job he did as GM of the Bucs.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:02 am
Hey if u wanted a gm that would draft 1 good player every 3rd draft he was your guy. If I was in the media i would to maintain any credibility distance myself from any praise of him.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:04 am
This article is rather humorous. If you want to really look at the best GM’s, I would suggest two criteria…
1. How many of their draft picks ended up being among statistical leaders in their position, or draft Probowl or All Pro players? Yes, I know the Pro-bowl is somewhat a beauty contest, so that is why I included all three.
2. What were the overall records of the teams they managed during their tenures…how many playoff appearances if you will as well.
Frankly, all the other opinions are BS…. it is about quality drafts and player acquisition, and wins.
Kind of is like asking someone on the outside of an organization how good the manager of another company is. And to say that he would have been much better if one player had panned out better….Josh Freeman…is rather over simplistic.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:04 am
The Dummy ranked higher than Bill Polian who I believe guided 3 teams to the Super Bowl. LOL.
And you give this report some sort of credibility.
Just look at the train wreck he called draft picks he left in his wake.
He also knew his career would be dependent on how well the Free succeeded just as Licht knows the same about whatever future QB they chose.
Overpaying Black, Williams and Clayton didn’t help his legacy any either.
This guy is toast in the NFL front office. If he wants a job in the NFL in the future it will be hawking suds or red hots in the stands.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:19 am
Mark Dominick’s drafts and free agency moves speak for themselves. He hit on Gerald McCoy, LaVonte David, and Vincent Jackson. Everyone else he drafted, signed, or attempted to sign (Haynesworth) was a pile of steaming manure. Add in the loss of Michael Bennett via free agency, for basically a ham sandwich, and you have the makings of one of the worst GM’s in the history of the NFL.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:39 am
I would go with Dom over Allen any day.
When Dom’s franchise quarterback failed, ultimately Dominick failed. He was brought in 2009 to find a young quarterback and build a team around him. The Glazers gave him plenty of time. After Freeman failed and all that was left was a top heavy 4-12 team, the Glazers had seen enough.
Now you could make the case that Dom had spit to work with for head coaches. Which is true.
April 25th, 2015 at 11:54 am
Anyone who praises Dominic for drafting GMC should realize how obvious the right pick was. The only player he drafted that panned out was LVD. That’s it! All other picks were failures. If there was a football god, Dom would rot in hell!
April 25th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Alllen wouldn’t know a good draft pick if it bit him in the ear. He was left with cap hell and straightened that out….but then you would have to say that Dom should have benefited from a good Salary cap situation which Allen didn’t have. And Gruden had a huge amount of power, which Allen didn’t have. Dom did have say so regarding the HC decision and didn’t perform well. The Bucs were a much closer and better team during the Allen era…and let’s not forget that that bag of gas Kiffen basically tanked the team during the last part of Grudens last year by basically leaving during the year. And that helped us miss the playoffs and get Gruden canned. Frankly, Monte was as great a detriment to the team as Allen or Dom was, if you consider that we fired Gruden and entered a decade of disaster. If we could have kept Gruden and gotten a GM with some real personnel expertise….the last decade would have been, in my opinion, very different.
April 25th, 2015 at 12:55 pm
“What is it about folks in the football world know that fans don’t? Hhhmmm?”
The Teflon Dom was fired, and so far is still out of work (as a GM). You are just a fan too, Joe.
April 25th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Mark Dominik was such a great GM that he is no longer working for the NFL… And I seriously doubt any team will hire him again…
Nobody said he was a bad guy he was just a bad GM…
Comparing him with Bruce Allen, Matt Millen and All Davis is accurate… I’m not saying everything Dominik did was a total bust but any monkey can throw poop on a wall and have it stick once in a while…
April 25th, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Dominick compares to rick McKay? Yes maybe now because he’s in Atlanta and not actually in a gm role. You can’t give Freeman the title of franchise killer without giving Dominick credit for drafting him. You’re not making sense you just argued against the guy the other day and put up his horrible gm record plus where are his draft picks right now?
April 25th, 2015 at 4:09 pm
the Bucs roster & his current job title speaks for itself on whether or not “the rock star” did a good job or not?
April 25th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
“Joe never understood the vile hatred too many had for former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.”
Maybe it has to do with the fact he was awful GM Joe? You can’t be this blind. Failed on a franchise quarterback that we wasted years with and there’s barely anything left from his first three drafts with the exception of Gerald McCoy.
One player in three years. So easy, a caveman can do it!
April 25th, 2015 at 6:07 pm
Dominik extended Michael Clayton.
He looked at Michael Clayton’s performance and said “that needs to be rewarded.”
Not only is Dominik the worst GM in Bucs history, he might be the first mentally challenged GM in NFL history.
April 25th, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Newsflash…Dominik didn’t draft Gaines Adams, he traded him for a 2nd. Dom didn’t draft Dexter Jackson, he cut him. They, or he, gutted the team and basically had to start all over. Jacksonville tried the same thing and it’s not working. Every GM has poor signings, missed draft picks but I do know that what happened last year made me miss him and I too felt like Joe, he was figuring it all out. The QB killed him and three head coaches (Morris, Schiano, Frazier). Watch signing freeman will cost Philbin his job as well. Hard for any GM to have a good track record when owners keep firing head coaches, still he may have drafted two HOFers. Let’s see how Clayborn plays this next year.
April 25th, 2015 at 10:30 pm
Dominick will be forever remembered as former Bucs GM.
April 25th, 2015 at 10:53 pm
So, who does your Rock Star GM like in the draft?
April 25th, 2015 at 11:25 pm
Yep, my bad, he wasnt GM when Adams was drafted. I shouldve looked it up, but dont think he wasnt directly involved with the decision.