The Next Phase Of Constructing A Contender

[yuccaneers]

We’ve all seen what general manager Mark Dominik and the organization have done over the past three drafts when it come to being cerebral assassins as they continue to master the draft while reinventing the way they reevaluate the scouting of potential NFL prospects. For the most part the Bucs have become masters of their domain and have even been talked about in the same breathe as the Ravens (Ozzie Newsome), Patriots (Bill Belichick), Colts (Bill Polian), and the Steelers (Kevin Colbert).

But the next step for Dominik will come in just a few short years when the decisions ultimately get tougher and more intense. With so many young and potentially up-and-coming stars the Bucs and further more Dominik will have his hands full in determining how he is going to handle the situation.   

There are essentially three teams he can look at, since he is a football history buff that should allow him to come up with a paradigm that he can effectively tweak to give the Bucs the best chance at building a lasting contender that can have sustained success and weather the storm of defections.

The Eagles model: Buy Early and Often. The Eagles regularly lock up identified young talented players before they ever get a chance to hit free agency, in their prime, which has allowed them to stay relatively competitive over a prolonged span. They go about this by locking up a player who is in his second year of a four-year deal. Typically these players haven't seen big time money yet, so they are more inclined to sign on the dotted line.

The Patriots Model: Make The Tough Calls. Simply put they never get emotionally attached to players. Always letting them go a year early, rather then a year too late. It has allowed the Patriots to garner extra picks in the draft and continually plug holes with the picks received. They make business decisions and let guys go if they don’t think they will be worthy of their next contract.

The Ravens Model: We Want What’s Best for You. They always allow players to test the free agent market, by explaining to them that they want what is best for each player. Rather then telling said players there value is X, they allow them to go set there market value. After that they get the player who presumably loves the organization to come back in and see if they can monetarily match the deal they received. If they can and desire the player back they end up striking a deal. If not they wish the player the best and move on. This has a resounding affect on future free agents.

By incorporating some aspects of all three of these models Dominik could have the Bucs in the driver’s seat for the next decade and beyond. It won’t be easy, but Dominik has shown fans he can be a shrewd personnel man, especially when it comes to drafting. Now will come his true test of indentifying the true foundation of the Bucs on which to build the team around. 

[bullg8rdaddy]

What about the Steeler's model?

/Not being a smart azz.

[michael89156]

Good stuff Yucc.    I vote the Eagles model.


I say lock them up early before they get to free agency. Unless they are soft middle LB's.

[yuccaneers]

bull - They are a blend between all three teams talked about and ultimately what Dominik should strive for. That is the Steelers of the past several years. Competitive, hard nose football team that has players seemingly at every level.

[Boid Fink]

Winning games is the model.

Wn big games.  There is no construct.  You have great players, you collect them, and roll the dice.

You collect great coaches, becuase they are the glue.

Also, having a healthy QB matters.

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

Maybe Mark has his own model in mind.

Not being a smartass here

[yuccaneers]

Winning games is the model.

Wn big games.  There is no construct.  You have great players, you collect them, and roll the dice.

You collect great coaches, becuase they are the glue.

Also, having a healthy QB matters.

Boid - It will always come down to winning football games. But there has to be a philosophy of how and organization will go about developing a model of consistency to achieve winning. It comes down to just more then coaching and having talented players. There has to be schemes in place that are tailored to allow each individual player chosen in the draft and brought in via free agency to succeed.

But there has to be a personnel side of it, that is factored in. Which is what I am discussing here.

[bullg8rdaddy]

bull - They are a blend between all three teams talked about and ultimately what Dominik should strive for. That is the Steelers of the past several years. Competitive, hard nose football team that has players seemingly at every level.

Great stuff, bro. Agreed.

[yuccaneers]

Maybe Mark has his own model in mind.

Not being a smartass here

LGB - Dominik has shown and stated in the past he likes to dissect past teams that have prolonged sustained periods of winning competitively and the way they have gone about constructing those teams. So my thought is / was that more then likely Dominik has researched and done his home work of how some of these teams continue to stay competitive while other teams ride the roller coaster like we've seen throughout the early to mid 2000's with our own beloved Bucs.

I am fairly positive Dominik has his own model in mind, since he is a football history buff and deconstructor of yesteryear's glory teams. It is highly likely that he will use a combination of things that he has gleaned from pouring over research. 

[jerseybucsfan]

The only problem with the above mentioned models is this: Ravens haven't won a Super Bowl since the 2000 season. Pats have gone six consecutive seasons now without a title and the Eagles have NEVER won one. Why? For the Ravens, the QB position became a problem and it remains to be seen whether Flacco is the answer or just making the problem WORSE. Being very good but not good enough to win it all can tie down the position longer and make it worse (the Jason Campbell Syndrome). The Eagles had other problems: they didn't believe in linebackers having any significance (they went about five years without filling the position with young talent). Until the last few years they didn't fill the WR position well. And so they blew the McNabb window. And the Pats right now can't seem to get a pass rush. Think they can win it all without that?
It's the ultimate challenge to sustain excellence AND win titles in the process. If you asked me if I'd take the Eagles' last decade, I would NOT. They tortured their fans with a lot of near misses. I think Dominik will be better than that, but understand that for every model, luck plays a huge part. Without Brady, the Pats' model wouldn't mean diddly poo.

[TowMater69]

The Eagle model is based on $$, not on the field performance or football evaluation and it's more about draft and free agency (they sign alot of big names to keep the fanbase placated).  Runyan/Kearse/Samuel, etc.  When they sign a young 3rd year player, it's to justify that the pick was on-target and they are locking up the player before he becomes a superstar (eventhough I can;t think of one player that has become a super star)
The Patriot/Raven model is based on performance and/or football evaluation (although $$ is a factor).  Both teams build with the draft and rarely sign big name free agents, but complimentary pieces.

[Detrimental]

Eagles mark the summit of consistency but they haven't won a single SB yet. One of the main reasons why Jeff Fisher got ran outta town and he's a top 7 HC today, easily.

[bullg8rdaddy]

Too early to talk about GB model?

[BucNY]

I like the Pacman Jones model of "Makin it rain at da strip club"

or more recently the Aqib Talib model of "I just wanted to pistol whip him"

although the Mike Vick model of "If you don't win, I'll drown you in a bucket of water" is also very persuading

[GrimmReaper]

Nice break down, Yuc. That was well written.

The Eagles and Ravens model are what Rich McKay started doing here in the 90's. He built us a great team that was consistently competitive using those formulas.

I'm not sure the Patriots model is always a good thing, at least not from my perspective as a Bucs fan who has seen Sapp discarded for Booger, and Lynch discarded for Phillips, etc, etc, etc.
Of course, anyone can do what Rich McKay did. Knowing when a player is about to lose productivity is a much harder thing to do, and should not be attempted by amateurs.