Dominik

[DanTurksGhost]

I've always felt that MD is a really smart guy, a guy who was one day going to have his chance to be a GM in this league, either here or elsewhere. Like others in other jobs, he made his share of mistakes early on. However, smart and astute individuals usually get better at their jobs over time as they learn from their mistakes.

[BucBalla85]

He has. I think he will be around for a long time too. He had a very good offseason. I honestly couldn't have asked for more from him. Hes putting together a nice team.

[jerseybucsfan]

I've always felt that MD is a really smart guy, a guy who was one day going to have his chance to be a GM in this league, either here or elsewhere. Like others in other jobs, he made his share of mistakes early on. However, smart and astute individuals usually get better at their jobs over time as they learn from their mistakes.

I hope he does, DTG. His aggressiveness and understanding of value was clearly improved this year. He DID make a big error in the Stocker deal last year, a pick we really could have used this year. But you know what? It's over. Let's see if we can win more games THIS year. And then maybe more going forward. He's gotta be luckier health-wise with his picks, doesn't he?

[VinBucFan]

For many reasons there will always be a tension between Dom and the hard-core Gruden/Allen fan

[TBayXXXVII]

I hope the negativity about Dominik ends now/ What a great offseason from the coaching hire to free agency and now a great draft. He has done a fantastic job

I disagree with your assessment of "a great offseason...".  I thought he should have been fired since last January and have seen absolutely nothing in the last 16 months that makes me change my mind.  He's terrible at his job and the sooner he is fired, the faster we can get a more competent GM in here.

You obviously have an agenda against Dominik that bears no relationship to the moves he has made to improve this franchise.

You need only to click on the link I provided to see that you couldn't be more wrong.

[1sparkybuc]

"This team has never been younger or more promising in the history of the franchise. "   Huh?   Seriously?  Like was said above, how about we actually do something before we anoint the greatness that is Dominik.   He was responsible for that poor coaching and I don't want to hear about poor officiating when one of the softest schedules ever was a major factor in the teams winning record to begin with.

Love the offseason and I didn't have a major problem with Dom sticking around, but let's see how everything plays out.

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. Gruden's/Allen's teams had NO potential for the future. They were saddled with too many players long past their prime. Every draft Dominik has had, has been received well by the "experts" and the majority of the fans. Gruden was right when he said the future is so bright for the Bucs after the SB. He was just wrong about the time frame and his involvement. Dominik and Raheem got the team headed in the right direction. Dominik and Schiano will take it much farther. I am not alone in that opinion. I believe most of the fans on this board expect the Bucs to make us proud, and soon. The trolls won't be a happy bunch and I'm fine with that.

It's amazing to me how many people just can't let their bitterness towards Gruden and Allen go and use even a time of optimism to piss on the old regime.
Forget the fact that they don't really understand the dynamics involved and simply buy into the lazy answer. Did Allen and Gruden draft poorly? Yes. But were they in a bad cap situation of someone else's making? Absolutely.
Beyond that, you only have to look at the current Phillies in baseball to understand how teams get old, get in trouble and then tail off. When you get locked into too many deals that aren't team friendly, you get in trouble. The Bucs had too many backloaded deals and then started drafting for need too much over BPA. It began with deals like the Keyshawn deal and the Kenyatta trade and Allen and Gruden never broke the bad habit. A few bad FA moves and you have failure. You think Gruden only wanted to play old players? He had too many gaps to fill in part because McKay's last few drafts were awful. And of course came the four high picks we gave away to get Gruden. Excuses? OK.
But none of that matters now. The current Bucs have yet to prove anything, but as a fan I hope they do infinitely more than ANY of our previous regimes. But remember 1979? We had more great players then than now. What happened? How could someone be dumb enough not to keep Doug Williams or unlucky enough to have what happened to Ricky Bell? Lee Roy Selmon got hurt in a Pro Bowl! Etc. etc.
Bottom line is I'm not sure why you want people to feel bad about Gruden and Allen NOW. I defend Gruden over 2002 and 2005 and even 2007 to a degree, but I really hope Schiano wins more. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. But if he doesn't, I won't say 'Yay, he didn't equal Gruden's record.' And you shouldn't want any other Bucs fan to be unhappy either. Time to pull together. Lord knows none of the other 31 teams will be pulling for us.

I criticized John McKay for the cap hell he put this team in, and Dungy for his inability to field an offense that could reach the endzone. I have stated that Raheem's lack of leadership and discipline doomed this team last season. I also made excuses for Gruden in his lack of draft picks and cap room. I have supported every coach and every GM this team has ever had when they were here, but that doesn't mean I approved of everything they did. Bruce Allen got the team out of cap hell but he didn't do anything with it. He and Gruden drafted poorly and sucked at building a foundation. Dom scrapped the whole team and began building through the draft. That's a plan. The Bucs lacked a plan after the SB. Gruden knows his Xs and Os but he'll never be known as a teacher. He couldn't judge talent and he inspired nobody as a leader. Nobody was sad to see him go other than Java. Kiffin kept half the team afloat because his players loved him. It pisses me off that the Glazers took so long to fire him. We never would have won the SB without him, but he was a handicap after that. He built nothing here in his last six years.

Dominik has a plan and I like it. I believe in it. I am convinced these players will be respected around the league because of the leadership in the front office, on this coaching staff, and on the field itself. We have one player soon to retire in Barber. I believe he will miss out on the glory years yet to come. Dominik is largely responsible for this youth movement. There is a potential for a dominating offense on this roster. We have never had that. Kiffin would love to coach this defense. BTW, he didn't leave in the middle of the season. There were four games left when he announced he was leaving. It demoralized the whole team.

What's happening now is what I have wanted since 1976. The Bucs are no longer dependent on players who should have retired years ago. We started out that way as an expansion franchise and never completely got away from it. I'm thinking now we have.

I like what we have now better than any other era in the history of this franchise, and make no apologies for my opinions of previous regimes.

[BucsFan4090]

Who is to say that Stocker won't thrive in this offense?

Guys like Ballard, Beckum, and Pascoe are relative nobodies but were decent for the Giants last year. Everyone on O sucked last year.

Luke Stocker didn't become terrible because he joined the Bucs. I repeatedly saw him in mock drafts giving him a second round grade and comparisons to Jason Witten. Granted all of those mean nothing but it still doesn't hurt to have. Stocker is still a pretty decent player that I expect to be a difference on this team. I could see him and Dunsmore being potential starters in the future.

[pewterblood]

I'll wait until the end of next season before I praise him. These draft picks and signings look good on paper but we actually haven't seen them play a game yet, also remember this team is still in a 10 game losing streak (Dom is still in part responsible for that train wreck of a season). Remember how in the last offseason everyone was predicting the Eagles to go to the Superbowl; they were good on paper but it never translated on the field. I wouldn't be shocked if next season turns out like crap for the Bucs; I'm hoping for the best though.

[olafberserker]

"This team has never been younger or more promising in the history of the franchise. "   Huh?   Seriously?  Like was said above, how about we actually do something before we anoint the greatness that is Dominik.   He was responsible for that poor coaching and I don't want to hear about poor officiating when one of the softest schedules ever was a major factor in the teams winning record to begin with.

Love the offseason and I didn't have a major problem with Dom sticking around, but let's see how everything plays out.

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. Gruden's/Allen's teams had NO potential for the future. They were saddled with too many players long past their prime. Every draft Dominik has had, has been received well by the "experts" and the majority of the fans. Gruden was right when he said the future is so bright for the Bucs after the SB. He was just wrong about the time frame and his involvement. Dominik and Raheem got the team headed in the right direction. Dominik and Schiano will take it much farther. I am not alone in that opinion. I believe most of the fans on this board expect the Bucs to make us proud, and soon. The trolls won't be a happy bunch and I'm fine with that.

It's amazing to me how many people just can't let their bitterness towards Gruden and Allen go and use even a time of optimism to piss on the old regime.
Forget the fact that they don't really understand the dynamics involved and simply buy into the lazy answer. Did Allen and Gruden draft poorly? Yes. But were they in a bad cap situation of someone else's making? Absolutely.
Beyond that, you only have to look at the current Phillies in baseball to understand how teams get old, get in trouble and then tail off. When you get locked into too many deals that aren't team friendly, you get in trouble. The Bucs had too many backloaded deals and then started drafting for need too much over BPA. It began with deals like the Keyshawn deal and the Kenyatta trade and Allen and Gruden never broke the bad habit. A few bad FA moves and you have failure. You think Gruden only wanted to play old players? He had too many gaps to fill in part because McKay's last few drafts were awful. And of course came the four high picks we gave away to get Gruden. Excuses? OK.
But none of that matters now. The current Bucs have yet to prove anything, but as a fan I hope they do infinitely more than ANY of our previous regimes. But remember 1979? We had more great players then than now. What happened? How could someone be dumb enough not to keep Doug Williams or unlucky enough to have what happened to Ricky Bell? Lee Roy Selmon got hurt in a Pro Bowl! Etc. etc.
Bottom line is I'm not sure why you want people to feel bad about Gruden and Allen NOW. I defend Gruden over 2002 and 2005 and even 2007 to a degree, but I really hope Schiano wins more. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. But if he doesn't, I won't say 'Yay, he didn't equal Gruden's record.' And you shouldn't want any other Bucs fan to be unhappy either. Time to pull together. Lord knows none of the other 31 teams will be pulling for us.

I criticized John McKay for the cap hell he put this team in, and Dungy for his inability to field an offense that could reach the endzone. I have stated that Raheem's lack of leadership and discipline doomed this team last season. I also made excuses for Gruden in his lack of draft picks and cap room. I have supported every coach and every GM this team has ever had when they were here, but that doesn't mean I approved of everything they did. Bruce Allen got the team out of cap hell but he didn't do anything with it. He and Gruden drafted poorly and sucked at building a foundation. Dom scrapped the whole team and began building through the draft. That's a plan. The Bucs lacked a plan after the SB. Gruden knows his Xs and Os but he'll never be known as a teacher. He couldn't judge talent and he inspired nobody as a leader. Nobody was sad to see him go other than Java. Kiffin kept half the team afloat because his players loved him. It pisses me off that the Glazers took so long to fire him. We never would have won the SB without him, but he was a handicap after that. He built nothing here in his last six years.

Dominik has a plan and I like it. I believe in it. I am convinced these players will be respected around the league because of the leadership in the front office, on this coaching staff, and on the field itself. We have one player soon to retire in Barber. I believe he will miss out on the glory years yet to come. Dominik is largely responsible for this youth movement. There is a potential for a dominating offense on this roster. We have never had that. Kiffin would love to coach this defense. BTW, he didn't leave in the middle of the season. There were four games left when he announced he was leaving. It demoralized the whole team.

What's happening now is what I have wanted since 1976. The Bucs are no longer dependent on players who should have retired years ago. We started out that way as an expansion franchise and never completely got away from it. I'm thinking now we have.

I like what we have now better than any other era in the history of this franchise, and make no apologies for my opinions of previous regimes.

lol

[GameTime]

He DID make a big error in the Stocker deal last year,

the packers DID make a big error in drafting jermichael finley too.

[Feel Real Good]

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. Gruden's/Allen's teams had NO potential for the future. They were saddled with too many players long past their prime. Every draft Dominik has had, has been received well by the "experts" and the majority of the fans. Gruden was right when he said the future is so bright for the Bucs after the SB. He was just wrong about the time frame and his involvement.

Did you forget about 2005 when Gruden started and/or got major contributions from 25-year-old Chris Simms, 23-year-old Carnell Williams, 23-year-old Michael Clayton, 23-year-old Alex Smith, 25-year-old Anthony Davis, 24-year-old Dan Buenning, and 26-year-old Jermaine Phillips? Gruden tried to do things the right way. He just had a problem with young players replicating early success.

Morris may have been the worst HC in this team's history and that's saying something with names like Bennett, Perkins, and Williamson out there, but that's beside the point.   

Come on the Morris era may have started badly and ended badly, but at one time between the end of 2009 and first half of 2011, he had a 16-9 record. Bennett, Perkins, and Williamson can't claim anything close to that.

[olafberserker]

Bennett, Williamson, and Perkins also had to deal with the Culverhouse regime, but I said may.  For what it's worth, 2009 was an abberation and we all know that.  It was fun to have a shot at the playoffs though while we were waiting for the babysitter to be fired.

[bamabucs]

The criticism on Dominik should not end until we see good results in terms of wins. Wasn't that the reason Raheem was kicked out of town? Why must Dominik be immune to criticism?

[alldaway]

"This team has never been younger or more promising in the history of the franchise. "   Huh?   Seriously?  Like was said above, how about we actually do something before we anoint the greatness that is Dominik.   He was responsible for that poor coaching and I don't want to hear about poor officiating when one of the softest schedules ever was a major factor in the teams winning record to begin with.

Love the offseason and I didn't have a major problem with Dom sticking around, but let's see how everything plays out.

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. Gruden's/Allen's teams had NO potential for the future. They were saddled with too many players long past their prime. Every draft Dominik has had, has been received well by the "experts" and the majority of the fans. Gruden was right when he said the future is so bright for the Bucs after the SB. He was just wrong about the time frame and his involvement. Dominik and Raheem got the team headed in the right direction. Dominik and Schiano will take it much farther. I am not alone in that opinion. I believe most of the fans on this board expect the Bucs to make us proud, and soon. The trolls won't be a happy bunch and I'm fine with that.

It's amazing to me how many people just can't let their bitterness towards Gruden and Allen go and use even a time of optimism to piss on the old regime.
Forget the fact that they don't really understand the dynamics involved and simply buy into the lazy answer. Did Allen and Gruden draft poorly? Yes. But were they in a bad cap situation of someone else's making? Absolutely.
Beyond that, you only have to look at the current Phillies in baseball to understand how teams get old, get in trouble and then tail off. When you get locked into too many deals that aren't team friendly, you get in trouble. The Bucs had too many backloaded deals and then started drafting for need too much over BPA. It began with deals like the Keyshawn deal and the Kenyatta trade and Allen and Gruden never broke the bad habit. A few bad FA moves and you have failure. You think Gruden only wanted to play old players? He had too many gaps to fill in part because McKay's last few drafts were awful. And of course came the four high picks we gave away to get Gruden. Excuses? OK.
But none of that matters now. The current Bucs have yet to prove anything, but as a fan I hope they do infinitely more than ANY of our previous regimes. But remember 1979? We had more great players then than now. What happened? How could someone be dumb enough not to keep Doug Williams or unlucky enough to have what happened to Ricky Bell? Lee Roy Selmon got hurt in a Pro Bowl! Etc. etc.
Bottom line is I'm not sure why you want people to feel bad about Gruden and Allen NOW. I defend Gruden over 2002 and 2005 and even 2007 to a degree, but I really hope Schiano wins more. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. But if he doesn't, I won't say 'Yay, he didn't equal Gruden's record.' And you shouldn't want any other Bucs fan to be unhappy either. Time to pull together. Lord knows none of the other 31 teams will be pulling for us.

I criticized John McKay for the cap hell he put this team in, and Dungy for his inability to field an offense that could reach the endzone. I have stated that Raheem's lack of leadership and discipline doomed this team last season. I also made excuses for Gruden in his lack of draft picks and cap room. I have supported every coach and every GM this team has ever had when they were here, but that doesn't mean I approved of everything they did. Bruce Allen got the team out of cap hell but he didn't do anything with it. He and Gruden drafted poorly and sucked at building a foundation. Dom scrapped the whole team and began building through the draft. That's a plan. The Bucs lacked a plan after the SB. Gruden knows his Xs and Os but he'll never be known as a teacher. He couldn't judge talent and he inspired nobody as a leader. Nobody was sad to see him go other than Java. Kiffin kept half the team afloat because his players loved him. It pisses me off that the Glazers took so long to fire him. We never would have won the SB without him, but he was a handicap after that. He built nothing here in his last six years.

Dominik has a plan and I like it. I believe in it. I am convinced these players will be respected around the league because of the leadership in the front office, on this coaching staff, and on the field itself. We have one player soon to retire in Barber. I believe he will miss out on the glory years yet to come. Dominik is largely responsible for this youth movement. There is a potential for a dominating offense on this roster. We have never had that. Kiffin would love to coach this defense. BTW, he didn't leave in the middle of the season. There were four games left when he announced he was leaving. It demoralized the whole team.

What's happening now is what I have wanted since 1976. The Bucs are no longer dependent on players who should have retired years ago. We started out that way as an expansion franchise and never completely got away from it. I'm thinking now we have.

I like what we have now better than any other era in the history of this franchise, and make no apologies for my opinions of previous regimes.

Good post.

I have similar sentiment as well.

Bruce Allen though actually has a purpose now because Shanahan has some idea to build an offense up, so it is clear that while Allen isn't known for building teams if he is paired up with a HC that has a vision it can be done.

[TBayXXXVII]

The first 3 years Dominik has been completely awful.  If anyone wants to completely forget those 3 years because he signed 2 big free agents (over paid both), and completely overpaid a third, then go right ahead.  He's already built 1 completely horrific coaching staff and backed that up with a college coach.  He had a goood first 2 days of this years draft, we'll see what comes of day 3... though, I rarely expect much from players picked in those rounds so it's merely curiosity.  Overall though, back tracking from Day 1 to today, the guy has been one of the worst in the league.