In Mark We Trust

[michael89156]

In Mark We Trust: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Offseason Is In Good Hands


Mar 9th, 2013 at 8:06 pm

by Ken Boehlke

 








With free agency upon us, Buccaneer fans everywhere are beginning to drool over all the possibilities that might be. Will the Bucs go after this guy or that guy? Will they make a trade? Who will they draft? The questions are endless. That being said there is one question all Bucs fans should know the answer to; can we trust the man in charge?
 
The answer to this question in the mind of everyone from players, to fans, to Mark Dominik’s peers should be a resounding yes.
 
Let’s examine some of the moves that Dominik has made since becoming the Buccaneers GM.
 

Last year the Bucs were in need of a WR, some offensive line depth, and a cornerback opposite Talib. Dominik racked up Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks, and Eric Wright. Most thought they could use help in the secondary through the daft. Others thought another running back was the way to go. Dominik trades down to get Barron, then uses the added picks to move up and get Doug Martin. He filled many needs, but did so in a way that allowed for flexibility heading into the 2013 offseason.
 
How bout the year before? Need help on the defensive line, he drafts Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers, need another LB, so he grabs Mason Foster later on in the draft. That draft also included Luke Stocker and Ahmad Black, players who have contributed despite being later round prospects. The one other glaring weakness that offseason was punter, so the Buccaneers’ GM signs the best punter on the market, Michael Koenen.
 
But it’s not only filling needs. Dominik does it all. He finds hidden gems like LeGarrette Blount, Tiquan Underwood, fourth round pick Mike Williams, Lavonte David, Leonard Johnson, and the list of guys stolen off other teams scrap heap that make contributions in Tampa is almost unbelievable. Remember that Dominik has been with the Buccaneers for a long time, and has been helping make personnel decisions since the the 1990′s.
 
Dominik is also the master of the NFL trade. This is a man who got assets out of Brian Price, Gaines Adams, and Aqib Talib 6 weeks before he became a free agent. He then turns those picks into either contributors, or assets to move up to grab the guys he really wants (Martin, David, etc.). He’s also on the verge of getting a draft pick out of LeGarrette Blount, as we reported earlier.
 
History has a tendency to repeat itself. And in this case that’s a great thing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mark Dominik has a history of making the Bucs better by filling glaring needs and finding players no one expected to be good and getting something out of them. All signs point to him doing this again. Sure the play on the field hasn’t exactly reflected all the praise I’ve poured on Dominik, but the fact of the matter is, this guy has made the Bucs better every single year since he got here. And there’s no reason to think that wont continue this offseason. He’s building up a solid foundation, and the team is trending in the right direction.
 
I’m all for screaming, “we should sign…”, “draft…”, or “trade for…”, but while you are making these comments remember, the moves Dominik actually ends up making tend to work. So fill out your offseason wish lists however you like, but know that the guy buying the presents might know what you want better than you do.






http://thepewterplank.com/2013/03/09/in-mark-we-trust-the-tampa-bay-buccaneers-offseason-is-in-good-hands/

[nitey]

I like Dom, I really do, but much like the quarterback he drafted in his first year of being a general manager, he's been fairly inconsistent, although he does seem to be improving. He's pretty good at spotting talent, but he tends to overpay for unproven talent. Here are some of the low lights:

• Almost signed Albert Haynesworth to a contract for 110m, turns out this might have been the best move he never got to make. Near Overpayment.
• Signed Clayton to a large contract when he could have got the player for peanuts. Which is all Clayton should have got. Overpayment.
• Signed Eric Wright to a large contract when he could have got the player for less. Biggest gripe here was the suspension for drugs. Wright was never a 'Buccaneer man'. Overpayment.
• Signed Quincy Black to a large contract that he didn't deserve from his prior production. Another Overpayment.

These were just the one's off the top of my head. I honestly don't mind the players that he brings in, even a guy like Wright, but he tends to overpay for unproven talent and it's clear from the Wright contract, it's still something that he has trouble with.

[Dolorous Jason]

I don't trust him as far as I can throw him ....hoping for the best though.

[JC5100]

That being said there is one question all Bucs fans should know the answer to; can we trust the man in charge?
 
The answer to this question in the mind of everyone from players, to fans, to Mark Dominik’s peers should be a resounding yes.
 
Let’s examine some of the moves that Dominik has made since becoming the Buccaneers GM.
 

Ok...

- Offered Haynesworth $100M+
- Winslow trade/contract, which turned into taking Benn over Gronkowski and Graham
- Antonio Bryant franchise tag
- Derrick Ward
- Clayton contract
- Wanted Mark Sanchez
- Quincy Black contract
- Missing out on the FA CB market of 2011, signing Eric Wrong in 2012 and now we're absolutely F'ed at corner.

His record sucks, his track record sucks.

[carrollwoodbucsfan]

dident mark re sign michael clayton to a big contract a few years ago that was his worst move he has  ever done

[Feel Real Good]

I’m all for screaming, “we should sign…”, “draft…”, or “trade for…”, but while you are making these comments remember, the moves Dominik actually ends up making tend to work.

If Dominik's moves "tend to work", shouldn't his team have a better record than 24-40?

[Boid Fink]

Terrible in free agency. Nicks and Jackson last year were no brainers.

Good at drafting "sexy" collegiate players.

Lets see if the trend continues.

The mid tier free agent signings have me terrified!

[GameTime]

- Offered Haynesworth $100M+
- Winslow trade/contract, which turned into taking Benn over Gronkowski and Graham
- Antonio Bryant franchise tag
- Derrick Ward
- Clayton contract
- Wanted Mark Sanchez
- Quincy Black contract
- Missing out on the FA CB market of 2011, signing Eric Wrong in 2012 and now we're absolutely F'ed at corner.

please.  dominik certainly has his fair share of oversignings, but offering haynesworth?  c'mon.  wasnt tagging bryant the right move in hindsight?  derrick ward was the top RB in FA.  clayton/quincy/trueblood/joseph/wright all seem to have been overpaid/bad signings.  wanting mark sanchez?  c'mon.   he was considered a top QB in the draft and we needed a QB.  and are you really gonna play the "this guy was available later in the draft" game?

im surprised you didnt list "cutting luke mcnown"  or "not re-signing maurice stovall".

[Boid Fink]

I hate hindsighters. Especially when they cowardly creep out to counter an argument that had they had no opinion on. Makes me laugh.

[1sparkybuc]

Despite his mistakes we still have a team brimming with talent and potential. For the first time ever the offense is superior to the defense. They won 7 games despite having the league's worst pass defense. We have one player who is likely to retire this year, and that's not set in stone just yet. I can't remember any other team in Buccaneer history being regarded as young and talented throughout the roster. In 2009 we needed starters at every position. In 2013 we need just a few upgrades to start and to add some depth. Every GM makes mistakes, and they're fired if they don't correct them fast enough. The thing is, they don't make these decisions alone. They make them on the advice of others, and guess who gets fired first? Dominik has made some adjustments to his staff, and has hired the best HC possible for this particular team. PR has already predicted double digit wins for 2013 and I agree with them, and THAT'S BEFORE free agency and the draft.

I can't wait to see how the holes are filled.

[BucNY]

I hate hindsighters. Especially when they cowardly creep out to counter an argument that had they had no opinion on. Makes me laugh.

+1

[Boid Fink]

Despite his mistakes we still have a team brimming with talent and potential. For the first time ever the offense is superior to the defense. They won 7 games despite having the league's worst pass defense. We have one player who is likely to retire this year, and that's not set in stone just yet. I can't remember any other team in Buccaneer history being regarded as young and talented throughout the roster. In 2009 we needed starters at every position. In 2013 we need just a few upgrades to start and to add some depth. Every GM makes mistakes, and they're fired if they don't correct them fast enough. The thing is, they don't make these decisions alone. They make them on the advice of others, and guess who gets fired first? Dominik has made some adjustments to his staff, and has hired the best HC possible for this particular team. PR has already predicted double digit wins for 2013 and I agree with them, and THAT'S BEFORE free agency and the draft.

I can't wait to see how the holes are filled.

Good Monday Morning Post! - ALERT!

[chace1986]

Terrible in free agency. Nicks and Jackson last year were no brainers.

Good at drafting "sexy" collegiate players.

Lets see if the trend continues.

The mid tier free agent signings have me terrified!

+1.

His FA record is awful, but his draft record is pretty much on par with most of the other GMs in the league. We shall see. Though, if this team falters again, I could see how he would be let go.

[The Anti-Java]

Terrible in free agency. Nicks and Jackson last year were no brainers.

Good at drafting "sexy" collegiate players.

Lets see if the trend continues.

The mid tier free agent signings have me terrified!

+1.

His FA record is awful, but his draft record is pretty much on par with most of the other GMs in the league. We shall see. Though, if this team falters again, I could see how he would be let go.

Depends on Freeman's success or lack there of.  A lot hinges on that for Dom.  He has done well with the Martin pick, David pick, Barron the jury is still out on.

I would imagine there is no one on the planet,  who is rooting for Freeman to succeed more that Dom.

[chace1986]

Terrible in free agency. Nicks and Jackson last year were no brainers.

Good at drafting "sexy" collegiate players.

Lets see if the trend continues.

The mid tier free agent signings have me terrified!

+1.

His FA record is awful, but his draft record is pretty much on par with most of the other GMs in the league. We shall see. Though, if this team falters again, I could see how he would be let go.

Depends on Freeman's success or lack there of.  A lot hinges on that for Dom.  He has done well with the Martin pick, David pick, Barron the jury is still out on.

I would imagine there is no one on the planet,  who is rooting for Freeman to succeed more that Dom.

Yup, the Freeman success/failure will determine if Dom sinks or survives. Overall, his drafting has been average. Drafts are usually a crapshoot and if you can get 2 quality starters out of a draft class, then that is something to be proud of. If Freeman ends up being the future QB, he will be the lone quality player from '09. GMC and MW19 seem to be to good starters from '10. Mason and Clayborn have shown sparks with Black and Bowers as possibilities of turning into quality starters...but that group is still a "?" IMO. Then there is '12. Right now, we seem to have 2 really good players from last years draft in Martin and David. So yea, Doms has had some flubs in the draft, but there is certainly some playmakers there as well.

Average.