Rice blasts Gruden

[Balls Out]

it was to be expected ... Have you ever seen a good/nice breakup?  Right now he needs it to sound like we're all crazy and it's all the coaches fault, he's the best DE in the league still and he'll help someone win another championship.  He wants one last big payday.

Agreed...he's in full swing damage control...Besides, I don't think the feelings of Simeon Rice is too high on Gruds priority list right now the day before training camp starts.

[CeriousBuc]

Rice did not need to take a paycut as he was in the last year of his contract.  The team did not need the money generated from a pay cut.

They were under the cap when Rice was on the roster and would gain more cap space once Plummer fails to report. 

The only reason they might have asked him to take a pay cut was if they were looking to bring someone else in to contribute in his absence. As I said in another thread everything has not been played out yet.

[rowdie]

Rice has always been an idiot. No one ever liked him for anything but his football ability.  Everyone was on his case about his Pat Tillman take, but now all of a sudden this same idiot's words might as well part of the Old Testament.

[keeponbucn]

They were under the cap when Rice was on the roster and would gain more cap space once Plummer fails to report.  

There's no way this is a salary cap move simply because of what you're saying. YOu have to trust that the doctors saw something they didn't like and his price tag was too high to justify keeping him, salary cap aside.

[alldaway]

The only reason they might have asked him to take a pay cut was if they were looking to bring someone else in to contribute in his absence. As I said in another thread everything has not been played out yet.

Both Lynch and Quarles were released earlier in the off season so the Bucs could use the cap space to participate at the early portion of free agency.  Hard to find a free agent that you can use that cap space on in late July.

YOu have to trust that the doctors saw something they didn't like and his price tag was too high to justify keeping him, salary cap aside.

I do not trust them.  Only reason I believe the Quarles and Lynch situations is mainly becuase both players went to gather alternate medical opinions outside the Bucs organization and were not given a green light from those outside opinions either.

[acacius]

It all comes down to how well and if Rice plays this coming season.  Honestly, I'm not about to try and make a prediction on whether this was a sensible or stupid move at this point.  There's just too much I don't know about the situation.

[Uncle Stan]

Maybe the paycut was based on the number of games the Bucs thought Rice MIGHT play?

No way I would pay him 10mil for less than a full season. Rice was given the option and obviously turned it down.

Its not ALL Allen.

[keeponbucn]

Maybe the paycut was based on the number of games the Bucs thought Rice MIGHT play?

No way I would pay him 10mil for less than a full season. Rice was given the option and obviously turned it down.

Its not ALL Allen.

Certainly plausable and logical, we don't know the entire story. Gruden's going to get blasted for this by everyone no matter how logical the move is, that's the way it goes.

[naplesbuc]

The only reason I can think of that they did this at this time is because the injury is more severe than they thought.  Let's remember who's talking here when he says he'll be good to go in 3-4 weeks.  This is the guy who spewed more stuff that was not backed up then anybody.

This move only makes sense if this injury will make it very tough for Sim to even play average for a chunk of the season.

[olafberserker]

Who cares what the guys says really?

[keeponbucn]

The only reason I can think of that they did this at this time is because the injury is more severe than they thought.

exactly, I know the Bucs didn't want to cut him, they know what type of player he is and for Rice to say that Gruden's happy today really smells of emotion. The last thing Gruden wants is to lose a HOF DE, I know that.

[olafberserker]

I'm sure he means he's happy because he doesn't have to deal with Rice anymore.  Rice is probably correct in that assessment.

[fessy]

"Rice acknowledged he is not fully recovered from surgery to repair an injured left shoulder that limited him to eight starts last year."

"I'm the most consistent thing they've had"

"having problems with Monte"


Those three statements tell me that I'm not sad he's gone.  He did great things for us, but he's still hurt and that's a very expensive MAYBE to take into the season.  Who cares that the head coach didn't say "bye" to him.  Grow up.

[whobdis]

This is not the first time a departing Bucs player has felt this way about the manner in which they were terminated.

Belicheck has quite a list players that had poor things to say upon departing..but he keeps
winning. The coaches job is to win games..not make players happy. And coaches don't give
a sh*t about salary cap. They want every player they can get their hands on if it will help
them win.

[olafberserker]

Good points whobdis