Free Agency Frustration Thread

[Biggs3535]

BTW, is he a DH or LF for the Rays?

DH only.

[jerseybucsfan]

Pat the Bat with a two-strike slider is like MC on a third-down slant on the numbers ... whiff.
Streaky, moody, limited range when he has to play LF, but kills mistake fastballs and has been walking more often the last few seasons.

[HughC]

Free Agency is just fool's gold. You don't win championships by signing every FA under the sun. Ask the Redskins, hell the 49ers have been FA crazy with some big deals and it's done nothing. You win championships in the draft. Plus, something people don't think about.......our entire o-line can become FAs in the next 2-3 years. How are we going to keep all these guys if we don't have any cap space because we spent it all on overrated moneygrubbers in FA?

I don't have a problem with staying away from the Terrell Owens or TJ Houshmandzadeh type signings, but I don't understand the lack of signings overall - especially when you consider this is a team that will have a new offensive and defensive scheme.  Nobody in the $1-2 million range, or $2-4 million range?  There's plenty of cap space and multiple areas of need.  My apologies for being redundant (pointed this out on another thread), but the Bucs lost a CB to free agency, another is slowing down, and 21 CBs have been signed by other teams - but not one by the Bucs.  Are all 21  overrated, overpaid, too old, and don't fit the new scheme?  That's just one position; how about a backup OT?  Or a DT, S, or OLB?  "Build through the draft" is a nice concept, but it's not going to be very easy to do when 18 teams are picking ahead of you, you have just one pick among the first 80 selections and your third pick is #120 overall.

[DailyRich68]

...and 21 CBs have been signed by other teams - but not one by the Bucs.

17 CBs have signed so far, 7 of them re-signing with their former team.

[warrenfb12]

Lots of holes coulda been patched in Free agency but haven't even been looked at. Lost out on Big Al, Vilma,Washington now we can't even get 2nd and 3rd tier guys in some of whom have played for some of the coachs(Paymah for Bates). Sorry about my mini rant,but at least I lasted 2 weeks into Free agency to go on it. Now you guys can rip me apart.

Big Al chose the Skins over us, even though we offered a ton of money. If Big Al knew that they would cut Taylor, I bet he would have signed with us. Vilma was not going to come here to play OLB, he wanted to stay as MLB. Washington is no more than a #3 WR, that isn't a big miss. We got the best FA RB, and traded for a young elite TE. That isn't bad.

Agree 100%

[HughC]

...and 21 CBs have been signed by other teams - but not one by the Bucs.

17 CBs have signed so far, 7 of them re-signing with their former team.

If my math is off I apologize.  Regardless of if it is 21 or 17, it's still a sizeable number.  And regardless of whether or not they signed with their old teams, they were still available.  Here are the CBs that I had counted: Nnamdi Asomugha, Kelvin Hayden, Leigh Bodden, Domonique Foxworth, Bryant McFadden, Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Hall, Andre Goodman, Joselio Hanson, Jabari Greer, Shawn Springs, Charles Gordon, Eric King, our own Phillip Buchanon, Allen Rossum, Eric Green, Drayton Florence, Travis Daniels, Scott Starks, Benny Sapp, and Chris Carr.

Some were a bad value.  Some are too old for a rebuilding team.  And some don't fit the scheme the Bucs will be using.

But given the Bucs need for depth, the loss of a CB from last year's lineup, lack of draft picks, multiple positions that need to be filled, and plenty of cap space - wouldn't it have made sense to sign just one of these guys, at least for depth?

[Booker]

So we are going to have rookies on the DL. Unproven players at LB. And rookies at CB?

We are going to have to score 30+ points a game to have a chance at winning anything this year.

You can't expect all your draft picks to pan out into proven guys. It doesnt work that way no matter how well you draft. They should have kept Brooks and June on the roster one last year so that we have time to find someone to replace them.

Sorry, but you cut a hall of famer... you don't get better. Ask Green Bay.

I'm guessing you are talking about Favre who wasn't cut and was taken over by Rodgers who played really well and the team was let down by their defense. And how that hall of famed went to New York and did nothing. That guy? How was what they did a bad thing?

[SunnyD]

Playoff Appearances in '08:
NYJ: 0
GB: 0

Aaron Rodgers: 63.6% Completion Percentage 4,038 Yards 28 TDs 13 INTs (4 Rushing TDs, 10 Fumbles) 11.8 Yards per Completion

Brett Favre: 65.7% Completion Percentage 3,472 Yards 22 TDs 22 INTs ( 1 Rushing TDs, 10 Fumbles) 10.1 Yards Per Completion

And now Green Bay extended Rodgers and have their QB for the next ten years.

The Jets? Oh they're flipping a coin between Kellen Clemmons and Ben Ratliff.

Can't expect your draft picks to pan out? You can't expect Free Agents to do much either.

Did you know who Karl Paymah was prior to this feburary? I gurantee you didn't.

Cato June was a sixth round draft pick, Geno Hayes? Fifth Round Pick. Quincy Black? Third Round Pick.

Ryan Sims, Chris Hovan, Greg Peterson all have 3+ seasons under their belt. And Aquib Talib, Elbert Mack, and Ronde Barber aren't rookies.

There was a big turn over on the Buccaneers roster, get over it. It doesn't mean we got worse.

[HughC]

Here's something I found, though I detest wikipedia for their innacuracy.  Compare this team from their week one lineup in 2000 to that in 2001 - there's got to be about 25 free agents added - almost all for cheap contracts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_New_England_Patriots_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_New_England_Patriots_season

No big name, big contract free agent signings, but they did okay that year.

That is what I'm looking for - a lot of lower priced, high upside guys that might fit the scheme.  The fact that so few players have been signed to compete for a job, to study some film on what the coaches want to do and what the division opponents do - to me, that's a little bit troublesome, even if it is only two weeks in to free agency.

[O.S. Buc76]

I give Dominik huuuuge props on re-signing Bryant and also getting Winslow and Ward signed, but after that he's gone stone cold on bringing any other new players in and we are still lacking any real depth at WR, DT, and LB.

[HughC]

I give Dominik huuuuge props on re-signing Bryant and also getting Winslow and Ward signed, but after that he's gone stone cold on bringing any other new players in and we are still lacking any real depth at WR, DT, and LB.

I'm with you 100%.  I don't understand why no low contract guys, other than Niko, have been signed to add depth and compete for playing time.  Seems to me a team going with a new offensive and defensive scheme should be busy signing guys that would fit in here, but not elsewhere.

[O.S. Buc76]

I give Dominik huuuuge props on re-signing Bryant and also getting Winslow and Ward signed, but after that he's gone stone cold on bringing any other new players in and we are still lacking any real depth at WR, DT, and LB.

I'm with you 100%. I don't understand why no low contract guys, other than Niko, have been signed to add depth and compete for playing time. Seems to me a team going with a new offensive and defensive scheme should be busy signing guys that would fit in here, but not elsewhere.

And I keep on hearing some people say "yeah but what about us re-signing Clayton and Phillips and Allen", and I say SO WHAT because those were players that were already HERE the last 3-4 years and who helped us go 9-7 or worse with no playoff wins. 

[SunnyD]

Everyone gets a clean slate in the new systems.

Niko, Clayton, Phillips, Ward, Mix, Allen, Nugent.

All of them. Even the re-signs

[O.S. Buc76]

Everyone gets a clean slate in the new systems.

Niko, Clayton, Phillips, Ward, Mix, Allen, Nugent.

All of them. Even the re-signs

Yeah but 1 or 2 of those I am expecting the same results from because they're just not that good.

[buccaneerbruce76]

For a second I thought this thread was about Pat Burrell with two strikes...

LOL