Will the real AB stand up?

[cyberdude557]

Sounds like he is quite concerned he wont match his 08 numbers

With McCown and Josh Johnson and a run-first offense...... can you blame him for being concerned?

[rcoulter5]

I didn't say it was "cancerous " all I'm saying you were not in football year before last season and now you are franchised (like you are the only one in the game) and are getting PAID 9.4 and it isn't fair the coach got fired and the QB is not proven but maybe if he had a QB that throw more than 10 yard down the field maybe the Bucs would have offered more during contract talks.  Maybe A discount for us giving you another chance to play for money would have been in order.

[Boid Fink]

I didn't say it was "cancerous " all I'm saying you were not in football year before last season and now you are franchised (like you are the only one in the game) and are getting PAID 9.4 and it isn't fair the coach got fired and the QB is not proven but maybe if he had a QB that throw more than 10 yard down the field maybe the Bucs would have offered more during contract talks.  Maybe A discount for us giving you another chance to play for money would have been in order.

Discount?

Yeah right.  Even guys like Ray Ray aren't buying that line man...

Bryant is paid like a top 5 wideout.  Deservedly so.  He was franchised because the Glazers have no money to give, IMO.  He would likely want a bonus, and there would be teams DROOLING to land this cat.  Bryant may not replicate his success, or maybe he gets better.  But the guy is a great wideout, and he is finally a legit #1.  I am glad he is the #1 in Tampa.  I will be happier when the Bucs lock him up for 3 or 4 years, so I can stop worrying about the status of my favorite team.

[swashbuccaler]

I didn't say it was "cancerous " all I'm saying you were not in football year before last season and now you are franchised (like you are the only one in the game) and are getting PAID 9.4 and it isn't fair the coach got fired and the QB is not proven but maybe if he had a QB that throw more than 10 yard down the field maybe the Bucs would have offered more during contract talks.  Maybe A discount for us giving you another chance to play for money would have been in order.

Discount?

Yeah right.  Even guys like Ray Ray aren't buying that line man...

Bryant is paid like a top 5 wideout.  Deservedly so.  He was franchised because the Glazers have no money to give, IMO.  He would likely want a bonus, and there would be teams DROOLING to land this cat.  Bryant may not replicate his success, or maybe he gets better.  But the guy is a great wideout, and he is finally a legit #1.  I am glad he is the #1 in Tampa.  I will be happier when the Bucs lock him up for 3 or 4 years, so I can stop worrying about the status of my favorite team.

Your man crush is swelling with emotion right now Boid. Joking. Of course hes pissed off he got tagged, got screwed outa bucks.

[rcoulter5]

Who else was going to geve him a chance?  We will have to disagree because He is not one of the top 5 wide recievers in the league but he gets paid like one.  He is however the best WR on the Bucs.

[Boid Fink]

I didn't say it was "cancerous " all I'm saying you were not in football year before last season and now you are franchised (like you are the only one in the game) and are getting PAID 9.4 and it isn't fair the coach got fired and the QB is not proven but maybe if he had a QB that throw more than 10 yard down the field maybe the Bucs would have offered more during contract talks. Maybe A discount for us giving you another chance to play for money would have been in order.

Discount?

Yeah right. Even guys like Ray Ray aren't buying that line man...

Bryant is paid like a top 5 wideout. Deservedly so. He was franchised because the Glazers have no money to give, IMO. He would likely want a bonus, and there would be teams DROOLING to land this cat. Bryant may not replicate his success, or maybe he gets better. But the guy is a great wideout, and he is finally a legit #1. I am glad he is the #1 in Tampa. I will be happier when the Bucs lock him up for 3 or 4 years, so I can stop worrying about the status of my favorite team.

Your man crush is swelling with emotion right now Boid. Joking. Of course hes pissed off he got tagged, got screwed outa bucks.

Like soooo many have said in this thread, I fail to see how he got screwed outta his bucks when he is getting top 5 pay, at 9.4.  If he thinks he would have gotten more than that, he is insane.  He is reaping the rewards of a dynamite season, and he is concerned about his role in Tampa, and how it gets effected.  Now maybe he goes out and blows it up...lets see the BUcs go cheap on him then...

If he does npot match the numbers, and the BUcs low ball him, he will walk, and some team will land a quality wideout.  Whcih would set this team back, and further the ideations that the Glazers are screwed for capital.

[Boid Fink]

Who else was going to geve him a chance? 

LMAO!!

Kidding right?

[cyberdude557]

He likely wanted a long term deal with a big signing bonus.

[CyberDilemma]

Here is the transcript of that interview:

They [Tampa Bay] said they made you a priority in the off-season are you happy to be back there?
�Well if franchise tenure defines priority the I guess so.  I�m happy to be there because it�s a comfortable situation in returning somewhere where I was last year.  I know the people, the coaches, the family and the organization, so it�s a comfortable situation as far as that.  But in terms of franchise tenure, I�m not going to deny or neglect anything but at the end of the day you have to look at the situation within itself.  It�s a one year contract, it�s a prove yourself contract, again, and the circumstances for me have gotten a little tighter.  Now I�ve got �quarterbacks� fighting for opportunities to showcase their talents so the ability that was there last year is gone.  We lost a lot of leaders, so we�re going to have to find some leaders in the locker room.  And we�ve got some guys that can step up but there�s a lot more tweaks and new things I�ve got to get comfortable with again.  So it�s simple situation, but an unfair situation for myself.�

The team cut a lot of veteran guys this offseason do you feel like there are guys, beside yourself, who can lead this team?
�It�s hard to replace that kind of experience.  That�s 13, 12 years in the league of actual doing, not hear say.  That�s something you can�t replace, you can�t replace a guy that walked that walk.  A lot of guys are going to talk the talk of being leaders.  But that�s the guy that people, even when they were balling on whatever level they were playing ball because we can�t replace that effort that guys like Derrick had, Jeff, Warrick, you can�t replace the actual walk those guys had with guys that are just talking about it.  We�re going to have some guys step up that are going to talk but you�re going to have a lot of guys sit back and see if the talk matches the walk.  I don�t want to talk about nothing.  I�m going to tell you what I�m about and that�s it.�

On Jon Gruden�s firing this offseason:
�With coach Gruden everybody knew that was my life line, that was Antonio Bryant�s lifeline to being in the NFL again and I�m not ashamed of that. Especially for a guy that has the desire and passion for the game.  And you know everybody can have their own individual differences about Coach Gruden but I can honestly say, I put everything on it, that he took the fall for a lot of shortcomings that our team had last year.�


source: http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/story/tampa-bay-wr-antonio-bryant-talks-about-buccaneers-offseason/

[rcoulter5]

No I'm not kidding who else tried to sign him Last year??  I'm thinking no one.

[Boid Fink]

No I'm not kidding who else tried to sign him Last year??  I'm thinking no one.

I pined for this guy while he sat on his couch.  ANYONE will tell you that.  The guy has skills.

Of course Gruden took his chance, probably born of desperation, and it paid off.

Now tell me if he hit the FA market THIS year, that he would have made it past day 1?  LMAO!!

[rcoulter5]

After failing a drug test and taking the NFL to court saying he was not under the player agreement no one was knocking down his door for him to come play for him.  I think he would have gotten some interest but the 1st day being got??  I lioke the guy as our #1 ok being concerned why at least he has a QB that can throw it more than 10 yard down the field.  so suck up the 9.4 m this year and you will not get that next year from anyone.

so suck up the 9.4 m this year and you will not get that next year from anyone.

Arguing what he might have gotten on the open market is pointless... because no one knows. What I DO know is that it only takes one team to jack up the price.... and far less skilled WRs have pocketed a lot more in signing bonus than the $9+mil that Bryant will make this year.

Dude would've gotten paid.....IMO, of course.

[TheChronicHotAir]

Agreed. Interesting that he labeled Gruden as the fall guy for a lot of the team's shortcomings. Maybe a shot at Garcia?

Hardly. He said THIS about #7:
"...we can't replace that effort that guys like Derrick had, Jeff, Warrick, you can't replace the actual walk those guys had with guys that are just talking about it."

[rcoulter5]

1 Andre Johnson  HOU  WR  115  1,575  13.7  98.4  65  8  20  4  79  68.7  1 
2 Larry Fitzgerald  ARI  WR  96  1,431  14.9  89.4  78T  12  20  5  66  68.8  1 
3 Steve Smith  CAR  WR  78  1,421  18.2  101.5  65T  6  23  6  59  75.6  1 
4 Roddy White  ATL  WR  88  1,382  15.7  86.4  70T  7  18  4  61  69.3  1 
5 Calvin Johnson  DET  WR  78  1,331  17.1  83.2  96T  12  21  7  52  66.7  2 
6 Greg Jennings  GB  WR  80  1,292  16.2  80.8  63  9  21  8  55  68.8  1 
7 Brandon Marshall  DEN  WR  104  1,265  12.2  84.3  47  6  16  1  65  62.5  3 
8 Antonio Bryant  TB  WR  83  1,248  15.0  78.0  71T  7  16  4  60  72.3  1 
9 Wes Welker  NE  WR  111  1,165  10.5  72.8  64  3  13  1  57  51.4  1 
10 Reggie Wayne  IND  WR  82  1,145  14.0  71.6  65T  6  13  3  63  76.8

Yard  not  in the top 5