Bucs Must Learn from the Free Agency Mistakes of Other Teams

[michael89156]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Must Learn from the Free Agency Mistakes of Other Teams

Mar 19th, 2013 at 9:58 pm by Leo Howell







 
It was not long ago that I wrote an article about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could easily fall into the same trap that the Baltimore Ravens did, and get into such awful cap trouble that successful teams couldn’t be held together. The Ravens have run their salary cap up by signing a few key players to massive contracts, and it’s currently limiting them from building back up after losing key players from their Super Bowl run. But Buccaneers’ fans would probably be just fine with being in “salary cap hell” if it meant winning another ring. So maybe the Ravens aren’t a good example.
 
Most Buccaneers fans would probably agree that while the Ravens are a team we wouldn’t mind emulating, the Jacksonville Jaguars are probably not on the list of teams we’d like to see our Bucs be more like. So be mindful of the things Jags owner Shad Khan told the Florida Times-Union (courtesy of Pro Football Talk) about his struggling franchise:
 


“You look at the teams that are successful and [ask], ‘How did they get there?’ ” Khan said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “I wanted to verify and get a reality check from some of the more successful teams.
 
“It’s very, very difficult to win games, and there are teams that are consistently successful over time. Regrettably, we would fall into the [category] of teams who have been unsuccessful. What are the lessons learned? A key lesson learned is you have to suck it up. Free agency is appropriate to fill some holes, but I think we proved last year that you can spend the fourth-highest [amount] and have the worst record in the league.”
 


In other words, don’t worry about winning free agency, because building a franchise is more than just throwing money at free agents and hoping they pan out as a team. Free agents are almost always flawed. That’s why they hit free agency. Even Michael Bennett, who most Buccaneer fans are upset to see walk without a contract, is flawed. Sean Smith, a player most Buccaneer fans coveted in free agency, was a flawed player as well. Ryan Clady, who was franchise tagged by the Broncos, is not flawed. He is a rock solid offensive tackle, and guess what? His team didn’t allow him to hit the market. Adding a player here or there through free agency can work out. Vincent Jackson has been a good signing so far, and Dashon Goldson figures to be a smart addition to the roster. But what else can a team do to improve?
 
Trading for Darrelle Revis is the right idea. Drafting a solid rookie at the 13th pick (or higher, or lower, depending on what happens on draft day) is the right idea. But throwing cash at inconsistent Sean Smith, jack-of-all-trades master-of-none Michael Bennett, oft-injured Derek Cox, system-misfit Elvis Dumvervil, and any other free agent you may think is a good fit just adds up to cap space that isn’t available to re-sign Doug Martin. Or re-sign Gerald McCoy. Or pay for Darrelle Revis’ contract extension. And just like the Jaguars, the Bucs could end up spending like a top four team, and playing like a bottom four team.




http://thepewterplank.com/2013/03/19/the-tampa-bay-buccaneers-must-learn-from-the-free-agency-mistakes-of-other-teams/

[SunnyD]

Free agency makes people go crazy.

[Ju1ce]

The Bucs must learn from their own "Free Agency Mistakes"

[The Anti-Java]

The Bucs must learn from their own "Free Agency Mistakes"

I think they have.  Dom says no more middle of the road free agents.  Its blue chippers, or nothing.

[Ju1ce]

Don't leave out the Crabtree signing. I think that was a very underrated signing, he was their best blocking TE.

[The Anti-Java]

Don't leave out the Crabtree signing. I think that was a very underrated signing, he was their best blocking TE.

I don't think signing Crabtree, would stop Dom from drafting a TE.  If he had a chance at Eifert, Ertz, or Escobar, I think he would pounce.  We will have to see how it shakes out.

[GrimmReaper]

The Bucs must learn from their own "Free Agency Mistakes"

I think they have.  Dom says no more middle of the road free agents.  Its blue chippers, or nothing.

Ogletree Casillas Crabtree are blue chippers?

[TBTrojan]

What a stupid article.
It talks about guys like Bennett & Smith being flawed, I guess that would be why they signed "cheap" 1 year deals with teams.
How exactly do you get into cap hell by signing guys to 1 year contracts?
The other part is the massive need the team has at the positions those 2 guys play and the upgrades they would bring, Bennett as 1 of 3 guys in rotation is better than anyone we have 3rd or lower on the depth chart, Smith at the moment of his signing would have been our #1 guy at corner.
So they were cheap, they were on 1 year deals and they would've improved our roster in areas of weakness, what would've the problem with signing them again?

How you get into cap hell is by paying one corner $12+ million when you already have many high priced players and still need to work out extensions for your homegrown wideout and quarterback if he earns it. It only gets worse when you have to use multiple high draft picks, which would have provided depth/and or other starters at a cheap price, to get said corner.    (Incase you can't figure it out I've talked myself out of wanting Revis)

[Boid Fink]

You know what he means "Grimm"reaper.

Blue Chippers, or roster/depth chart fillers.

[kbl117]

What a terrible article

1) Clayton, Nugent, Black, Ward, Trueblood, Wright -- Dominik has proven that he's not afraid to pay flawed players ridiculous sums of money. Im not just talking flawed players. Most of the guys I listed were PROVEN to be below average players, with no competing contract offers from other teams, yet Dominik bid against himself and drastically overpaid bad free agents

2) 99.999% of ALL players who have played in the NFL are "flawed". What a piss poor argument. Ronde Barber is a hall of famer, and hes flawed. Lynch was flawed. Barry Sanders was flawed, There is rarely a prototypical player, like Calvin Johnson or Ray Lewis. By that logic, no one in the NFL is worth committing to. Sean Smith may be flawed, but he was paid less than market value for a CB in any other year of FA and is far less flawed than who we have on this roster

3) Nobody is talking about committing huge amounts of longterm money to anybody in Free Agency. Nobody is begging to bring in FAs to center the rest of the team around. We need a few holes filled with good players getting paid small amounts, i.e. Grimes, S Smith, Abraham, Freeney, Miller, Bennett...

I think Dominik has a plan and will execute and bring in the (minimum) 2-3 middle tier FAs we need. Theres a lot of under the radar names still out there. This article is awful

[BucNY]

The Bucs must learn from their own "Free Agency Mistakes"

I think they have.  Dom says no more middle of the road free agents.  Its blue chippers, or nothing.

Tom Crabtree and that Saints LB are both firmly in the middle of the road class.

[The Anti-Java]

The Bucs must learn from their own "Free Agency Mistakes"

I think they have.  Dom says no more middle of the road free agents.  Its blue chippers, or nothing.

Ogletree Casillas Crabtree are blue chippers?

Ya I should of said, its blue chippers or low level free agents. No middle of the road , expensive free agent risks.

[GrimmReaper]

I got ya. I would have to agree with not paying huge free agent contracts to mediocre players.

Its good to see that DOMinator has picked up on that...and it only took him 5 years and tens of
millions of dollars thrown away to figure it out.

Not that I care about the Glazers money being thrown away. Karma happens.

[GameTime]

I don't think signing Crabtree, would stop Dom from drafting a TE.  If he had a chance at Eifert, Ertz, or Escobar, I think he would pounce.  We will have to see how it shakes out.

are those guys better fits for us in the 2nd/3rd over guys like kelce and sims in the 4th and 5th?