Mark Dominik Will Focus On In-House Free Agents, Or So He Says

by Sander on Jul 22, 2011 8:01 PM EDT

Mark Dominik told the St. Petersburg Times that he will focus on re-signing the team's own free agents. For anyone following Dominik's claims these past seasons, this should be no surprise:The Bucs have consistently said that they want to build their team through the draft, re-signing the players they have groomed in-house.

The Bucs have plenty of players they could re-sign: Davin Joseph, Barrett Ruud, Quincy Black, Adam Hayward, Cadillac Williams, Tim Crowder, Stylez G. White, John Gilmore, Maurice Stovall, Jeremy Trueblood, James Lee and Micheal Spurlock are some of the players who could earn long-term contracts. In addition, the Bucs could decide to offer players still under contract like Josh Freeman and Roy Miller extensions. But don't think that this means Mark Dominik isn't going to sign a couple of free agents.

Despite his insistence that the Bucs should build through the draft, he has not consistently run this franchise like that. His first act as General Manager once free agency opened in 2009 was to trade away draft picks for Kellen Winslow. After that he tried to get Albert Haynesworth to come to Tampa. Once that failed, he signed Byron Leftwich for a quarterback competition, and added the ~~best~~ most overpriced running back on the market: Derrick Ward. In addition, he re-signed Michael Clayton - the first of a grand total of two re-signings of drafted players.

In 2010 he re-signed a second player, but only after a lengthy holdout: Donald Penn got a decent but not premier contract as the starting left tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But that's it: that's all the re-signing of drafted players he has done. And in 2010, the free agent signing continued, although at a much lower pace. Sean Jones was brought in and the Bucs traded for (and swiftly cut) WR Reggie Brown.

Was there ever a plan to build through the draft and sprinkle in select free agents? I don't know, but history doesn't suggest there was. Signing Derrick Ward and Byron Leftwich while going after Albert Haynesworth sure doesn't look like 'building through the draft' to me, and it doesn't look like focusing on the team's own free agents either. In fact, the team has been much more active in free agency than with re-signing its own players these past two years.

This could change this year, of course, but it would surprise me if it did. I don't expect Mark Dominik to swing for the fences and go for the biggest names out there, and I do expect him to re-sign at least Davin Joseph. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Bucs sign some second-tier free agents when they can in lieu of re-signing some of their own players.

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^^^thats my boy (picture)

[url="Check out this mean tune":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVaEHtHJqeM]

by Titankillah on Jul 22, 2011 8:07 PM EDT reply actions

Youre a distant second my friend

As you can always expect come from behind victory is when you least expect it.

by Buc Wild on Jul 22, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions

You talking about caddy being a distant #2?

This is the year that’ll prove his legacy. Boy needs to go hard, and become a solid #2 runner.

[url="Check out this mean tune":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVaEHtHJqeM]

by Titankillah on Jul 22, 2011 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Why wouldn't he wait a few years to extend Free?

He’s locked up for a very cheap price until atleast 2015 with the team option they picked up last off season. It makes no sense to go and just give him a monster raise right away, before he even follows up with another solid season especially. Who did you want him to resign anyway?? Antonio Bryant, yeah ok that would’ve been great… Luke McCown he sucks, Leftwich sucks, Dexter Jackson um no, Sabby Piscitelli really? most of the guys were to old or blew and weren’t worth roster spots from the Gruden era… Pretty sure Dom meant building and resigning players that he and Rah draft, not resigning old scrubs like Chris Hovan

by freeman05 on Jul 22, 2011 9:50 PM EDT reply actions

I'll go as far to say that

Gruden and Allen’s best drafted players are our two bad apples. Talib and Tanard are the two best players the Bucs drafted from 03-08 before Dom and Raheem got promoted.

by freeman05 on Jul 22, 2011 9:52 PM EDT reply actions

Oh Dom...

I guess you’re right. Why go out and sign some great available players to improve our team when we can just give the money to our own mediocre players.

I hear Michael Clayton is available. Again.

by Cracker Ball on Jul 23, 2011 1:44 AM EDT reply actions

Bucs Free Agency in the Hands of the Saints

It looks like the Saints will have three days to sign top rated free agent left guard Carl Nicks.

If they fail, the Bucs should go all out to get him.

If the Bucs can recruit Nicks and re-sign right guard Davin Joseph, they should be able to pound the ball up the middle.

Penn is solid at left tackle. Faine is pretty good at center, but let Zuttah take some of the running/pounding downs.

Joseph wants Jeremy Trueblood back – no problem. Let him continue to compete with James Lee at right tackle. (Adding Clabo from Atlanta would be icing on the cake, but too much to ask for.) Either way, right takcle would be the weakest part of the line. Put a blocking tight end beside them on running plays.

Bring back linebackers Ruud and Black.

Bring back Cadillac Williams as the third down running back. (With LaGarrette Blount running behind Penn, Hicks, Zuttah, Joseph, a blocking tight end and the full back ensemble, there might not be any third downs.) If there is, the third and long package should be Faine (for savvy), Winslow (for receiving) and Williams (for pass blocking/receiving/change of pace running).

The Bucs have already done a lot to improve their defense. But, nothing improves the defense like a powerful running game that keeps the defense off the field. And, nothing improves the passing game like a running game that keeps defenders in the box.

Add Hicks and keep the rest and the Bucs could go a long way this year. Maybe, all the way to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Now, if only the Saints would screw around with Hicks for three days so the Bucs can make a phone call.

by toopanca on Jul 23, 2011 2:15 AM EDT reply actions