Oh boy oh boy oh boy. 7 agonizingly-long days until our D-Day Draft commences. And yet we sit in what seems to be a perpetual quiet before the storm as other teams make splashy moves on troubled stars that much of the Buccaneer blogosphere seems to covet as a collective whole. Brandon Marshall.....gone for two 2nd rounders.....which figures in almost any other draft to be a first round talent plus a second.......not to mention a 12-mil per year contract on top of that. You're getting into franchise quarterback-type draft compensation AND salary for a moody, parking-ticket-away-from-being-suspended wide receiver. I'm sorry.....unlike other online publications which shall remain nameless, I support the decision not to bring him in, based on the required price and the daunting risk that a new front office staff can't afford to miss on. If he gets himself suspended, then you're talking about not just missing the services of the wide receiver you traded your 2nd rd pick for, but also effectively getting nothing from the other second rounder next year you sacrificed, which leaves your young, thin roster short one extra starter (presumably).
On one hand, with the roster seemingly floundering in mediocrity in several areas, it's a frustrating, uncertain time to be a Buccaneer fan......but on the other, we're looking at what we hope is the foundation of an incredible draft class that we hope can carry this team back to a competitive run of winning division titles and advancing in the playoffs. Thus, there is certainly cause for optimism too.
That being said, let's get into what's going on out there on the Buccaneer Blogosphere....
The Pewter Report is reporting that Mark Dominik is bringing in Bill Rees, an outside scout who will serve as basically a draft consultant to Dominik and Dennis Hickey. Apparently Rees will not be attending meetings and may not be in the war room, but rather will provide draft evaluations and reports to the front office. The evaluations will reportedly be available to the Glazers, Dominik, and Hickey. Who's driving this bus? This seems like an odd move to make, especially right before the draft. I wonder, at least a little bit, if the front office doesn't fully trust the scouting department.
Stephen Holder takes a look back at the #3 overall selection in the draft over the last 20 years. More relative successes than failures overall, to be sure....although the success of the defensive linemen have been basially a coin flip.
Holder also projects Dominik's inaction on Marshall (and probably Holmes) as a product of the Glazers' talks with Dom and Raheem about the long-term plan to build the franchise. I think a signed Marshall would contribute on the field long-term, but, as I said before, trading two premier picks for a risky prima donna could set that long-term development back a few steps.
Bleacher Report muses overwhether the 2010 Draft will be the downfall of Raheem Morris. I think Mark Dominik, Dennis Hickey, and scouting department should be substituted there, if the talent of the draft fails eventually. And really, we won't know whether this class is a success or failure until at least 2 or 3 years down the road, so 2010 is an unrealistic evaluation period.
Sounds like Donald Penn is determined to entice some team to make the Buccaneers an offer for him, as he's reportedly shed a substantial amount of weight and is utilizing a nutrionist and personal trainer to make him even more beastly than he already is. It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out.
Oh, and the NFL will finally announce the 2010 schedule Tuesday, April 20th at 7 pm on the NFL Network.
Discuss.