Something's Missing...

Ira Kaufman has a column up at TBO today lauding the Buccaneers Brass for cutting guys like Michael Clayton and Derrick Ward even though they had been signed to big free agent deals. Kaufmann rightly notes that many times roster moves are motivated more by finances than by performance and this time the Bucs really did get it right by rewarding the guys who actually earned roster spots.

There were some interesting nuggets throughout the piece including this one from Barrett Ruud:

"What's nice is guys are being rewarded for their work," middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "Spurlock should be here, and with respect to the guys that aren't here, some of them didn't work that hard. The nice thing about this team is that all the guys who step out on this field trust each other."

Although he doesn't call anyone out by name there were only a few guys who were released that had actually been around long enough to actually fit the description in Ruud's comments. I hadn't heard that Clayton and or Ward weren't hard workers but generally when guys don't perform on Sunday's its because they haven't prepared themselves the rest of the week.

Still it was kind of weird seeing a guy like Ruud who is usually kind of quiet call them out, unnamed or not, like that. Evidently it had really struck a nerve with him.

Now I hate to be nitpicky but there is one ginormous fact that is missing from the article to give it context. The fact that because there is no salary cap this year it was much easier for GM Mark Dominik to unload those two guys' salaries. If we were still under a salary cap its likely one or both guys would still be on the team.

It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't give Clayton so much guaranteed money in his deal. They didn't break the bank for him but it was apparent that they expected to have him for at least two years. That means that even though he is gone he is still cashing Buccaneers checks.

All in all I still think it was the right move to cut both guys because it would be hard for the rest of the team to believe anything Dominik or head coach Raheem Morris said if those guys had a roster spot and other guys who stood up and performed well and worked their tails off in practice were let go. But if you are going to tell the story, and especially if you are going to be laudatory towards Dominik and Morris for cutting bait, you simply HAVE to include the fact of why they were able to pull it off.

At the end of the day the Bucs had the opportunity to admit their mistakes and move on as a team. But there had been a salary cap this year one or both guys would probably have been spared. And at that point we probably would have been focusing on something that can't be forgotten and that is that the mistakes were made in the first place. Hopefully while Morris and Dominik are drawing praises for moving on they will spend some time not try to commit those mistakes in the first place going forward.

Wrong In Every Concievable Way

JoeBucsFan is reporting that Roy Cummings said this yesterday on the Miller and Mouton radio show:

Miller & Moulton: Albert Haynesworth is two years and $9 million total for this year and next year, and he clearly wants to play defensive end in a 4-3. And when he’s motivated and playing defensive end in a 4-3, or even tackle but moves to end in pass rushing situations, he is a force. Does that make any sense at all [for the Bucs]?. …It’s a need. He’ll be motivated. Does that make any sense at all?

Roy Cummings: It makes a great deal of sense and here’s why: Don’t forget. The Buccaneers were the team that offered Albert Haynesworth more money than anybody else in the NFL last year. A lot of people forget that – conveniently want to ignore that fact. … You know what, I think it makes all kinds of sense. It’s a ballsy move. I don’t know if he’s going to do it. They do want to be young here more than anything. But you know what, if Stylez White can’t wake up in these last two preseason games and show them what he’s got, why not? Go give it a shot. I mean, money really is not an issue. People don’t want to believe that here. Everybody, you know, on your end of things here in Tampa Bay wants to keep talking about money here and money there and how much the Glazers are or are not spending. I can tell you right now, if they think can get Albert Haynesworth, and it ends up becoming a wash in terms of what the payroll is, they’ll do it. And they’ll go out and get him. And you know what, he’ll make the team a better football team in a hurry.

Now I don't want to seem too harsh here but that is maybe the dumbest scenario I have heard floated in a very very long time. Lets dissect this from the top.

First the contention is that Albert Haynesworth, he of 350 pounds plus and questionable work ethic, is going to come here and play defensive end? Really?!

Maybe Roy hasn't noticed but we play a get up the field, zone blitzing defense predicated on everyone hauling ass to the ball. And yeah, on occasion, you might even have to drop into coverage.
What in that description fits Haynesworth's profile?

Yeah he can play end in a 3-4 because its a totally different animal and involves a lot of two gapping and very little in the way of having to actually speed rush on an offensive tackle. And Haynesworth has never played defensive end on any kind of regular basis his entire career.

And lets think on this one. The Bucs let Chris Hovan, a GREAT locker room guy, go because he made too much money for his level of production and because of his age. Well Haynesworth wasn't much better last year in terms of production, he's a terrible locker room guy, and he's also no spring chicken going into his 9th season. And don't forget the money he is still owed on that huge free agent contract will have to be paid by the Bucs if they trade for him. And Cummings can say what he wants, the Bucs only allowed the fans to come to one week of training camp because of cost concerns AND they still refuse to sign a veteran backup quarterback even though Josh Freeman is hurt.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

And seeing as how the fact remains that even if Haynesworth was to come in here with a cape on and be super defensive end guy we probably wouldn't be contending for the playoffs, what exactly would be the motivation to bring him in? So he could poison the rest of our young defensive line with his me first attitude?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not even just talking about the situation with Shanahan where I feel like there is a helluva lot of blame to go around. I'm saying try to google an article where a teammate had good things to say about Haynesworth as a leader. You won't find it. A decent player at times? Yes. A leader though? Hell no. Its not something he has ever done but I guess maybe Mark Dominik was just joking around when he talked about how he wanted to build this team with youth and character.

So he doesn't fit scheme wise, attitude wise, or compensation wise. But hey, other than that he's PERFECT!

The best part of this imagined scenario is where we trade Michael Clayton for Haynesworth straight up. I mean right now we couldn't beg most teams to take Clayton off our hands but the Redskins are going to just give us Haynesworth for him? And then who are they going to find to play defensive line for them? Because make no mistake about it when the dust settles Haynesworth is still going to be out there starting at defensive end for the Redskins this year. Simply put because they don't have anybody else at that position with anything close to his ability.

I have to say I read this several times before even deciding to post about it because I wanted to try to see if maybe there was a hint of jest in Cummings' words. Like maybe he was just being facetious to make for good radio. But it really seems like he was dead serious. And I have to say that's very....unfortunate.

P.S. Its worth noting that after the fantastic free agent flops of Michael Clayton, Mike Nugent and now it would seem Derrick Ward, I doubt Mark Dominik regrets being beaten out for Albert Haynesworth's services last year for the numbers he was offering.

Michael Clayton's Ticket Out Of Town

Stephen Holder has a good write up about wide receiver Reggie Brown whom the Buccaneers acquired via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles:

"I’ve been impressed with Reggie Brown in how he carries himself like a pro," Bucs receivers coach Eric Yarber said. "Early on in camp and OTAs, he got a lot of looks and caught a lot of balls. Right now, you might not see the flash.

"But as a coaching staff, we see it on film. He’s open a lot. He just hasn’t gotten the opportunity to make plays. But he brings a veteran savvy to our group with know-how. I’ve told a lot of the guys to watch how he prepares and how he runs routes."

The Bucs never promised Brown would duplicate the performances he turned in during his best seasons with the Eagles. Truth is, they'd be happy if he was a marginal contributor given what they gave up for him. At the same time, no one is ruling out a bigger contribution. And it seems like Brown will definitely get the chance. Whereas with the Eagles he became an afterthought during the past two seasons, the Bucs have such an inexperienced group of receivers that the position is wide open.

"He’s a guy who runs really good routes and has really good hands," coach Raheem Morris said. "The knock on him when he came out was that he made some dynamic catches and dropped some easy ones. But since he’s been here, he’s made the dynamic catches but he’s also been catching the easy ones. He’s also been very productive after the catch.

Now I'm the first person to counsel against people falling in love with players during the spring. Football is played in pads, not shorts and so you always have to take the OTA and mini camp performances with a grain of salt.

Having said that, with Brown impressing the coaching staff the wide receiver position is set up to play out just the way I figured it would. Its one thing to say a guy is showing up, its another to say you are using him as an example for other receivers on the team to emulate. And with Brown doing his thing the end result will almost inevitably be Michael Clayton not making the roster. Of course several things could change that, most notably injuries. But other than that I can't see a path for Clayton to be on the team come the fall.

Look don't mistake my blunt honesty with gloating either. I've never met Clayton but I hear he's a good guy. And he may even make another team a good receiver at some point. But resigning him last year for that money was a fools errand. Keeping him after the season he had at this point would be egregious. I know he works hard, I know he blocks well but receivers are paid to catch the ball. Period. And in the one area that he is supposed to be relied on he has not done his job since his rookie season.

On the other hand it won't be his lack of production that does him in, if he is done in, this year. Instead it will be a little thing we call special teams.

Lets go by the numbers. First its a given that three players will be on the team, they are the two draft picks from this year Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams, along with last year's rookie sensation Sammie Stroughter. From there you have Maurice Stovall who didn't exactly set the world on fire as a receiver but still ended up with better stats than Clayton. But the thing about Stovall is that he is a key part of our special teams units.

All of them.

If he isn't running down as a flyer on the punt team, he's leading up as a blocker on kickoff return. And he's not just a guy out there. He's pretty damn good at his job.

Add into the mix Reggie Brown whom evidently had a good offseason as well at receiver. But you know what Brown was doing the last two years when his numbers fell off and the Eagles replaced him?

Busting his ass on special teams.

So that's five receivers right there. Out of whom is left you have Clayton along with two guys who should get at last a shot as our primary return men in the kicking game, Michael Spurlock and Preston Parker.

If you're a GM and your choices for the last wide receiver spot are two young cheap guys who can possibly be return men for you or a guy who hasn't played special teams for you in the past, hasn't produced in years and is scheduled to make millions of dollars who would you choose?

I guess Clayton could become the second coming of Kenny "The Shark" Gant in training camp and just blow people away running down on kickoff but I just can't envision that happening. And so if Brown stays healthy and continues to perform both at receiver and on special teams its likely we have seen the last of Clayton in a Bucs uniform in a meaningful game.

It is what it is.