I Get It Then I Don’t …………
Listening to the local sport’s talk radio shows here within the greater Tampa Bay area. I’m finding it all the more bewildering to see the bloodletting that’s now taking place within the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ organization. There have been those who favor the moves that’ve taken place. And there have been others who by their very outrage have made it clear that it’ll be their duty to call out the organization and in particular the Glazer family and the ineptitude that they’ve shown in handling this all.
With the announcement that came with the very fact that the Buccaneers had made the decision to cut defensive stalwart Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, Warrick Dunn, Cato June and Ike Hilliard. It all but sent a message as to how messy the business of the NFL really is. GM Mark Dominik along with coach Raheem Morris all but made it clear that this was nothing more than a business decision and the fact that the organization was now moving in a new direction. Well that new direction and the furor that these maneuvers have created has led to an outcry not heard within the community in a long while.
This may well be nothing more than a business decision which will save the organization money . But the haphazard way in which management went about in dealing with this smacks of stupidity and sheer ineptitude. It may well have not been the decision of Dominik and Morris’ to have made. But the thinking is that this came down from up on high. And with the Glazer family in the guise of Joel , Bryan and Avram (Ari ) all sharing in the running of their father’s business interests. It gives credence to the fact that the Buccaneers along with that of their ownership in European soccer club Manchester United has placed them in somewhat of an unenviable situation.
ving bought the latter through privately leveraging the club for a sum in excess of $ 1.6bn . It may well give credence to the fact that the family may well be in some dire financial straits. The debt has to be serviced and repaid. And with the banks clamoring for any money that they’re owed. It can be said that the family is under a great deal of pressure. This situation was handled with the all the aplomb of a nuclear device going off. The explosion was loud and clear and felt right across the community. Brooks for his part has handled this all with a great deal of class . As too have his former teammates who’ve accepted the actions of the organization.
The fallout from this all has been met with some dismay and nowhere has this been more prevalent than within the news media and in particular the sport’s talk show medium. This will be the feature story for the ensuing days , if not weeks. As this will be dissected and analyzed as much any media story out there. All of a sudden anything concerning the Tampa Bay Rays or Tampa Bay Lightning will become almost irrelevant.
Well it’s now too late for a do-over and if anything with the $62m that the team is under the NFL salary cap will go a long way in determining the intentions of the franchise. With free agency now in the offing. And with there being a number of needs that have to be addressed by the team. It will be very interesting to see the sort of decisions that’ll be made by GM Mark Dominik and coach Raheem Morris. And as of now the clock is now ticking on the franchise , its management and ownership as a whole.
The loss of Brooks while monumental, it is very hard to see who’ll now be viewed as the inspirational and vocal leader of this team. All of which leads me to believe that the franchise will be in for some very rough and turbulent times ahead. Brooks brought to the game a desire and passion to play. But even more so there was that will to win and exert himself to do whatever it’d take. Unfortunately on the team there is no one there now who possesses those infinite traits. And it’ll definitely be some time before we can truly assess where the team stands as to its presence as a contender or pretender amongst the franchises within the NFL.
This much is certain where they now are and where they envisage that they want to be . It is so far apart that it doesn’t warrant thinking about at this juncture. Talk is cheap but it’s the actions of a franchise that goes a long way in dispelling any apprehensions that the fans may well have as to supporting the franchise.
