Fans Will Need a Program For Bucs Games This Year

Posted Feb 25, 2009 by Tom McEwen

Updated Feb 25, 2009 at 08:08 PM

One of my smart aleck friends asked another when he heard the news of those player releases Wednesday how when practice begins, how soon the coaches would know the Buccaneer players without a program. The other friend retorted they’ll have their names on their workout jerseys, just like the coaches will have as well.

Then the retort to the retort was, since the Bucs released great guys and players like Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn, and Joey Galloway, Ike Hillard and Cato June, how’d they miss out on not waiving Kevin Carter, Ernest Graham, Ronde Barber and Cadillac Williams, provoking the reply that, of course, there is still time.

And don’t forget head coach Jon Gruden was canned earlier and popular defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin left for his son’s side at Tennessee, giving the owning Malcolm Glazer family the opportunity to hire Raheem Morris to succeed Gruden and place the job of general manager firmly in the trust of Mark Dominik. Dominik and Morris are filling in the coaching blanks remaining.

The Bucs are hardly allowing major league baseball media time and space with their newsy moves. The coaching moves made headlines but the player moves Wednesday made bigger ones. The release of Brooks, Dunn, Galloway, Hilliard and Cato June (great name, eh?) suggested to some the Bucs had waived much of their heart.

A certain reply to the questions of fans is that the Bucs are rebuilding to their might of a while back. The reply of many will be they don’t have that kind of money. Guess we can all now accept that the Glazers saw the economic collapse coming, for that is what Malcolm did with such success — buying the Buckos and red-hot Manchester United at the right time, all the while working money markets.

Of course the patriarch’s health is not what it was. And, what lay ahead made him announce some time ago there’d be no ticket price increase this year. Frankly, don’t think there is a pro team anywhere that would, except the Yankees with their new, fancy digs in the Bronx.

The Bucs will save, some said, about $50 million with the waiver of Brooks, Dunn, Galloway, Hillard and June. I can only guess, since that is uncharted financial land to me, it can be used to pursue new, younger players. One agent just could not understand how teams often refuse to meet an established player’s offer, then give in to the comparable request of a new, untested player.

New head Bucs coach Morris, who hired Detroit’s Joe Barry back to town, was previously a Bucs assistant, so he is aware of the history, of the matchless offices and Raymond James Stadium, and also of the lousy seasons and the Super Bowl season. So is G.M. Dominik, who was but a small-potato administrative associate when the Bucs won the championship in 2002 but has risen through the ranks from part-time work as a college student with Kansas City.

Thinking here is that it is well Dominik is embarking on this great adventure but do not think Buc Fandom will be especially patient. And, not all of Bucdom will understand how players, notably Derrick Brooks and Dunn and Hilliard — notably Brooks - can be waived pretty unceremoniously. Most thought Brooks might choose to leave this pre-season, or after one more, a decision most thought he deserved to make.

If he had that chance, no one said so. Gosh, Brooks was a player, individually, as a leader and off the field. Gosh, how he, and the incomparable Warrick Dunn did their best for this and other communities. And both were forever supportive in every way of their university, Florida State.

It is a good class gone. Thank you, Bucs Brooks, Dunn, Galloway, Hilliard and June. You made our Sundays so much better for so long.

But, Raheem Morris will miss you more.