How about wait til this year, Bucs?

Posted Mar 26, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Mar 26, 2010 at 01:14 AM

Probably without knowing it, Coach Raheem Morris of the Buccaneers was picking up on a longtime battle cry of the old football Gators when he suggested the 2010 Bucs may have “to wait until next year.” But then, as the Bucs may soon, the Gators themselves hit a stride and became twice-national champions. There surely was a time when we cried “wait til next year” but figured it would never truly happen to the hapless Gators of those times.

Well, the other day Morris and Joel Glazer pretty much said the same thing to an assembly of newsmen, including Ira Kaufman and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. They were realists, Morris and Glazer, when they said the Bucs, 3-13 last season, would not challenge in the NFL this year, but rather down the line as they matured. No one with whom I am familiar foresees the Buccaneers challenging this year for the NFC South division championship this season. Most advanced polls and individual prognosticators pick the Buccaneers to finish last behind, New Orleans, Atlanta and Carolina as they did last season.

That outlook cannot please present primary owner Malcolm Glazer, as it does not please me. We are not chickadees and don’t expect to be around that many years more.

Glazer has got to wince when Coach Morris says it will take a while to get things done with the Bucs, though we all know that is true. Recently we wrote that the Buccaneer roster does not now really include a superstar. Indeed, the best-known player probably is Ronde Barber. There are however, several rostered players who could become stars soon, like a fit Cadillac Williams, like ever-improving linebacker Barrett Rood, like tight end, Kellen Winslow, like running back Earnest Graham.

Most notable among those newer comers is quarterback Josh Freeman, the 6-foot-6, 248-pound quarterback who very well could become a genuine superstar. This will be his second season and if he is not injured he should become a star player.

So, there seems to be enough possibilities on the roster to make fact of the suggestion of Coach Morris that it will be worthwhile to come watch the Buccaneers grow. There are some problems there, some obstacles, like no superstars now you want to got see play now. That could change notably if quarterback Freeman could be the real McCoy many think he can be. He is big, fearless, and has a strong arm and decent receivers.

Joel Glazer had a few welcome words for the fans. In his recent interview, Glazer said the Bucs are not for sale, said money is no problem, and it is there to spend, if the players are there to pay. The Bucs payroll was tied for last in the NFL. There is money available and it truly hasn’t been a problem with this Glazer family. We all know Malcolm Glazer would spend what he has to for top players. At least he has indicated that, by also buying the Manchester United soccer team and promising to return it to its high place in that sport. I have never seen anything to indicate that the Glazer family will not spend the money to produce winners.

Joel Glazer said recently, “We have never lost a player we wanted to keep. There’s never been a guy we wanted to re-sign that the football people wanted to keep. And that will never be the case.” He also said they expect to re-stock the team with the upcoming collegiate draft, that the Bucs are studying that draft carefully. They have the third overall pick and with the rest of their picks can restock and improve their team. “Our fans want to know that we are competing for a championship from year to year we are in the hunt for a Super Bowl,” Glazer said.

The Glazer family clearly is satisfied with Morris as the head coach and with Mark Dominik as general manager. It is clear, to me anyway, the Glazer family does want to win here and with Manchester United. And it is also clear to me that the patriarch of that family, unlike some of his offspring wants to see wins now and not promises of them later. A lot of us don’t have that much time to “wait til next year,” certainly not as much time as we had for the Florida Gators to fulfill their next year.

Babaloo, Malcolm.