Demar Dotson has come out and said, ” If you ask me, I’m not (a starting left tackle). Its not that as a player he has no confidence in himself, He is simply being a realist. Few players CAN play left tackle in the NFL, when you have a right handed quarterback to protect. The last Bucs player to excel at LT was Paul Gruber who played from ’88-’99. Before that, Dave Reavis was probably the franchises best player there. Thats two in 35 years for those keeping track. So why are the Bucs playing hard ball when they have no options? Donald Penn has had weight issues since putting on a large amount of mass last season as the year went by. Not only did his mass increase, but there was a direct correlation towards a decrease in play at the same time. Jeremy Zuttah is probably the only player on the team who could realistically step in, but he is needed at Guard where the Aaron Sears reclamation project has failed. The Glazers are saying its not about money, and they have spent money in the last couple of years on free agents despite popular (incorrect) opinions from others. There is plenty of money to run the day to day operations of the NFL from TV money, so the only other factor can be the Bucs are weary of Penn going to town once he signs for the Big Bucks. So wouldn’t a weight clause be prudent in a long term contract? Or is that even legally do-able? Penn has played over 40 games in a row for the Bucs, and he can come in and start the season with only one preseason game, especially if his training regiment in California that he is reportedly undergoing is maintained. But the more practice for Penn the better. Here is hoping the two sides can come to a reasonable conclusion to this mess. I remember the Paul Gruber hold out of 1993 was not fun to watch or listen to, but the end result was none the less a positive one. Lets hope this works out the same.
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