To Glazer Family ownership group of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers;
Some of us have never properly thanked you for what you’ve done in and to the Tampa Bay Community. You took over a laughing stock of a franchise, and gave us a Super Bowl championship. I will never forget the goosebumps I got when your father, Malcom Glazer, shouted at the top of his voice post game..”Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay”!
I was never more proud to be a Bucs fan or resident of the area. But things have changed. Our franchise is proud no more, and its disturbing. I am not a supporter of free spending just in the name of doing so. We can look at the Washington Redskins under Daniel Snyder, or this year’s Philadelphia Eagles, who have shown us that spending wildly on Free Agents is not the way to do it. I agree that building a franchise through the draft, is the way to build a team for the long term, a team that produces wins on a regular basis like the Steelers, Colts, and Patriots.
But some free agents are required, and next year is the best time to start. Fan apathy is at an all time danger level, and Firing a Head Coach based on 6 games is ill advised. Sure hiring a new big name coach would spark the flames in Bucs fans hearts, but to be honest, that is not the only thing that would achieve the same effect. Bringing in one or two BIG TIME, BIG NAME free agents next season would do the trick just nice.
After all, it is in the blueprints you established when you turned this franchise around in the late 90s. Bringing in Keyshawn Johnson had tremendous effect on not only the team, the offense, but in the Stadium too. Going after the two best linemen around a year later, Jeff Christie and Randal McDaniel, had the same effect.
A big time free agent is also needed because of the effect it will have on the players, but it must be well placed. In 1993, the most critical component of the Super Bowl championship was added: Hardy Nickerson. Hardy came to Tampa Bay and instantly the lazy, loafing, losing accepting Buccaneers players began to show their faces and were dismissed. We drafted great players in John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, etc, but how much of their greatness was directly attributed to the teachings, the PEER teachings of Nickerson, as opposed to just the direction of coaches.
Right now defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn look to be the best and brightest players on defense, and it’s probably no coincidence that their coach is not that far removed from his playing days. The Defensive linemen go to their young coach like a veteran player, and if we had a few more in the right spot, other young Bucs players careers would be brought up the right way.
So I aske you Glazer ownership, to please begin the process of bringing in veteran talent to help augment the Bucs youthful players, and help spark the fire in the fans that is there to be rekindled when some hope is provided.
Sincerely,
Nick Houllis
www.Bucstop.com
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