Ahh, Free Agency… Another Pointless Day Where I Accomplish Nothing

This site had record traffic over the weekend, which is usually my slowest time. I appreciate everyone coming by and apologize on behalf of the Buccaneers for making your stay so painfully dull. Here's a rundown of who the Buccaneers have signed in free agency so far this season. DON'T BLINK! You don't want to miss any of it!

• Jeff Faine (C, New Orleans), six years, $37.5 million ($15 million guaranteed)
• Jimmy Wilkerson (DE, Kansas City), two years
• John Gilmore (TE, Chicago), three years
• Antoine Cash (LB, Tampa Bay), terms undisclosed

Ta da! I'll give you all a moment to tend to your erections. I know it's difficult to contain your excitement.

...

In January, Bruce Allen promised to make a splash in free agency. A "Tiger Woods" player, if I remember correctly (oh, and I do.) I assume by that he meant a best-in-class player and not a half black/half Asian one because Hines Ward is already spoken for.

And while Faine was a great way to start it off, I really expected at least one marquee name to come out of the weekend. Even a low-end marquee guy like Randall Gay or Donte Stallworth would have been nice. And it's not like the Bucs didn't have the cash to pay these guys. Really, they could have gotten any single player they wanted, and probably gotten two or three big-time guys without breaking the bank. Is it that the Bucs aren't pursuing players as aggressively as they should? I've heard many stories about them being interested in various players and trying to schedule them to come for a visit. Some guys get scheduled but sign with another team while on another visit. Is there some kind of stigma about the Bucs or the coaches or Bruce Allen that is turning players off of wanting to play for Tampa Bay? I've always thought (and several players have said so) that guys want to play for Jon Gruden and sometimes will take less money to do so because he is that good a coach. Has that magic gone away? Or is it just that despite the huge salary cap space available, the team is not making offers big enough to entice top-tier players to come to the Buccaneers? Something is bound to come out in the next week or two about why the team made such little impact in the initial phase of free agency.

The latest word is that the team will be interested in Warrick Dunn when he is released. Keep in mind that they also said they were interested in Mewelde Moore who is, at this stage of their careers, faster, stronger and has far fewer miles on him than Dunn. But Moore is close to signing with Pittsburgh. Moore could have filled the void left by Michael Pittman as the backfield receiver and even a kickoff returner. Instead, he will probably go down as one of the more disappointing misses of this free agency because he would have been a good value for the relatively modest contract he will command.

I've always liked Bruce Allen's strategy of getting lower-priced free agents and getting the most out of them. They are usually driven harder to perform well, have a better work ethic and an overall better attitude. Plus you don't have to purge your roster every couple years because your cap is in shambles. But the team has needs now that probably can't be addressed by rookies. This is not a rebuilding year. They're really just a couple players away from getting deep into the playoffs and it seems like the premium free agents that could have pushed them over that hump have already been snatched up. I really hope Allen and Gruden have some really cunning strategy that will make itself apparent in the coming weeks.