Hat tip to FrozenFinger and Mosogu for bringing this ridiculously absurd article an interesting perspective by Bucs Nation's Sanders to light.
While their GM Thomas Dimitroff has been widely credited for making [the trade that netted the Falcons Julio Jones], it reeks of Rich McKay.
He traded away two first-round picks for Keyshawn Johnson in 2000. He lasted four years with the Bucs and though he was a valuable player for the Bucs, his play never quite justified his price. McKay spent a lot of money on highly priced free agents, some of whom succeeded like Simeon Rice, some of whom failed fairly miserably. The Falcons have done the same thing, paying a hefty price for a solid but unspectacular cornerback in Dunta Robinson.
First and foremost, please don't go troll your collective tushis off over at Bucs Nations. Sanders is a solid dude, however wrong he is here.
As SBN Atlanta's Jason Kirk has pointed out, The Comrade has repeatedly called the Julio Jones "trade" an organizational decision. While I'm sure McKay knew about or had some input regarding the selection (and the trade that preceded it), this really reeks of Arthur Blank. Blank isn't an owner because he enjoys garage parking, free mixed drinks, and canoodling with the cheerleaders. He wants El Lombardi, and he will do anything to make that happen.
Malcolm Glazer (owner of the Bucs) and Arthur Blank are very different. He was 72-years-old when our trigger-happy friends to the south took Keyshawn. Blank is only 14 years younger, but his passion for the Falcons ostensibly exceeds that of Glazer for the Bucs. Blank is always on the sideline and we already know how pointed he can be when it comes to winning.
"Arthur whispered very lucidly, 'Get me out of the single digits,'" Dimitroff said with a laugh during last month's NFL owners meeting as he recalled Blank's pep talk.
Bottom line: Sanders' logic is somewhat quizzical, because under his approach, any aggressive GM is emulating McKay. The Bucs weren't where we are now in 2000. Lynch, Brooks, and Sapp all had 5+ years in the league by then and [swallows hard] Shaun King was at the helm. Conversely, our starting defense - notwithstanding John Abraham - is still growing into its big boy shoes, while our starting QB already has 3 years under his belt.
As always, curious what you all think. Discuss!