D-backs: What about Tebucky?

[Bobs My Uncle]

I think Jones will be our starting SS until Rodney gets back.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

I think Jones will be our starting SS until Rodney gets back.

If by until rodney gets back you mean Rodney will be the starter for week one.

 

[BelichickFan]

and only left because of $$.

Yeah, as the highest paid safety in the league he was a horrible value. At around $1M a year, he's a pretty good value. The fact that Belichick traded him is irrelevant. He almost certainly has plenty of speed left for Safety, he knows the system, he's a no brainer IMO.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Yeah, as the highest paid safety in the league he was a horrible value. At around $1M a year, he's a pretty good value. The fact that Belichick traded him is irrelevant. He almost certainly has plenty of speed left for Safety, he knows the system, he's a no brainer IMO.

Who did those draft picks we got for bucky turn into anyway? I forgot.

 

[BelichickFan]

Who did those draft picks we got for bucky turn into anyway? I forgot.

The big one was Mr. Corey Dillon

The #3 we got was the one traded for a #2 the next year which we traded for Dillon. We also drafted Dexter Reid with one and I forget the other.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

If by until rodney gets back you mean Rodney will be the starter for week one.

I'm as optimistic as anyone but I seriously doubt Rodney will be back by week 1. I'm expecting him to be PUP'd and hopefully he'll be back week 6 or so. Until then I'm expecting Tebucky to hold down the starting SS spot.

 

[BelichickFan]

The #3 we got was the one traded for a #2 the next year which we traded for Dillon. We also drafted Dexter Reid with one and I forget the other.

OK, here it is :

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/NE/6316109

The Patriots will get a third- and seventh-round pick this year and a fourth-rounder in the 2004 draft.

And here's our drafts :

http://www.drafthistory.com/teams/patriots.html

It's tough to figure out with all the trades but I think I remember the 7th was Banta Cain.

So I think it was Dillon (though another trade), Reid and Banta Cain.

 

[dryheat44]

Yeah, as the highest paid safety in the league he was a horrible value. At around $1M a year, he's a pretty good value. The fact that Belichick traded him is irrelevant. He almost certainly has plenty of speed left for Safety, he knows the system, he's a no brainer IMO.

The point isn't that Belichick traded him. The point is that Belichick traded him, whoever was GM of the Saints at the time (Mueller?) didn't want him anymore, and Nick Saban doesn't want him anymore.

Honestly, has anybody seen Tebucky play the last three seasons, or are we going off warm fuzzy feelings from five years ago?

I have no use for warm fuzzy feelings because guys helped us win a Super Bowl. I don't want Antowain Smith back. I don't want Matt Stevens back. I don't want Tyrone Poole back. I don't want Ken Walter back. I don't want Bobby Hamilton back. I don't want Anthony Pleasant back. And I don't want Tebucky Jones back.

Professional athletes, especially ones who are dependent on speed and agility, don't age like wine.

 

[BelichickFan]

The point isn't that Belichick traded him. The point is that Belichick traded him, whoever was GM of the Saints at the time (Mueller?) didn't want him anymore, and Nick Saban doesn't want him anymore.

Jones was released by Miami to save cap money :

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/MIA/9276766

Madison was due to make $3.42 million in base salary in 2006, while McIntosh was set to make $3.3 million, Jones $3 million and Howard $2 million.

New Orleans released him before a $400K bonus was due - it was just a convenient time to get out of a horrible contract.

 

[dryheat44]

Jones was released by Miami to save cap money :

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/MIA/9276766

Madison was due to make $3.42 million in base salary in 2006, while McIntosh was set to make $3.3 million, Jones $3 million and Howard $2 million.

New Orleans released him before a $400K bonus was due - it was just a convenient time to get out of a horrible contract.

So Nick Saban got rid of a premier gunner to save 400K, and made no effort to re-sign him? I'm not buying it. If Jones was valuable, he would have paid the 400K, then used the offseason to either negotiate a new contract, and if not, cut him then. He started for them before getting hurt and Tavares Tillman taking over for him. So he definitely should have been worth paying the bonus to.

After looking through last season's gamebooks, courtesy of NFL.com, Tebucky had exactly 1 solo tackle on special teams and 3 assists in six games before going on IR. An elite gunner should average at least 1 per game. I'm trying to go back to the previous year with the Saints, but so far I haven't found those gamebooks.

 

[BelichickFan]

So Nick Saban got rid of a premier gunner to save 400K, and made no effort to re-sign him? I'm not buying it.

No, he was due to make $3M with the Dolphins. The $400K bonus was with the Saints. It cost them money to dump him but it was a convenient time to save the $400K as they had realized it was a bad contract they had to get out of.

 

[dryheat44]

No, he was due to make $3M with the Dolphins. The $400K bonus was with the Saints. It cost them money to dump him but it was a convenient time to save the $400K as they had realized it was a bad contract they had to get out of.

Ah, I misread. Thanks.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

So Nick Saban got rid of a premier gunner to save 400K, and made no effort to re-sign him? I'm not buying it. If Jones was valuable, he would have paid the 400K, then used the offseason to either negotiate a new contract, and if not, cut him then. He started for them before getting hurt and Tavares Tillman taking over for him. So he definitely should have been worth paying the bonus to.

After looking through last season's gamebooks, courtesy of NFL.com, Tebucky had exactly 1 solo tackle on special teams and 3 assists in six games before going on IR. An elite gunner should average at least 1 per game. I'm trying to go back to the previous year with the Saints, but so far I haven't found those gamebooks.

Never look at NFL.com only for future refernce since most of them dont update it as much. That 1 taclke and 3 assists came in his last game he played last year against the Chiefs on OCT. 21.

Last year alone tebucky jones in 6 games had 35 tackles, 23 were solo, 12 assists and 2 sacks.

 

[dryheat44]

Never look at NFL.com only for future refernce since most of them dont update it as much. That 1 taclke and 3 assists came in his last game he played last year against the Chiefs on OCT. 21.

Last year alone tebucky jones in 6 games had 35 tackles, 23 were solo, 12 assists and 2 sacks.

Just to be clear, I'm looking at Special Teams tackles, since many people think he's coming in to be a special teams demon.

I looked at each game individually. In week one he had 1/2 and week 6 he had 0/1.

His other tackles came at safety.

Eidt: And in 2004, checking through 3/4 of the season, he had 0 Special Teams tackles (possibly didn't play coverage teams). Tebucky save us!!!

 

[PromisedLand]

Seeing how eager BB was to trade Tebucky before the season, I'm going to say we would have been no worse off. Since when was coverage Tebucky's strong suit?

Again, welcome to 2006. Saban, who runs the same defense, didn't want Tebucky back in 2006.

IIRC we got rid of Tebucky more due to his contract situation and "re-signability" than due to his lack of skills. I'm not saying he was Superman back there, but he was decent. How many long passes did two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf complete against us in SB36? Contrast that to SB38 after Geno and Rodney went down. I agree with AJ - Tebucky will likely be the #3 safety on this team, as well as good ST contributor.

edit - I confirmed my memory. Tebucky had become a free agent at the end of his 5 year rookie contract and the Patriots had franchised him. Fearing they wouldn't be able to sign him for what they thought he was worth, they traded him to the Saints for third- and seventh-round picks in the 2003 draft and a fourth-rounder in the 2004 draft.

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/NE/6316109

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

So I think it was Dillon (though another trade), Reid and Banta Cain.

As Meatloaf said, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Some of the things about Tebucky that bugged the crap out of me...

• As posted earlier, he'd always go for the highlight film hit rather than make the sure tackle.

• He'd frequently bite on ball fakes and allow the deep receiver to get behind him. His great recovery speed partly made up for it, but this mistake should never happen.

• On running plays he usually took a bad angle to the ball carrier by running inside too soon and getting walled off on the play.

• He was a tease. Tebucky had great 40 speed and was big. The Pats knew this and "teased" Saints GM Mickey Loomis into giving up 3rd and 4th round picks. Loomis actually thought he got a great deal, since the Pats were initially asking for a 2nd rounder. It was Jim Haslett who went public with his criticism of Jones.

• Tebucky hated playing special teams. He felt that he was too valuable a player to do so. Apparently, Tebucky even teased himself.

Other thoughts...

• IMO, getting Jones back was a good move. Three years later, T-buck has his money, Ring, and his humility. He's from the Hartford area and was willing to play for BB for the vet minimum. T-Buck won't cast any aspersions on playing with Teams again and should instantly upgrade an inconsistent coverage unit.

• Guss Scott isn't long for this roster. Like Dexter Reid, he's a bust. The guy can't cover and every time he tried to make a tackle, he'd limp off the field. Moreover, ESPN Insider KC Joyner noted that Scott had problems against the pass at Florida. Scott and Reid prove that BB and Pioli are, at least, human.

 

[BelichickFan]

Guss Scott isn't long for this roster. Like Dexter Reid, he's a bust. The guy can't cover and every time he tried to make a tackle, he'd limp off the field. Moreover, ESPN Insider KC Joyner noted that Scott had problems against the pass at Florida. Scott and Reid prove that BB and Pioli are, at least, human.

Supposedly we wanted Bob Sanders in the second draft but the Colts got him ahead of us in round two. My gut feeling is that Belioli thought they'd get him and panicked a little when they didn't by drafting two guys figuring one should work out.