Bucs GM Mark Dominik: DUMB OR STUPID?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik is either dumb or stupid, and before you go, “Eh?” MY DEFINITIONS of dumb and stupid:

• Dumb: Someone who is naive when making a mistake and simply does not know better. This makes the mistake a learning experience.
• Stupid: Someone who knows the error of what he or she is doing but does it anyway. This makes the person “stupid” as they should have known better.

Which one is Dominik? Right now I would say stupid! I’m assuming you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about. I’m talking about the extension given to injury-prone tight end Kellen Winslow!

The contract is worth $36.1 million with $20.1 million in guarantees. That makes it the most money ever given to a tight end. I will say when healthy he is one of the league’s best tight ends and creates matchup problems that give defensive coordinators nightmares. However, that has been more the exception than the rule for him throughout his career.

Career statistics

Year	Team	G	Rec	Yards	YPC	TD
2004	Cleveland	2	5	50	10	0
2005	Cleveland	0	0	0	-	0
2006	Cleveland	16	89	875	9.8	3
2007	Cleveland	16	82	1,106	13.5	5
2008	Cleveland	10	43	428	9.9	3
Total		44	219	2,459	11.2	11

History:

• 2004: The Cleveland Browns drafted him with the sixth overall pick after an outstanding career at the University of Thugs, err, Miami Hurricanes. My apologies to the respectable students who have graduated from there, but you can’t deny the school’s reputation!
• 2004: He played in two games and missed the season with a broken fibula.
• 2005: He did not play any games after violating his contract by riding a motorcycle and seriously injuring himself. He also had to deal with a staph infection from the knee injury. Unlike Winslow, the Browns didn’t take a me-first attitude; they chose not to pursue recouping money because he violated his contract.
• 2006: Two years after signing with the Cleveland Browns, he had his first injury-free season but also endured microfracture surgery to repair damage from the motorcycle accident.
• 2007: His best season as he was able to play in all 16 games and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, something many forget when stating his greatness. Antonio Gates was the league’s best tight end at the time.
• 2008: Return to business as usual with injuries, being a malcontent and forgetting the Browns have always supported and been loyal to him. This time around? It was because of a staph infection. In his defense, the Browns have had issues with players having staph infections. In his case it was more of hurt feelings than the staph infection. I’m curious if anyone told Winslow that soldiers don’t cry and whine to the media? If anyone has, please let me know!

In five seasons, there were 80 regular season games played by the Browns, and he played in only 44 of them.

• Winslow missed 45 percent of his games!

Kellen Winslow: not a smart investment

The Buccaneers gave him guarantees of more than $20 million. As a general manager whose job it is to understand the big picture, Dominik is, I’m thinking, stupid versus dumb!

Moving on, Winslow caught 219 passes - though I wish the league followed drops as a statistic - for 2,459 yards. That comes out to a respectable 11.2 yards per catch.

• More importantly, Winslow averages five receptions for 56 yards per game.

I’m not a rocket scientist, but I don’t think for a part-time player, which is what he is if you look at his career so far, $20 million-plus in guarantees is worth it!

Are general managers not versed in Business 101 and risk analysis? Whether the move pans out or not, the amount of money given should never have been offered! Let’s not forget: Players have a history of asking for new contracts after a couple of years of solid to great play regardless of what their previous contracts were. Anquan Boldin is a great example as one of my previous blogs points out.

I’m beating a dead horse now, so let’s close this out and reiterate one final time. Between Winslow’s previous injuries and me-first attitude, it was a stupid move Dominik made. Dominik seems to have made some solid moves on paper, and many are lauding this one. They are stating they locked Winslow up and can move on to other player needs.

I say there was no reason to give Winslow that much in a new deal! I would have told Winslow the following (and for the record, I am cocky enough to say I would make a hell of a GM):

• Show me you can stay healthy.
• Show me you’re a team player and not a locker room cancer.
• Show me you can be an elite tight end year in and year out versus two seasons out of your five-year career.

Let the hate e-mails begin, and don’t forget, you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wdelpilar.

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