How Malcolm Glazer Changed the Tampa Bay Bucs

Today the NFL was saddened to learn of the passing of Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer. Glazer was the third NFL owner to pass in the last seven months.
Glazer bought the Bucs in 1995. At the time, the Bucs were the laughing stock of the NFL both for their uniforms (creamsicle and white) and for their pathetic performance on the field. Glazer took a hands off approach to ownership, hiring coach Tony Dungy and front office personnel who knew how to run the football side of the operations. The formula would prove successful as the Bucs would go on  to make seven playoff berths, five playoff wins, and win the Super Bowl in 2002. He also played a key role in bringing two Super Bowls to Tampa and overseeing the construction of Raymond James Stadium.
Glazer not only owned a NFL franchise, he was also the owner of the Manchester United Football Club in the Premier League which he purchased in 2005. Since that time Man U won five Premier League titles (2007-2009, 2011, 2013) and also captured the Champions League title in 2008.
Glazer had been in poor health for nearly a decade. In April 2006, he had a pair of strokes that him with impaired speech and limited mobility in his right arm and leg. Three of his sons had taken over the day to day operations of the Bucs since that time, but Glazer was still well loved in the NFL community.

Glazer left behind a tremendous and lasting legacy and a formula for how owners should operate their franchises to have lasting and long term success.

The Glazers say that the Bucs and Man U will remain in their family and will not face the uncertain future that befalls the Buffalo Bills.

Higher Standard Applies to NFL Owners Too

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was formally charged last week with two misdemeanors resulting from his March intoxicated driving arrest.

Irsay was charged with one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and one count of operating a vehicle with a schedule I or II controlled substance. No other charges were filed despite the fact Irsay was carrying numerous pill bottles and $29,000 in cash on him at the time he was arrested.

Despite the fact that it took the Hamilton County prosecutors office two months to formally file charges against Irsay, the burden now falls on Roger Goodell and the league to merit out some form of punishment.

Reality is that if this were a player, league official or front office personnel, the punishment for such actions would have been harsh and swift. The fact that Irsay is an owner should not change the time it takes to dole out punishment nor the severity of that punishment.

Just like the NBA, the NFL is a private league. It must hold all of its members to a higher standard than the average person. When the audio tapes of LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling reached the media, the punishment for his words was both swift and severe, despite the fact that Sterling's words, while inflammatory, were not illegal. Irsay's actions were illegal both by the letter of the law, and to the code of conduct that each person in the NFL is held to.

Delaying punishment for Irsay sends a bad message to the fans, the media and other personnel around the league. If the NBA can be swift in handing down punishment, so should the NFL. If players can be punished even before receiving judgment on charges, so should the owners.

2014 NFL Draft- First Round

2014 NFL Draft

Draft day finally arrived and after much hype and anticipation, the first pick overall went exactly as expected. Though Manziel was thought to be a top 10 draft pick, only one quarterback earned that distinction.

Rumors swirled for weeks that Texans might trade down or draft a quarterback which was their most pressing need, but after all the speculation, Texans took the top player available in the 2014 draft class.

Here is the entire first round draft:

1. Houston Texans- Jadeveon Clowney- DE- South Carolina

2. St. Louis Rams- Greg Robinson- OT- Auburn

3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Blake Bortles- QB- UCF

4. Buffalo Bills (trade from Cleveland Browns)- Sammy Watkins- WR- Clemson

5. Oakland Raiders- Khalil Mack- OLB- Buffalo

6. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews- OT- Texas A&M

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Mike Evans- WR- Texas A&M

8. Cleveland Browns (trade from Minnesota Vikings)- Justin Gilbert- CB- Oklahoma State

9. Minnesota Vikings- Anthony Barr- OLB- UCLA

10. Detroit Lions- Eric Ebron- TE- UNC

11. Tennessee Titans- Taylor Lewan- OT- Michigan

12. NY Giants- Odell Beckham- WR- LSU

13. St. Louis Rams- Aaron Donald- DT- Pittsburgh

14. Chicago Bears- Kyle Fuller- CB- Virginia Tech

15. Pittsburgh Steelers- Ryan Shazier- OLB- Ohio State

16. Dallas Cowboys- Zack Martin- OT- Notre Dame

17. Baltimore Ravens- CJ Mosley- ILB- Alabama

18. NY Jets- Calvin Pryor- S- Louisville

19. Miami Dolphins- Ja'Wuan James- OT- Tennessee

20. New Orleans Saints (trade from Arizona Cardinals)- Brandon Cooks- WR- Morgan State

21. Green Bay Packers- Ha Ha Clinton Dix- S- Alabama

22. Cleveland Browns (traded from Philadelphia Eagles)- Johnny Manziel- QB- Texas A&M

23. KC Chiefs- Dee Ford- DE- Auburn

24. Cincinnati Bengals- Darqueze Dennard- CB- Michigan State

25. San Diego Chargers- Jason Verrett- CB- TCU

26. Philadelphia Eagles- Marcus Smith- DE- Louisville

27. Arizona Cardinals- Deone Buchanan- S- Washington State

28. Carolina Panthers- Kelvin Benjamin- WR- Florida State

29. NE Patriots- Dominique Easley- DE- Florida

30. SF 49ers- Jimmie Ward- S- Northern Illinois

31. Denver Broncos- Bradley Roby- CB- Ohio State

32. Minnesota Vikings (traded from Seattle Seahawks)- Teddy Bridgewater- QB- Louisville