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Byron Leftwich signs with Bucs (1 Viewer)

Blackjacks

Footballguy
Saw it on the bottom line on ESPN news.

I think he has to be going in as the starter. I think he could do descent there as long as the oline can give him time.

Always have been a Leftwich fan.

 
Wow! If he actually pans out, the Bucs just filled a huge hole. The O line is very good and there is talent now around him and the Bucs should have a good running game. He has the arm strength to get the ball downfield, which I like. He's likely not the longterm answer, but could be a very nice stopgap until something better comes along. At the very least he will challenge the guys the Bucs currently have.

 
Wow! If he actually pans out, the Bucs just filled a huge hole. The O line is very good and there is talent now around him and the Bucs should have a good running game. He has the arm strength to get the ball downfield, which I like. He's likely not the longterm answer, but could be a very nice stopgap until something better comes along. At the very least he will challenge the guys the Bucs currently have.
Doubt he works out and is more then a bottom half of the league starter but crazier things have happen.
 
Wow! If he actually pans out, the Bucs just filled a huge hole. The O line is very good and there is talent now around him and the Bucs should have a good running game. He has the arm strength to get the ball downfield, which I like. He's likely not the longterm answer, but could be a very nice stopgap until something better comes along. At the very least he will challenge the guys the Bucs currently have.
Doubt he works out and is more then a bottom half of the league starter but crazier things have happen.
As long as the Oline gives him time I like his chances. John Clayton was on sportscenter just a minute ago. He said he still thinks that Luke McCown still has the edge on the starting spot due to running the offense this offseason but he think Leftwich will push him and might eventually run away with the starting position.
 
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Leftwich will NOT be the Bucs starting QB this year. All this means is that Greise is done in Tampa (thank god). I like the signing as the Bucs needed a backup QB. But McCown is the starter, and he's going to surprise some people this year. McCown has all the tools to be a very good QB, now he's finally going to get his chance.

 
Leftwich will NOT be the Bucs starting QB this year. All this means is that Greise is done in Tampa (thank god). I like the signing as the Bucs needed a backup QB. But McCown is the starter, and he's going to surprise some people this year. McCown has all the tools to be a very good QB, now he's finally going to get his chance.
I'll definitely be watching the competition through camp and preseason. Should be interesting.
 
I like Lefty's chances to start as a Bucs QB, a position that has been very fluid for a very long time. Trent Dilfer in the mid and late 90s, then Shaun King, then Brad Johnson for a few years and a SB, then it was Simms, then it was Gradkowski, then it was Griese, then it was Garcia, then it was Griese, then it was...you get the idea here. Lefty will stabalize that position. Some are gung ho about McCown but I would temper the enthusiasm a little.

Good signing for the Bucs, and good opp for Lefty to show again that ha can be a starter in this league, I always thought he got the shaft in Jax.

 
Leftwich will NOT be the Bucs starting QB this year. All this means is that Greise is done in Tampa (thank god). I like the signing as the Bucs needed a backup QB. But McCown is the starter, and he's going to surprise some people this year. McCown has all the tools to be a very good QB, now he's finally going to get his chance.
This is my guess as well. Everything Ive heard down here has been how McCown is the starter, and they have een saying they will bring in another veteran as backup. My guess is it will just be an open competition, but I think the coaches would like McCown to win it.
 
As a dynasty owner, does this solidify Johnson's value as never more than a clipboard holder?
Wasn't he a rookie last year? Give him another couple seasons before you close the book on him. I like him but I think his future down the road will be with another team.
 
I like Lefty's chances to start as a Bucs QB, a position that has been very fluid for a very long time. Trent Dilfer in the mid and late 90s, then Shaun King, then Brad Johnson for a few years and a SB, then it was Simms, then it was Gradkowski, then it was Griese, then it was Garcia, then it was Griese, then it was...you get the idea here. Lefty will stabalize that position. Some are gung ho about McCown but I would temper the enthusiasm a little. Good signing for the Bucs, and good opp for Lefty to show again that ha can be a starter in this league, I always thought he got the shaft in Jax.
I don't think Leftwich would stabilize the position. I don't think he will win a head-to-head competition with McCown. Leftwich was below average as a starting QB, he's a valuable back up though.
 
As a dynasty owner, does this solidify Johnson's value as never more than a clipboard holder?
Wasn't he a rookie last year? Give him another couple seasons before you close the book on him. I like him but I think his future down the road will be with another team.
Agreed, I would think of Leftwich as an upgrade to Griese.
You're probably right...it's too early to give up on him entirely. But, unless the Bucs are in major "win-now" mode, it seems like a good opportunity to give a young guy a good look. You could very well be right with your thought about another team down the road.
 
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Only thing I can think of is that the Bucs dangled the starting role in front of him to get him to sign. They probably didn't tell him straight up that it was his, but that he would compete with Luke McCown and leave it at that. Otherwise, why would he leave the Super Bowl champs just to be a backup somewhere else?

 
Only thing I can think of is that the Bucs dangled the starting role in front of him to get him to sign. They probably didn't tell him straight up that it was his, but that he would compete with Luke McCown and leave it at that. Otherwise, why would he leave the Super Bowl champs just to be a backup somewhere else?
:thumbup:
 
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Of course the Bucs told Leftwich he will be given the chance to start. And the Bucs will say the right things about how its an open competition. But it's McCown's job to lose. The Bucs are high on McCown, and want him to be the starter. Also, McCown signed a 2 year, $7.5 million dollar contract, that could turn into $14 million with incentives. I doubt Leftwich's contact is close to that.

McCown will be the opening day starter, guaranteed.

 
Leftwich wins this job...EASILY.Upgrade all Bucs offensive players. :2cents:
Is this because you're extremely high on Leftwich, way down on McCown, or a bit of both? and can you explain why you feel this way about these players?
A) Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy, and even there I think he's comparable despite the difference in career passing percentage(McCown with a very limited dataset.) There are reasons why NFL scouts graded Leftwich significantly higher than McCown. Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well.B) The Bucs don't bring in Leftwich unless they want him to compete for a starting job...and Leftwich doesn't go to to the Bucs unless he's told he will compete for the job. This doesn't bode well for McCown IMHO.Sigmund, why do you like McCown?
 
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Leftwich wins this job...EASILY.Upgrade all Bucs offensive players. :2cents:
Is this because you're extremely high on Leftwich, way down on McCown, or a bit of both? and can you explain why you feel this way about these players?
A) Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy, and even there I think he's comparable despite the difference in career passing percentage(McCown with a very limited dataset.) There are reasons why NFL scouts graded Leftwich significantly higher than McCown. Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well.B) The Bucs don't bring in Leftwich unless they want him to compete for a starting job...and Leftwich doesn't go to to the Bucs unless he's told he will compete for the job. This doesn't bode well for McCown IMHO.Sigmund, why do you like McCown?
I can't disagree that Leftwich will get a chance to compete for the starting job, but that's not a revelation. Just about any QB that TB signed would have gotten that shot.I am actually pretty high on Leftwich and think he's gotten a raw deal around the league. His limitations are well-known, but I still think he's one of the 32 best QBs in the league. I would handicap him as the favorite in this battle too, I just wouldn't write off McCown so quickly. First - to address your assertions in A 1) " Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy" - McCown has a couple of distinct advantages over Leftwich that have nothing to do with stats - much much better mobility, and a much shorter, less pronounced windup on his throwing motion. These issues might not be as important as they would be if the Bucs hadn't installed a new OC (Jagodizinski) who is going to move to a ZBS running game, more downfield passing, and more two TE sets. Still, when you compare McCown and Leftwich side by side, those jump out as areas where McCown's game is better.2) "Nfl Scouts rated Leftwich higher" - scouts grades at the time these two were draft prospects is irrelevant. Scouts graded Joey Harrington a lot higher than Tom Brady. Who cares? This should have no bearing on the discussion.3) "Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well." - McCown has thrown about 45 more passes in the last two seasons than Leftwich, and both have the same amount of experience in Jago's system - zero. Again, this doesn't seem so compelling to me.Why do I like McCown?He's clearly not afraid to let it all hang out and test a defense. Kind of Sage Rosenfels, he doesn't play afraid, he's more of a gunslinger. He moved the offense and forced the defense to honor the threat of his legs when he started four games for the Bucs late in 07. McCown threw one game winning TD on 3rd and goal with :16 left, and threw a 24 yard TD with less than 2 minutes left to give the Bucs a chance to tie the game on a 2 pt conversion (that he missed) - still the point is, he didn't shy away from the big moments, something that is an important indicator for QB success.Another important thing to consider here is that new regime signed McCown right away, giving him 7.5 mil over 2 years. I dont know the terms of Leftwich's deal, but Im positive that he didnt get 7.5 mil or a 2.5 mil signing bonus like McCown. Organizations show their beliefs through money more than anything else. Those beliefs turn out to be wrong sometimes, but for now I think the $ given to McCown and his track record as a modestly successful QB (1000+ yards, 5-3 TD-INT in 4 starts in 07) means we shouldnt automatically count him out, or say Leftwich will win "easily".
 
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Leftwich wins this job...EASILY.Upgrade all Bucs offensive players. :coffee:
Is this because you're extremely high on Leftwich, way down on McCown, or a bit of both? and can you explain why you feel this way about these players?
A) Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy, and even there I think he's comparable despite the difference in career passing percentage(McCown with a very limited dataset.) There are reasons why NFL scouts graded Leftwich significantly higher than McCown. Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well.B) The Bucs don't bring in Leftwich unless they want him to compete for a starting job...and Leftwich doesn't go to to the Bucs unless he's told he will compete for the job. This doesn't bode well for McCown IMHO.Sigmund, why do you like McCown?
A) I think Leftwich can throw as hard as anyone, but I think McCown (or just about anyone else) has a significant mobility advantage. And if you knock Leftwich for his accuracy, isnt that one of the most important factors of being a QB? And the reasons Leftwich was ranked higher? How about all those scouts that had every other QB in front of Brady? B) The bucs have been saying they wanted to bring in another QB, so it shouldnt be a surprise they signed him. They might have told him he can compete, and Im sure they will. But the money they gave McCown says they want HIM to be the starter.
 
Leftwich wins this job...EASILY.Upgrade all Bucs offensive players. :coffee:
Is this because you're extremely high on Leftwich, way down on McCown, or a bit of both? and can you explain why you feel this way about these players?
A) Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy, and even there I think he's comparable despite the difference in career passing percentage(McCown with a very limited dataset.) There are reasons why NFL scouts graded Leftwich significantly higher than McCown. Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well.
I don't think scouts grades has any bearing anymore, does it?My problem with Leftwich has always been his foot speed and release. The combination of the slowest feet since Kosar and the slowest release--ever. To me that puts way too big a burden on the O-line. I think he's capable of stringing a few good games together, but eventually, his physical limitations catch up with him. Lefty might win this job, but I think McCown is the QB for this team by the end of the year.
 
I have no confidence he will work out, but what is the depth chart as of today?LeftwitchMcCownJohnsonGriese
These guys all look about the same to me. They all probably deserve a spot on an NFL roster as a backup. I don't see an answer to Tampa Bay's problems here. Are any of these guys definitely better than Jeff Garcia?Maybe Lefty is the answer; we'll see, I guess.
 
Leftwich wins this job...EASILY.Upgrade all Bucs offensive players. ;)
Is this because you're extremely high on Leftwich, way down on McCown, or a bit of both? and can you explain why you feel this way about these players?
A) Leftwich is better than McCown in almost every phase of the game with the exception of accuracy, and even there I think he's comparable despite the difference in career passing percentage(McCown with a very limited dataset.) There are reasons why NFL scouts graded Leftwich significantly higher than McCown. Let's not forget Leftwich has a decided experience advantage as well.B) The Bucs don't bring in Leftwich unless they want him to compete for a starting job...and Leftwich doesn't go to to the Bucs unless he's told he will compete for the job. This doesn't bode well for McCown IMHO.Sigmund, why do you like McCown?
Please, list the phases of the game that Leftwich has over McCown. As someone who has seen every snap that McCown has ever taken in the NFL (preseason and regular season), and has seen a lot of Leftwich as well, I'm very curious to see your list.
 
Please, list the phases of the game that Leftwich has over McCown.
--Leftwich roughly matches McCown in completion percentage, and almost exactly matches him in TDs/Attempt and yard/attempt--Leftwich 54 games played vs 12 for McCown--Leftwich turns the ball over roughly 1 in every 12 times he drops back (fumbles + interceptions)/(attempts + sacks) vs about 1 in 8 for McCown - more than one extra turnover for McCown per 30 attempts.--Leftwich is sacked 5.5% of the time he drops back vs. 10.1% for McCown (obviously impossible to separate this from o-line - but dispels the idea that Leftwich is a liability here... Garrard's sack rate is 6.9% for comparison)So I think the question would be why would you take the less experienced, more turnover-prone, more sack-prone McCown when he apparently does nothing better than Leftwich?
 
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Please, list the phases of the game that Leftwich has over McCown.
--Leftwich roughly matches McCown in completion percentage, and almost exactly matches him in TDs/Attempt and yard/attempt--Leftwich 54 games played vs 12 for McCown--Leftwich turns the ball over roughly 1 in every 12 times he drops back (fumbles + interceptions)/(attempts + sacks) vs about 1 in 8 for McCown - more than one extra turnover for McCown per 30 attempts.--Leftwich is sacked 5.5% of the time he drops back vs. 10.1% for McCown (obviously impossible to separate this from o-line - but dispels the idea that Leftwich is a liability here... Garrard's sack rate is 6.9% for comparison)So I think the question would be why would you take the less experienced, more turnover-prone, more sack-prone McCown when he apparently does nothing better than Leftwich?
:confused: :confused:
 
Great. Now do the stats w/o McCown stats from his rookie year for the Browns and I bet you'll see a different picture.

 
Tubby was a joke as a Falcon. Harrington outplayed him (even footballguys.com's weekly game reviews confirmed it). They needed a change as Petrino was sinking the ship fast. Redman was superior to Lefty. Slow wind up, brittle with odd body shape for a prototype qb, he was less accurate than Vick on his worst days. Warming the bench for the Steelers last year hid his problems. Also a lockeroom cancer- so I am glad he is back in the NFC South again- he will make a mess of the qb situation in Tampa and there are still a few Falcons that will know how to pummel him 2 weeks this season

 
I like McCown to surprise in '09 & Leftwich's signing does absolutely nothing to change my mind. McCown is WAY better than his consensus, IMO. As far as FF, I believe he's going to be surprisingly good, as well. I'm not talking top-10, but real solid.

What this signing means to me is they may not take a QB in round 1 like many thought (me included). Then again, Leftwich very well might not have anything to do with it, at all. Or it could mean they're leery of Josh Johnson ever being a difference-maker. Johnson has been a sleeper of mine for awhile, but one thing is for sure...if the Bucs take Freeman in the 1st, or any QB in the first 3 rounds, you can pretty much forget about Johnson.

 
Tubby was a joke as a Falcon. Harrington outplayed him (even footballguys.com's weekly game reviews confirmed it). They needed a change as Petrino was sinking the ship fast. Redman was superior to Lefty. Slow wind up, brittle with odd body shape for a prototype qb, he was less accurate than Vick on his worst days. Warming the bench for the Steelers last year hid his problems. Also a lockeroom cancer- so I am glad he is back in the NFC South again- he will make a mess of the qb situation in Tampa and there are still a few Falcons that will know how to pummel him 2 weeks this season
i think leftwich's ineffective tenure as a falcon says a lot more about petrino than it does anything else. the fact of the matter is, leftwich has been effective pretty much everywhere but atlanta. he's been solid, maybe not exceptional, with the jags and steelers in the past. i'm not sure of his FF impact if he somehow manages to become the starter for the Bucs. i do not have much faith in mccown, quite frankly.
 
Leftwich will be the starter and have success in T.B.

Perfect place for him to land, no other QB on the roster is as good as Lefty :thumbdown:

 
Only thing I can think of is that the Bucs dangled the starting role in front of him to get him to sign. They probably didn't tell him straight up that it was his, but that he would compete with Luke McCown and leave it at that. Otherwise, why would he leave the Super Bowl champs just to be a backup somewhere else?
More money?And, even if told he would backup McCown, which situation provides him a better opportunity to play... backing up McCown or backing up Roethlisberger?

 
Please, list the phases of the game that Leftwich has over McCown.
So I think the question would be why would you take the less experienced, more turnover-prone, more sack-prone McCown when he apparently does nothing better than Leftwich?
McCown is more accurate, more mobile, and I'd even argue that his arm strength is just as good as Leftwich's. McCown is a hard worker, and a leader. Any time I listen to McCown talk, I come away impressed. Definately has the right attitude. More turnover prone? I don't think so. Let's take a look at McCown's 3 INT's from his rookie year:2007 @ New Orleans: 3rd down, the Saints show blitz, so McCown audibles. Galloway runs the wrong route, which causes the pass to be picked off.2007 @ San Fran: Ball bounces off Alex Smith's hand's and goes up in the air. Obviously not the QB's fault.2007 vs Carolina: Bucs are down by 8 late in the game. McCown tries to make too much happen and makes a poor throw that gets picked off. So of his 3 INTs, only one was a bad throw. Not that 3 INTs in 139 attemps is a lot anyway.And as far as his sacks go, yeah, I'd say the one knock on him is that he sometimes holds onto the ball too long. But I'd rather have a sack than an INT.With Leftwich, you have a solid backup. You already know what you get with him, and it isn't great. All McCown needs is experience. He has all the tools to be a very good QB.
 
I also want to add that many people within the Bucs organization are very high on McCown, and were pissed off when Gruden started Griese over McCown in Atlanta this year. That is believed to be one of the factors that led to Gruden being fired. Tampa loves McCown's potential, and wants to see what they have in him. McCown will 100% be the opening day starter unless he gets hurt. I also believe McCown won't be given a short leash, and even if he struggles early in the season, there will be no QB controversy, and the Bucs will give him plenty of time to gain experience and show what he can do.

 
So now we can follow the money.....

Leftwich:

2-years, $7.5M deal.

McCown:

2-years, $7.5M deal.

For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?

Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.

McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.

So McCown gets $5M of $$$$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.

Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.

 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$$$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
Chris Simms makes 3.46 in 09, Orton makes 1.09.
 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$$$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
:lmao: A voice of reason...money talks.
 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
:lmao: A voice of reason...money talks.
Forgot to add that McCown also has $6.5M in incentive bonuses to possibly earn as well. Not sure of the criteria but I'd guess that he gets some of that if he's the starter all year.
 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
Chris Simms makes 3.46 in 09, Orton makes 1.09.
Completely different situation. Orton was signed by Chicago before the trade and that's the old deal he's playing under for this year. You can't use Simms as a basis of comparison.That's like comparing Cutler's contract ($1.035M for 09) isn't a starter's contract, and when the Bears finally add a QB2 for $1.5-2M a year then he's going to become the starter.
 
Lots of Lefty hate in here and folks that seem way too sure of a pretty unknown commodity in Luke McCown...which by the way if you rank all 32 starting QBs in the NFL where would you really put Luke McCown? Not trying to be a ##### but this guy is not the top of the totem pole in the NFL.

Have we all forgotten Lefty throwing for 500 yds and 5 TDs while being carried down the field with a busted foot/leg, this guy is tough IMO. He was tough in Jax and took some pretty big hits and kept coming.

Here are some basic facts, please correct me as you see fit...Lefty is only 28 years old. In 2007 he was in the Jags camp all summer and then at some point in preseason I believe they simply cut him. He had no camp with his new team and scrambled to play on a disfunctional Atlanta team that went 3-13 and had their HC just up and quit in his 1st season...that was a complete debacle and its possible even Peyton Manning might have been average on that team.

Lefty has 54 TDs vs 38 Int, a career rating of 80.3, 24-22 as a starter, 58.6% completion rate...he is better than what the Bucs have right now IMHO.

What was Luke doing in 2005 and 2006? Leftwich was starting for Jax during those years, but Luke doesn't even appear like he was on a team.

 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$$$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
Chris Simms makes 3.46 in 09, Orton makes 1.09.
And Cutler is making like $500,000 this year, right?
 
So now we can follow the money.....Leftwich:2-years, $7.5M deal.McCown:2-years, $7.5M deal.For the untrained eye, this looks equal. Ahhh - let's dig deeper, shall we?Leftwich signed the deal with NO signing bonus and is getting $2M in 2009. He gets a $3.5M roster bonus in 2010 and another $2M in 2010 - so basically that means he gets $5.5M if he winds up being worth keeping come next spring.McCown got a $2.5M signing bonus and $2.5M for 2009, followed on by $2.5M in 2010.So McCown gets $5M of $$$$ in 2009 and has a $1.25 cap charge in 2010 whereas Lefty is a $2M commitment for this year only.Just another sign that he's #2 on the depth chart.
I'm not sure it's that simple. If McCown were negotiating with the Bucs now, after Leftwich signed, would he get the same structure? If you can defer most of the money to the second year, why wouldn't you? The Steelers basically offered him min wage so the Bucs offered something better. I think Leftwich signed because he thinks he'll have a (real) chance to compete for the starting job. The playbook is much simpler now, so I think both will be ready to step up during camp/preseason/regular season depending on how the other one does. I'd give McCown the edge but wouldn't even say it's his job to lose. I think it will be pretty open. Actually, I don't see great things for the Bucs this year so I expect to see both.
 

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