Bennett's sold on potential Allen trade

Figured Michael Bennett would have a unique perspective on the possibility the Bucs might trade for his former teammate.

That hunch was on the money. Bennett said he was ecstatic after hearing the news the Bucs were involved in talks to acquire the Kansas City defensive end, and he had some strong comments that give some perspective on what Allen's addition might mean for Tampa Bay.

"When I heard about it, my immediate reaction was just, 'Wow,'" Bennett said.

As it turns out, Bennett and Allen were good friends in K.C. They were locker room neighbors, in fact, so Bennett's a little biased here. But, with that said, consider the following.

"He's got such a motor," Bennett said. "He reminds me of (defensive tackle) Chris Hovan the way he feeds off the crowd. . . If we get him, it would be a tremendous addition. We could do serious damage. He's going to require a double team because he was just beating the snot out of people last year."

Regarding Allen's run-ins with the law in his pair of DUI arrests, Bennett seemed convinced Allen has grown from his mistakes.

"He's gotten over that," Bennett said. "Everybody makes mistakes. We've all been there. I think he's matured."

Putting it all in perspective, Bennett said, "There's nobody in the draft you can get who is better than him. He's a pro's pro."

Comments

[JS]

he may be, but im not. Why on earth would we give 2 first round picks for a allen? He's a great DE but 2 first round picks is just unfair.

[Dr. Bill Billington]

I am confused... I have heard we offered a First (2008), Fifth (2008), and Haye. I have also heard we have offered two firsts (2008/2009) and a bunch of other picks. I would make a deal for our First (2008), Fifth (2008), and Haye in a second. Jovan Haye and Jared Allen are both 25 years old (last time I checked) and Jared will solidify our position at defensive end, but what would happen at Defensive tackle?

Also does anyone know how much he will be worth? or how much he will ask for?

[Ty Guy]

He would be a pretty good pickup. I don't quite know if we should give our 1st round pick to K.C. because I personally see a young shutdown CB as being a much greater need right now. We can pick up a quality WR in the 1st or 2nd round so WR isn't as much of a factor with this trade unless of course we're stupid and give up both 1st day picks for Allen. I'd like to see Allen become a Buc and still be able to land Mike Jenkins on draft day but at worst I could see Allen as a Buc and coming away with Early Doucet or Andre Caldwell.

[shane]

a corner is only as good as the pressure his defensive line creates also remember Kevin carter can play both DT and DE and he is very big and strong so he could fill a run stopper role for the Bucs in the heart of that D-line imagine that Adams/White, Carter/Haye, Hovan/Haye, and Allen/White. I think that would make a very good D-line right there especially on third down and an obvious passing down

[Jesse]

Man, I don't know. It is my opinion that too many times players are products of the system, what if Allen is one of those? I do not like the idea of 2 first round picks for Allen. Why would Long or Gholston be a worse player, even though they will certainly be gone before Tampa's #20 (and maybe that would be a good reason to trade for him)? I do think we need a corner though... by the way has anybody heard what is going to happen to Shepperd? I know the Eagles want a lot for him too, but that might solve our current CB problems and let us focus on something else in the draft.

But getting back to KC's Allen, its too big of a risk. When Tampa gave up their picks for Gruden (even though I like Gruden a lot and he took Tampa to the Super Bowl... and WON!!!!) I was kind of scared when those drafts came and I don't recall good drafts (although I might be mistaken - this is not uncommon).

[Nate Dogg]

oh man, he'd be an amazing pick up. Everyone on our D, would instantly be that much better; much like Chad Johnson would do the same to our offense.

What would you guys do?

Trade this year's first and next year's 3rd round pick for:

Chad Johnson? or Jared Allen?

[Tom]

Good question Nate Dogg. I thought the same question? That's a tough one. My instinct would be to go with Allen because you're guaranteed he's not a Meshawn type of guy. Johnson is pretty vocal and I'm not sure that it would be healthy to have that with this team and JON GRUDEN. Too much ego in one room.

[epbuc16]

the buc would still be able to pic up a very good corner in the 2nd and wr in the 3rd and still get jared allen, i mean u can't have ur cake and eat it too, as much as i would like to have jenkins there will still be plenty of good cbs in the later rounds. Plus tampa plays cover two where the d-line is a bigger factor that corners, cb feed off of the pressure...From what I'm reading and hearing tb would give up a 1st and 5th nxt yr with haye, while the vikes would give up a 1st and 3rd in 09. Lets not forget allen has to make it out of minnasota(who are the front runners here)

[cory]

Cover 2 corners are a dime a dozen. It is nowhere near the pressing need everyone makes it out to be. Buchanon has matured a lot over the last 2 years and was obviously better than kelly or he wouldn't have been playing when kelly was healthy. Eugene Wilson is going to be a very good nickel back or challenge buchanon for #2. Also don't forget we have piscetteli back now, so in a bind Tanard Jackson can move to corner. The more I think about it, the more I see the bucs trading their 1st round pick. There is no value for our position of needs(reciever, dt, and cb) at 20 and we can get a productive reciever in the 2nd or 3rd and a system corner in 3rd or 4th. I personally would rather have chad johnson because it is a MUCH more pressing need, but I wouldn't hate this trade as long as it doesn't involve Haye.

[Ray]

I would not give up two first round picks for him. But, one first rounder and a later round pick is OK with me. For those of you who say we should not give a first round pick period, ask yourself this question, since Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks how many 1st rounders have we had who were good or panned out? The answer is "0". So, giving up a 1st rounder for a proven player is not a bad deal.

[Stephen Holder]

I think there's a little confusion here. No one is suggesting anyone is going to give two first round picks for Allen. That's the required compensation if a team signed a franchise player as a free agent. We're talking about a trade in this scenario here. Totally different.

[bucs fan 4life]

I wouldn't make the trade. Big money FA have killed us in the past we need to keep building through the draft and picking up mid level FA to supliment our depth chart. I like the idea of Allen coming here, but given the fact that Haye and White were basicly first year players that will improve I don't see the need for the move.I also like the idea of having Johnson here, but again I think the cost would be too great. We should stand tight with what we have and again build through the draft.

[JR]

are you kidding me getting jared allen for a first and a fifth rounder would be incredible. First of all, i dont care how many tom brady and marques colston stories you guys want to cite, but those late round picks are usually pretty much worthless. dont believe me just look at the late round picks the bucs have taken none of them make any significant contributions (tanard jackson doesnt count he was taken in the fourth round i am counting fifth and beyond). First round picks arent sure fire things anyway and the bucs are picking at an iffy position where they might reach on certain players, so they will probably go for best player available. I would much rather get jared allen then in this case. Remember those top corners will probably be taken by the time the bucs pick, specifically jenkins who the bucs really like. they probably wont want to take a WR at #20 because none of the WR's are sure things so they will leave that pick for 2nd or 3rd round. Imagine this
1st Round: Traded for Jared Allen
2nd Round: WR or CB
3rd Round: WR or CB
4th Round: Best available player
5th Round: Traded for Jared Allen
we would get a jaren allen, young playmaker receiver and a solid system corner who would be able to play dime immediately and nickel when ronde retires and address solid starters next year.

[Jesse]

There is a little confusion here. Citing an article on NFL.com, they say that the Chiefs "would receive two first-round draft picks if he were signed by another team." Here is the website:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d807d1f6e&template=with-video&confirm=true

Likewise, EPSN says that the "current price tag for a team wanting to sign him is two No. 1 picks." Here is the website:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3351406

Where is this info coming from that states Tampa would have to give up a 1st and 5th as well as another player? Just want to know...

[epbuc16]

Jesse the info is on espn.com. The article says that the chiefs would want two 1st round picks but that is not likely to happen, too much, then i states that tampa has offered a 1st and 5th but in the 2009 draft...

[DR]

A 1st and 5th won't cut it. It will have to be higher than that. Supposedly, the Vikings are offering better than a 1st and 5th.
My thing is, you guys talk trash about over paying players, but with what i'm hearing about Allen, he may be the highest paid Buc ever if he signs here. He's a great DE right now, but will he dominate like Rice did? The Bucs definitely need to strengthen their pass rush, but at what cost? A 1st and 3rd is probably the worst the Chiefs will go, or a 1st and multiple 5th's. Herm Edwards wants picks.

[Skylar]

He dominated last year and he is well worth two firsts because that's what it would take to move up to the top ten in the draft anyway.

[Kurt]

DR, we don't talk trash about paying players, we're just happy that we haven't overpaid anyone yet. This guy is worth paying and it seems that most people here are willing to pay this guy. BTW - Albeit Rice was a great pass rusher, he never dominated the line of scrimmage and was not very good at run stopping. Allen does both and posted 16.5 sacks last year. Obviously, we should try to give as little compensation as possible, but at the same time be prepared to give away up to 2 1st rounders for this guy.

[mm]

A good point was made on PFT.com aboutthe money that Allen is seeking. They said that he is probably looking at $30 million guaranteed. The problem lies with his checkered past and if he were to continue to find trouble the team that acquires him would be held responsible for all of that money. I think that i sthe sticking point in these negotiations.

[Tom]

Kurt, I'm not sure there are too many players I would give 2 1st rounders for. LT, Brady, Mannning, etc. but not many others are worth that type of price I believe. That is a heavy price to pay for one player.

Allen would be tremendous here. 1st and 3rd would be a decent trade. Maybe 1st and next year's 2nd. I'm hoping we can get this deal done. It would solidify our D-Line for years.

[Stephen Holder]

Again, this is not going to cost two first round picks. If anyone was willing to give KC two firsts for Allen, they could have him outright without all the drama by signing him as a franchise free agent. That comes with compensation of two first round picks (KC would have the right to match any offer but they would obviously decline). The whole reason for trying to execute a trade is to get Allen for less. I hope this finally clears things up on that point.

[Voc]

What are they doing? This teams WR core is a joke. If Gallaway is covered; then where do we throw the ball.... This trade is a mistake....

[Mike]

Here's my suggestion for that trade then...they'd want Simms--considering their QB situation. Simms might be starting for them this year. Give them Simms and that 1st rounder, then the Chiefs aren't gonna draft another young QB like Matt Ryan. They could have that 1st round pick this year & Simms and we'd have Allen; granted Allen doesn't take too much $ from our budget...

[Nate]

This is a deal that ought to be made. I totally agree with Cory regarding shutdown corners being more fantasy than reality in our defensive scheme. Consider guys we've had there--Barber, Kelly, Abraham. Barber and Abraham were 3rd-rounders. The worst of the bunch was Kelly, the second rounder. And we've already got a first-rounder out there our coaches probably WOULD HAVE selected if we had a pick to do it with--Phillip Buchanon. I read an article recently about some prototypical Cover-2 corners from no-name schools who would be available in the later rounds; get those guys.

Did a little digging and came up with some interesting information. Which rounds have been the most beneficial to us over the last 15 years? See for yourself:

Bucs that Stuck (somewhere)--

Round 1
Warren Sapp
Derrick Brooks
Warrick Dunn
Davin Joseph
Gaines Adams

Round 2
Mike Alstott
Jerry Wunsch
Brian Kelly
Shaun King
Dwayane White
Jeremy Trueblood
Barret Ruud
Aaron Sears
Sabby Piscatelli

Round 3
John Lynch
Donnie Abraham
Ronde Barber
Jamie Duncan
Martin Gramatica
Nate Webster
Dwight Smith
Maurice Stovall
Chris Simms

Round 4
Al Singleton
Dexter Jackson
Tanard Jackson

Round 5
Russ Hochstein
Jermaine Phillips
Sean Mahan

Round 6
Chidi Ahanotu
Al Harris
Ellis Wyms
Jameel Cook
Torrie Cox

Round 7
Mark Jones
Paris Warren

Not all of these guys are Pro-Bowlers or necessarily even did well with us (i.e. Al Harris and Russ Hochstein), but they are/were intregal parts to very good teams. What are the Bucs' money rounds? 2, 3, and 6. While the Bucs' first round success stories seem to be great ones, you see that all five of them came over the course of four seasons (out of 15!). For every Warren Sapp, there's a Kenyatta Walker. For every Derrick Brooks, there's an Eric Curry or a Reidel Anthony or a Reagan Upshaw or Booger McFarland or Marcus Jones or (shut your mouth!) Cadillac Williams or Michael Clayton. Our success has been in building superstars out of mid-round draft picks. Maybe we do better with less time to think about it?

So what's the value in a mid-to-late first rounder? We've had 14 first round selections in the last 15 years and have hit the jackpot on 5 of them. Three of the five were picked overall #23 or higher (Gaines, Dunn, and Sapp). All eight "busts" were overall picks #22 or higher.

How have we done in the first half of the round (picks #1-16)? Three out of ten. Last half? One out of four. If we pick this year, we'll at best be two-of-five...but maybe one-of-five.

What about since Gruden and/or Bruce Allen have been calling the shots? We're two out of four with our first-rounders. But that data is a little skewed. Who's to stay that Clayton and Cadillac won't rebound, or that Gaines won't go Clayton on us and be terrible for the next three years? There's just too much variability for the last few picks.

So that means our track record is to hit on about 25% of our choices. And I'd say it's about even money that Jared Allen posts another 10+ sacks with us over the next four years.

So if it's a first and a fifth, I say do it. Even if it's a first and fourth. But keep your hands off our second and third round picks. That's where we build our dynasty.

[Stephen_Holder]

Here's my thinking, Mike, on your suggestion about TB offering simms: Don't you think they already tried that? I find it hard to believe that Simms wasn't the first thing the Bucs offered. They would love to get something in return for him, but everything that I've heard indicates that he has zero trade value right now. I know it sounds good in theory, but he hasn't played in almost TWO YEARS!

[Kurt]

Stephen, that would be icing on the cake though.

[Stephen_Holder]

Perhaps, but that better be some really good cake :)

[Mike]

I hear that :) ...I do agree we should get Allen for a 1st & 5th rounder then

[George L Hicks]

Well I like my two cents in this trade matter and what tampa should do. I have been following my belove Tampa Bay all my life. I been laugh at, Put Big signs all over the hallway when I was station in Europe,Etc. All teams make mistakes, and great moves. I think that if Tampa could get a very destructed front four, and the rest of the defense feeds on it. I feel this is John Gruden team now. Why not trade with players and maybe a 3 rd this year, giving up a 2nd round next year and giving up a number 1 in year 3. Go ahead. But here is what I think Tampa should do. Give Kc QB Simms, WR Clayton and DL White plus a 3rd round this year. Then the We can give 3 of our players a chance to go to KC to do good. This year Rd-1 Tampa should select WR- Devin Thomas-Mich st. In Rd-2. Selects CB Justin King-Penn State and Rd-4 OT Mike Gibson-California and with last pick select WR- LaVelle Hawkins-California. This is what I would do. GO BUCS