Bucs fans, bear with me. I’m about to go on a rant. If you picked up a copy of the St. Pete Times this morning, you’ll understand my frustration.

According to Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, general manager Mark Dominik says the team won’t be looking to add any free agents in the 2010 offseason, instead preferring to invest in the upcoming draft, in which the team has 10 picks.

Yes, you heard me. In an uncapped year, the Buccaneers’ front office has made no plans to acquire veteran free agents.

There’s two ways to look at this: Either the front office collectively has a gambling problem, or they’re frugal spenders who stock their employee bathroom with generic toilet paper and refuse to venture beyond the Wendy’s Dollar Menu.

They’re gamblers if they think they will get 10 draft picks that they can build a franchise around.

The Bucs’ front office has a knack for drafting underachieving, over-hyped college players like Michael Clayton, Kenyatta Walker (I believe he acquired over 5,000 penalty yards alone in his tenure in Tampa), Gaines Adams (I know, it hurts to say that, but Adams did not live up to his potential), Dewayne White (Who?), Chris Simms, Marquise Walker (Que?), and most recently, wide receiver Dexter Jackson (the second-rounder has since made a nice home for himself on Carolina’s practice squad).

This catch aside, Michael Clayton has been just one of several draft disappointments for the Bucs in recent years, yet GM Mark Dominik has said Tampa won't dip into the free agent pool, even in an uncapped year.

Granted, those selections were made under former GMs Bruce Allen and prior to that, Rich McKay, but if you ask me, this team has flubbed up too many times on Draft Day to put all their eggs in one basket. That’s a ludicrous, basket-case mentality!

Meanwhile, if you look at the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints, you’ll see that their aggressive mentality in free agency over the years worked in their favor.

Free safety Darren Sharper, tight end Jeremy Shockey, running back Pierre Thomas (undrafted free agent), cornerback Jabari Greer, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, and of course, quarterback Drew Brees were acquired in free agency. And you know what? Those guys are leaders.

And then you look at a team like the Vikings. Percy Harvin wouldn’t have won Offensive Rookie of the Year without the “Favre factor,” nor would the Vikings have made it to the NFC Championship game.

When the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2002, the roster was stacked with free agents – quarterback Brad Johnson, wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson, Joe Jurevicius, and Keenan McCardell, running back Michael Pittman, tight end Ken Dilger, defensive end Simeon Rice, linebacker Shelton Quarles ... and the list goes on.

Yes acquiring them cost a lot of money and put the team in salary-cap hell for years to come, but I think all would agree that giving the Lombardi Trophy a home in Tampa was worth it.

For a team that suffered a real identity crisis this season, the Bucs desperately need leadership. You don’t get that kind of leadership from a couple of 21-year olds who have no NFL experience or life experience.

Sure, sometimes you get lucky in the draft. I thought Tanard Jackson and Sammie Stroughter were steals. But the last thing the Bucs need to do is take a gamble on unproven, young talent. I’ll take a battered veteran over that any day.

-- JENNA LAINE
Follow her on Twitter @bucsblogblitz