Ladies and Gentlemen Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

Despite an even 3-3 record in the NFC South last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the season with a 10-6 record and solidified the perception that the NFC South is the strongest division in the NFL playing host to 3 teams with 10 or more victories (we’ll pretend the Panthers don’t exist since for all intensive purposes they don’t). The Bucs were only a last second touchdown reception by Megatron himself from holding the Green Bay out of the playoffs and moving themselves in (the Pack did win the Super Bowl last year for those of you who forgot).

Offense:

Now there are plenty of teams that have had those talented seasons where they missed it by a hair and we all dream of what they could have done on the big stage, but few teams show such raw talent with such young players. Josh Freeman, who was in his second year, threw for nearly 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns while only giving away 6 interceptions. His total season QB rating was an astounding 95.9. He didn’t get it done tossing to a cast of veteran wide outs or dumping down to a proven back. His number one target last year was rookie wide receiver Mike Williams. His counterpart and fellow rookie, Arrelious Benn, tore his ACL early on in the season and should be returning to the cast this year fully heeled (pun intended). Kellen Winslow, who is entering his 8^th year, is tied for the most experienced guy at a skill position with fullback Earnest Graham.  Winslow was a great target for Freeman this year and wound up snagging six touchdowns. A surprising break out, LeGarrette Blount, better known for smashing faces in Oregon has changed his style to smashing holes and breaking off big runs.  Rushing for over 1,000 yards and 6 touchdowns over 13 games in his second year in the league, Blount proved that he could handle the bulk of the carries as an every-down back. 

The backbone of every offense, the O-Line is also one of the youngest in the league. Donald Penn, Davin Joseph, and Jeremy Trueblood entered the league together in 2006. Bucs’ center, Jeff Faine, is the oldest guy on the line entering his 9^th year. Ted Larsen, the Bucs’s newest acquisition at left tackle, was selected by the Patriots in 2010. Now, like every offensive line, none of these guys ever really have or ever really will start making headlines. But from watching these guys play together (especially Davin alongside Trueblood) their cohesiveness is outstanding. And with their legs being so young I can only imagine they will improve.

Defense: 

The defensive line sets the pace for the defense. Great penetration can result in stuffed runs and inerrant passes by the QB. Roy Miller is the number two DT who was drafted in the 2009 draft. He was joined by Gerald McCoy who took over the #1 DT spot and recorded 3 sacks and 9 stuffs in his rookie year. Now the defensive line saw two major acquisitions in 1^st round pick Adrian Clayborn from Iowa, where he recorded 11 sacks in his final season, and Da’Quan Bowers from Clemson, where he recorded 15.5 sacks in his final season. These two rookies could wreak havoc from the DE positions, a much needed add for the Bucs following the bust selection of the late Gaines Adams a few years ago. 

At linebacker, arguably the weakest spot on the entire Buccaneers squad, Tyrone McKenzie (2^nd year), Quincy Black (5^th year), and Geno Hayes (4^th year) will be vital to Tampa’s success. They have the raw ability to become big time linebackers but their lack of experience is working against them. The loss of Barrett Rudd to the Tennessee Titans actually seems to benefit Tampa’s squad as he seemed to lose his ability to make tackles last year. 

In the secondary, Aqib Talib is a very talented corner who has the ability to shut down receivers and make plays on the ball (6 INTs in 2010 and 5 in 2009). Ronde Barber is arguably the smartest corner in the game but has lost a step or two entering his 15^th season. I hoped to see the Bucs make a trade in the draft to grab, now Giants’ corner, Prince Amukamara as Ronde’s predecessor. But, with that being a thing of the past, Ronde is a guy who can make up for his lesser athleticism with his uncanny ability to read the play before the snap. At safety, Sean Jones will return to Tampa to play SS and the young Cody Grimm will be at the FS position. These two are not dominant at their position but are great role players in a solid and extremely young Tampa Defense. And let's not forget the rookie out of Florida, Ahmad Black, who has been making serious waves in camp this off season. The kid has serious speed and the ability to lay wood on those who try to bring the rock his way. He's not currently listed as a starter on the depth chart but I expect him to be seeing a lot of the field after a few weeks.

In Review:

Arguably the strongest young team in the NFL behind reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are poised to become one of the strongest teams in the league over the next few years. Josh Freeman has shown an uncanny ability to read defenses and make strong and accurate throws quickly. He is young but capable of leading a team through the season and eventually into the playoffs. The defense is very young and they will make their mistakes but with another few years under their belt they will be ready to shut down the opposition. 

-X