Captain of the Ship

As those of you who have followed me for a while have come to now, I am a die-hard Buccaneers fan. That has come with its fair share of agonizing seasons and this past season was no exception. With Raheem Morris (below) rounding out the trifecta of fired Florida coaches, the time has come to select a new head coach for the Bay Area.

As the hunt continues, it appears the only record the Bucs’ organization is going to break this season is most coaches interviewed. That’s not exactly what the fans (or the players) want to see but it is nice to see that they are taking this seriously.

I have a few candidates in mind and, while teaming some of these guys up sounds nearly impossible, I think they would be just the kick in the ass the Bucs need to turn it around and become serious contenders. The pieces are all there for the Bucs. When you look at individual positions, it is hard to find a weakness on this team. The problem for the Bucs is that they don’t really seem to comprehend the whole ‘team’ idea of football.

So let’s take a look at a few scenarios I think would complement the Bucs perfectly.

1. Head Coach – Mike Zimmer (left)

     Offensive Coordinator – Tom Clements

            So, Zimmer is currently the Defensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and there is no doubt about his ability. He’s a great defensive guy who I think would work well with the players (he’s had his hands full of troubled players with the Bungles). But that defensive mindset would leave a glaring hole in our offense, which is why Tom Clements would be the man for the job. Clements is currently the QB coach for Green Bay (yes, he coached Brett Farve and Aaron Rogers). The key to the Bucs offensive struggles was the more than lack-luster performance by Josh Freeman this year. I think bringing in Clements as the OC allows us to be a defensive minded team (which is a good idea with our team being so young) while allowing Clements to focus in on problems with Freeman which infected our offense this year.

2. Head Coach – Mike Zimmer

     Offensive Coordinator – Rob Chudzinski

            Zimmer is picked again here for the reason given above but now I’ve swapped out Clements for Chudzinski. Now this situation is fairly unlikely but man would it be perfect. Chudzinski is currently the OC for the Carolina Panthers so odds are he isn’t going to jump ship for another OC position (especially on a team like the Bucs). But after watching him implement a system that aided in Cam Newton having one of the best statistical rookie seasons for any QB, I can’t help but wonder what he could do with Freeman and the rest of this young Buc offense.

3. Head Coach – Joe Philbin

    Defensive Coordinator – Mike Zimmer

            Philbin is the OC for the Green Bay Packers so he obviously knows how to run an offense which seems to be where the Bucs want to go with their next head coach. Again, this pairing seems like a long shot because Zimmer might not want to jump ship on the Bengals just to take another coordinator position. That being said, I think Philbin could be a great coach for this young offense. Green Bay is also a very young squad and that didn’t seem to slow Philbin down at all. Obviously I’m a big fan of Zimmer, as he has been in all 3 of these scenarios, but I think it is going to be very important for Tampa to emphasize defense if they want to be successful moving forward (just ask Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson).

4. Head Coach – Mike Sherman (right)

    Coordinator – TBD

            Another guy associated with Green Bay has his hat in the ring for this one. Sherman was a head coach for Green Bay a couple years back before going to coach for Texas A&M. He wasn’t exactly stellar at A&M but he’s got a pretty good track record otherwise. He also has ties to the Bucs front office, which is apparently why he is considered the front-runner by most. I’m not terribly excited about the idea of hiring Sherman but they must see something in him that I just can’t yet.

Note: Clements and Chudzinski are both considered prospects for the head-coaching job for the Bucs but I don’t see much of a change in the styles of those guys and Morris. Yes, I think they are actually better coaches and more equipped to handle the team but they seem to thrive as being the friend & coach as opposed to the disciplinarian the Bucs seem to need. 

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. 

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