GAME DAY 2010- What will this season bring?

Download the Game Day PDF Program by clicking this link! It’s all going to be answered in a few hours! To me this is one of the most exciting times of the year; opening day in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no longer 3-13, they are 0-0. And while the Cleveland Browns have undoubtedly circled us as a win just as we have them, the fact is one of our teams fans will be correct around 4pm today. But before then, a lot will be told today about the season that is before us. How many times does the first game of the year set the tone for the rest of the season? Pretty darn often to be honest. Cases in point: 2006- The Baltimore Ravens get the ball first, and keep the ball for 8 minutes as they drive for a Touchdown. In game 16 of that season, the Seattle Seahawks kept the ball, and Mike Alstott on the sideline, for the LAST 8 minutes of the game. In between, the Bucs season was a complete disaster. 2005- Tampa Bay traveled to Minnesota to take on a Dante Culpepper that was going to show the world what he was made of without Randy Moss. He was made of ….not much. No one has heard from him since. Cadillac meanwhile ran a long TD at the end of the game for his first 100 yard game. It was a breakout season for the rookie of the year Cadillac Williams, and the Bucs made it back to the playoffs. 1981- The Bucs were ahead at the end of the game but Minnesota was driving for a FG which was all they needed to win the game. They got greedy, and Neil Colzie picked off Tommy Kramer and returned it for a TD to preserve the win. The Bucs played close games all year toward a 9-7 NFC Central division championship, their last one. 1983- The first game without Doug Williams, the Bucs offense gets the ball and moves right downfield to the Lions 40, but the drive stalls. They didnt move the ball again for a few weeks, losing to the Lions 11-0. The Bucs had no offense as they finished 2-14. So does it always dictate what kind of year the Bucs will have? No…not really. 1989- Tampa Bay came out in Green Bay and took it too an improved Packer team and won. They barely lost to the World Champion 49ers the next week. Unfortunately, they only won 5 games all year. 2003- The Bucs come out and beat up on the Philadelphia Eagles and shut them out 17-0. They finished 7-9 after two close heartbreaking losses in week 2 and 4 that year. 1987- The Bucs set a record scoring 48 points against the Atlanta Falcons, as QB Steve Deberg threw for 5 TDs on the day. The Bucs only won 5 games that year. 2009- Just last year, the Bucs played very competitive against the Cowboys, yet finished with only 3 wins, and two of those came in the last three weeks. So no matter if the Bucs win 28-10, or lose 17-16, its all happened before, and it will mean nothing, but what is important is how the Bucs play. TALE TALE SIGNS ON WHAT KIND OF YEAR WE WILL HAVE: Special Teams: Does Connor Barth nail his FG attempts today? Or does he look good in Preseason but shank his kicks on opening day? And what about Kick Coverage teams? A few returners put some nice dents in the coverage units. A good showing by Kick and Punt coverage units as well as a few good returns will be a nice sign. Offense: How does Freemans hand look? Irrelevant, were talking about a whole season here. And while his thumb may make or break this game or a few more, how Freeman throws the ball downfield (accurate or not) is more important to look at. Do new receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn get seperation against the NFLs starting defenders? Does Cadillac Williams hard running get him more than just 3.5 yards a clip? Are there some holes for the running game? Defense: Does the running yards against statistic continue to be a thorn in the Bucs side? Look for the biggest test for this to come during week 2 when the Bucs play at Carolina. No matter if you will be there at the game like I will, or listen to it on the radio, Cheer for the Bucs, be positive, and remember, this is your team, and these players are going to be around here for a long time, so start learning to root for them! GO BUCS!