You can ask 50 people where are the Bucs biggest holes and you’ll get about 50 different answers; mostly linebacker, cornerback, safety for starters. And you wouldnt be wrong if you guessed those plus a few others. But dont listen to the talk that the Bucs are fully devoid of talent, that is simply not true. The players on this team QUIT on Raheem Morris and/or his coaching staff, but the talent is there.
Tampa Bay beat New Orleans and Atlanta at home, and was 4-2 and 10-6 last season. Something happened along the way, and you need no further proof than the fact the Bucs beat Atlanta at home, then let the Falcons outscore them 42-0 in the first 25 minutes!!!
THe Bucs need talent, but not at every position, they just need some at key areas, and they need the right type. Veterans at some spots are required so the team can ‘grow up’.
But there is one area of the team that is totally devoid of talent and needs a big player- and that’s running back. The Bucs only have one, LeGarrette Blount, and he can only do one thing….run. He cant catch, cant block. Thats not much for a whole team. Earnest Graham is old, and often injured. Kregg Lumpkin is, well , Kregg Lumpkin.
The Bucs have the #5 pick, and there is a guarantee the Bucs will have one of the following fall into their lap:
Potential shut down corner from LSU
Potential star WR from Oklahoma State
Potential star Running Back from Alabama
The Bucs should draft Trent Richardson from Alabama, he would take off as a Back here in Tampa. Richardson can Catch, and run, and he is dynamic at both. He could be the running back that the Bucs have always wanted. Imagine a star back like him, then you give him a rest while LeGarrette Blount gives him a rest and softens up the defense by pounding the line.
Draft Guru Mel Kiper and ESPN writer Pat Yasinskas agrees… “If anything, the 2011 season showed that Blount probably never will be an every-down back. He simply isn’t a pass-catcher and never could pick up the pass protections well enough for the previous coaching staff to leave him on the field as a pass-blocker. I’m not sure the Bucs are going to be willing to lock up Blount with any sort of long-term deal. Blount still could have a role because he is a good power runner. But drafting Richardson makes plenty of sense because he’s an all-around running back. Also, drafting an offensive skill-position player usually generates a lot of excitement. I’m not saying the Bucs would simply draft a player to generate excitement, but this is a franchise that could use anything that might generate a little positive interest.”
We will get a clue when Free Agency starts up in March, and which direction the Bucs new coaching staff goes.
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