It is finally here; the 2011 NFL season has arrived, and despite the heavy hearts in Tampa Bay for the passing of our Buccaneer hero Lee Roy Selmon, the mood is energetic. Raheem Morris coined the word ‘youngry’ to describe his ‘young’ and ‘hungry’ group of Buccaneers. So lets take a close look at these Bucs and see what the future holds for this team this season.
OFFENSE
Quarterback- Josh Freeman is the unquestioned leader of this team. There is not so much as a whisper of a doubt who the QB is for the Bucs,
and unless Freeman is injured, QB is not something the Bucs will worry about this season, or the next ten at least. It may be 2025 before the Bucs are looking for a new signal caller. But what kind of year will Josh have? No one expected him to progress so far last year, with 25 TD and 6 Ints. Last year he had basically NO preseason, but a full and extensive offseason. This year its the opposite, and to be honest, he doesn’t look that great.
But alas, thats why they call it preseason. In real football, you play 60 minutes. Josh was cool to begin many games last year, only to heat up once he came back on the field after the half. So does Josh have to have another 25 TD year to be good? Well to be honest, he can probably throw up a few more INTs and he will still be ok. But if he does, we should expect ten more Touchdowns. If Josh Freeman throws for 35 TDs and 10 interceptions, he will be looked at as a pro bowl caliber player who HAS reached his own in this league. But if he throws for 30 TDs and 15 Ints, will fans consider that an improvement? Its less likely the Bucs will reach the playoffs with those second numbers, but almost a near certainty if he finishes with the 35/10 instead.
Running Back– There is no doubt a piece is missing here. In fact, its the only spot on the Bucs where there is an actual deficiency. Next year, expect the Bucs to spend a NO.1 draft pick on Tailback for a shifty Warrick Dunn type runner. A lot of uncertainty is on LeGarrette Blount, who did not get many holes to run through this preseason, but was noticeably improved in his pass catching skills. There is no reason to think the Bucs wont run the ball well, defenses simply CANNOT stack the line of scrimmage with 8 in the Box, Josh Freeman will kill them if they do. But if the offensive line does not block well, that can prove to be a problem. There is almost no depth here at all, should Blount miss any time due to injury, only Earnest Graham is a proven Tailback. Fullback is fine for the Bucs. The Bucs may have to pass to set up the run, unless the O-line creates some holes.
Wide Receiver- This was the scariest position on the field last season. Bucs fans were in an uproar, how could the Bucs not go out and address the WR position in Free Agency in 2010. Well we found out why; the Bucs were very happy with the performance of Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn. Sammie Stroughter took a step backwards in 2010, but Michael Spurlock surprised many with his performance. Dezmon Briscoe will now be counted on to catch balls for 16 games. This is an area the injury bug cannot afford to hit; especially to Mike Williams who will now demand closer attention by defensive coordinators after he broke a Bucs team record with 11 Touchdowns breaking Joey Galloway’s mark. Arrelious Benn was coming on before he was hurt, but all indications are that he was toying with us in preseason. Benn is really coming along fine, and seems ready to have a breakout year like Williams had last season. Ed Gant has made the practice squad, and he is another tall one which is what the Bucs like.
Tight End- This was a head scratcher, the Bucs only went into the year with two Tight Ends, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Luke Stocker, who played hardly never during the preseason. The only options for the Bucs are on the Tampa Bay practice squad, so its possible we could be seeing some new TE’s incoming. Winslow is a consummate professional, and knows how to handle his body. He will be fine this year, the question will be how far along has Stocker come.
Place Kicker- Connor Barth is plain money when it comes to FG kicking, and that includes long ones too. He hit 3x 50 + yarders vs Miami in 2009, and Koenen can bang out the kickoffs into touchbacks all day long.
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DEFENSE
Defensive Line- One of the major bright spots in 2011 preseason was the sacks of the Defense on opposing QBs. Bucs more than doubled their sack totals this preseason from last, and with a major league secondary like the Bucs have, opposing teams will not be scoring as many points as they did last couple of years. It will mean the Bucs will be in even more contests this season, which is a good thing. Some time during the year, expect Da’Quan Bowers to take over the starting role of the Defensive End position from Michael Bennett who is overall starting now because of his superior play. Gerald McCoy has shown up to camp in much better physical shape than last year, and it would not surprise anyone at One Buc if McCoy has double digit sacks this season. Brian Price will unseat Roy Miller as soon as he is in better football shape; which is not that far away.
Linebackers- This may be the major mystery come game day- who will be the starter, and better yet, who will start in a few weeks. Gone is the poor tackling, yet well performing, pass defending Barrett Ruud. In his place is rookie Mason Foster who was hand picked to replace him. With Foster there is bound to be growing pains the first half of the year with pass defense, but Foster will bring the wood to running backs who may slip past the improved D-line. Ask Ocho Cinco about Foster’s lumber selection; and he’s pressure treated. Not a history of injuries.
The Bucs made sure they re-signed Quincy Black, who will stay on the field for nickel situations when Foster takes off, and Black will be calling the plays until Foster gets it. Geno Hayes is the other incumbent, but it is going to be very, very difficult to keep Dekoda Watson off the field. He is a fierce tackler and WILL be a starter on the Bucs at Linebacker, its just a matter of when.
Secondary– Perhaps no deeper area of the team, which will get even deeper once Tanard Jackson applies for reinstatement after week 2. Jackson is a ball hawk, unlike safety Sean Jones, who is silently disappointing the Bucs with his lack of playmaking. Oh he is solid at safety, but the Bucs way is to get INTs, and Jones is just not that. At least he hasn’t been so far, and if he’s going to be, he may want to step on it. Because another safety who could take Jones job is Larry Assante, who is another player from Cox Lumber, and has a knack of picking balls off. He got one vs the Saints in week 16 last year, and could get more. Cody Grimm is a sure tackler, and Corey Lynch has matured in his years now in the NFL, and can hit well too. This unit is full of playmakers, and we’ve only covered the safeties!
Cornerback belongs to Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib. E.J. Biggers is well versed in this defense, and there are a host of ‘youngry’ players that can step up. Myron Lewis needs to get out of the hot tub.
Punter- Michael Koenen is a master, and he will make a difference in field position because of his foot on kickoffs and punts.
Overall- This Bucs team is improved, and the schedule is not that much tougher. It may sound so, but several of the teams the Bucs play are starting young QBs and/or new coaching staffs, unlike the Bucs who are bringing their core back to take on the league. The change of field position that Koenen brings, along with the turnovers the Bucs defense will bring will really make a big difference in the amount of opportunities Josh Freeman and the offense will have to score.
Prognosis- No reason to think this team cannot go 10-6 again. If the key wins are over Atlanta and New Orleans when they need to be, they can beat other teams at key times like this Detroit team which could go far in the wild card or even division tie-breaking scenario.
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