Tampa followed the NFC South trend last season of rising from the pits of misery to being division champions. Largely sparked by the emergence of running back Ernest Graham after Cadillac Williams suffered his second season-ending injury in as many years. Quarterback Jeff Garcia played above expectations, forming a formidable connection with fellow AARP member Joey Galloway.
The question for Tampa Bay coming into the season revolves around the ability of their key players to avoid injury. With Garcia and Galloway both in their late 30s, one has to wonder how many good years they have left in them. Galloway showed last year that he hasn’t lost a step, but Tampa also showed an inability to find another receiver to compliment him. Tampa Bay brought in Antonio Bryant (former Pitt star) and drafted speedster Dexter Jackson (Appalachian State) to add depth to the receiving corps. The question remains: if Galloway goes down to injury, will Tampa be able to survive with Ike Hilliard, Michael Clayton, Bryant, and Jackson as targets for Garcia?
On defense, the Bucs will be formidable once again (though it’s possible their defensive stats are inflated by playing in a bad division). Last year’s #4 overall pick Gaines Adams is coming off a solid rookie campaign where he tallied 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles and should be even better this year. Derrick Brooks and former Colt Cato June anchor the linebacking unit and ageless vet Ronde Barber is solid at corner. Many see first-round pick Aqib Talib out of Kansas as the Bucs first true shut-down corner. With Phillip Buchannon anchoring the other corner, don’t expect to see Talib in the starting lineup unless the injury bug strikes.
Tampa finished last year second in total defense and third in scoring defense, which are very solid marks for a team that only posted a 9-7 record. Tampa’s defense allowed only one 300-yard passing game last year, to Jason Campbell of Washington in a game the Bucs won. Tampa has a fairly easy schedule this year (SOS 20) and gets Green Bay, Seattle, Minnesota, and San Diego at home. Tampa will be tested off the bat with a game in New Orleans, but they should be able to sail through Atlanta and Chicago before Green Bay comes to town in Week 4. The only “hard” part of the schedule comes as the calendar turns to December when Tampa faces all 3 division opponents consecutively, with Carolina and Atlanta back-to-back on the road. If Tampa wins two of three in this stretch, look for them to be coasting through San Diego and Oakland the last two weeks on their way to another division title.
Tampa is not a team without flaws. But New Orleans has question marks on defense and Carolina has a giant question mark at quarterback. Tampa has those two problems solved, at least for now, however the age factor of their team puts them in a dead heat (in my opinion) with New Orleans for this division. If they’re going to win it again, the offense will have to play better than last season and key players like Garcia and Galloway will have to avoid injury. The secret’s out on Ernest Graham, so teams will be ready for his running style. Tampa is a team that could make a run at the playoffs, but it would take a stellar performance in January for them to move past Wild Card Weekend.
Ian’s 2008 prediction: 8-8
John’s 2008 prediction: 9-7
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