photo credit: nfl.si.com
2012 Record: 7-9 (2nd in NFC South)
2012 Season Review: The Buccaneers 2012 season looked so promising after 10 games, as they were sitting at 6-4 and were right in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt. But what followed next were five straight losses including an embarrassing 41 point defeat at the hands of the Saints in week 15. After losing 10 straight to close out the 2011 season, this is becoming a trend that fans in Tampa Bay would rather not be seeing. Quarterback Josh Freeman played well to start off the season, but just like his team he faltered and completely unwound down the stretch. In a contract season this may be his final chance to show the Tampa Bay front office that he’s worth trusting under center for years to come.
Offseason Review: Key Additions- CB Darrelle Revis, S Dashon Goldson, DT Derek Landri, WR Kevin Ogletree, CB Johnthan Banks (draft), QB Mike Glennon (draft)….Departures- DE Michael Bennett, CB EJ Biggers, S Ronde Barber, DT Roy Miller….Final Analysis- Do you think that the Buccaneers were unhappy with the production that they got from their cornerbacks last year or what? Not only did they make the biggest trade of the offseason by acquiring stud corner Darrelle Revis from the Jets, but they also used their first pick in the draft at 46th overall on underrated cornerback Johnthan Banks. Revis will vastly improve a secondary which was last in the league last season against the pass almost right away. He brings not only talent but intimidation to this squad as very few teams will feel comfortable throwing his way. Obviously he’s coming off a season-ending injury in 2012 and that should be of some concern, but he definitely expects to be ready for their week 1 matchup against you guessed it, the New York Jets in MetLife Stadium. Banks was a steal in the second round and only dropped that far because of an unimpressive combine. He likely won’t start right away but figures to have a big impact on this secondary as the season gets going. Further strengthening the secondary will be former San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson. The 2012- pro-bowler played very well last season and will be a nice fit next to the developing Mark Barron. Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the Bucs lost two guys who were integral parts of their number one rush defense in the league this offseason. Both defensive end Michael Bennett and defensive tackle Roy Miller were among the league’s premier run-stoppers at their positions, and each of them will be missed. Replacing those two will be two later-round draft selections, defensive end William Gholston and defensive tackle Akeem Spence. Each of them could have an impact in the future but for now it will take time for them to develop. So while this secondary gained an immense amount of strength this offseason the dominant run-defense got substantially weaker. Still any offseason when you add a guy like Darrelle Revis can’t be a total loss. Grade: C+
Strengths: Tampa Bay’s best weapon on offense in 2013 will easily be talented running back Doug Martin. The explosive Martin burst onto the scene in his rookie season this past year, running for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns. There’s no reason to believe that was just a flash in the pan in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he even improves upon his stellar 2012 this season. Word out of Buccaneers camp is that Martin is learning to be a much more patient runner, which should only make him even more explosive this season. With the unproductive LeGarrette Blount now gone it’s clear that Martin will be getting a vast majority of the carries out of the backfield this season, which should only help his production. He’ll be relied on to carry this Tampa Bay offense on the ground, but that task doesn’t sound so daunting when you consider the offensive line that he’ll be running behind. The $48 million dollar man Carl Nicks played well last season in just eight games before suffering a season-ending surgery, but he should be back and healthy again this year. Even more encouraging was the fact that center Jeremy Zuttah proved how versatile he can be by switching over to left tackle and playing well in Nicks’ absence. Meanwhile, to round out the interior the Bucs will go with Davin Joseph at right guard. Joseph is coming off a serious injury that he suffered last August, but he is still a two-time Pro Bowler than can certainly still play. The outside of the line is a bit shakier with Donald Penn and Demar Dotson at the tackles, each of whom has struggled in the past. But both of these guys have immense potential that they haven’t even begun to tap into, and maybe 2013 is the year that they do. Even if those two guys struggle, Tampa Bay should have a very impressive running game nonetheless this season.
Weaknesses: The main weakness for this offense will undoubtedly be the uncertainty of quarterback Josh Freeman. At times Freeman has looked like one of the better quarterbacks in the league, making smart throws and pulling out wins for his team in close games. But then other times he’s looked like he just can’t get out of his own way, throwing dumb passes leading to a ton of turnovers. Freeman is not a bad quarterback by any means either, he’s proven that he can make plays and win games in this league. But the fact that he threw for more yards in a season this past year than any other quarterback in Bucs history and still didn’t receive a long-term contract extension really concerns me. To make things worse, Tampa Bay wasted an early draft pick on NC State quarterback Mike Glennon, who will be expected to light a fire under Freeman this season. This front office clearly doesn’t have any trust in their quarterback, so why should we? This will undoubtedly be a make-or-break contract year for Josh Freeman. A stellar statistical season and possible playoff berth could make him a very rich man come this time next year. But a season that turns out like his past two have gone will lead to Tampa Bay likely looking elsewhere for a franchise quarterback. Either way the ball is in his hands, but whenever a team goes into a season with their front office showing visibly very little trust in their starting quarterback it’s never a good thing. Another thing that concerns me with this team is their very pedestrian linebacking corps. The only player that produced at all in this group last season was outside linebacker Lavonte David. The other two starters, Mason David and Dekoda Watson, are each very pedestrian linebackers who may not keep their jobs for very long unless they are able to vastly improve their production.
Fantasy Breakout Player: There are plenty of questions surrounding Josh Freeman right now, but none of that will affect his favorite target Vincent Jackson. Last season Jackson received 20 more targets than any other receiver on the team, and his stats reflected it. He caught an impressive 72 passes for 1,384 yards and 8 touchdowns last year, and with the loss of top tight end Dallas Clark that may even improve. Jackson and fellow receiver Mike Williams received almost all of the team’s targets last year, and that should very well continue into this season. You’d really be fine with either one of these guys on your team but Jackson is probably more of a number one type guy in my opinion.
Best Case/Worst Case: Best Case- In his contract year Freeman proves to this front office that he’s worth big money, as he performs splendidly and even outplays some of his NFC South counterparts in head-to-head games. The vastly improved secondary makes up for the losses in the front seven, giving them a top 10 defense overall. The Buccaneers surprise some with a wild card berth and make a run deep into the postseason. Worst Case- Freeman’s terrible ending to 2012 carries over into this season, as he’s terrible and even is almost benched in favor of the rookie backup Mike Glennon. Lingering injuries to guys like Revis on the defensive side of the ball prevent the unit as a whole from having any impact at all. Tampa Bay finishes last in the division and changes are made across the board by this front office.
One Word to Describe This Preview for the Lazy: Haziness. The future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks incredibly hazy right now. It appears that they’re going for it all this season after picking up guys like Revis on the defense, but then they refuse to put any trust in the guy that will have to play great for that to happen. What if Freeman plays terrible this season? Then they’ve just wasted a ridiculous amount of money on guys like Nicks, Jackson, and Revis just to rebuild with them. As I said before the Buccaneers future looks very hazy right now, and only seeing how this season turns out will clear it up.
Prediction: 6-10
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