Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Season Preview

Football Betting Lines

08/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers insist that they don't have financial problems, and that all is well within their organization.

They have spent considerable money, time, and manpower to refute the oft- repeated contention that the Glazer family, which owns the team, is operating the Bucs on the cheap due to debt issues related to their simultaneous ownership of Manchester United F.C.

The Glazers enlisted former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer - now a crisis management maven within the sports world - to help them find a suitable P.R. figure to stand up to the persistent (read: annoying) questions that have surrounded this franchise.

Such defiance in proving that all is well should be something of a relief to Bucs fans, though ownership and management's on-field approach in turning around a franchise that hit rock-bottom with last year's 3-13 showing should not.

The Bucs brought in zero high-impact free agents to help them compete in a division that includes the reigning Super Bowl champs.

They did draft a potential star at defensive tackle, Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy, and selected some other interesting pieces, but is this organization really expecting rookies and a smattering of under-performing holdovers to help turn the tide?

Within the coaching staff, Tampa Bay brought back head man Raheem Morris, who encountered many of the problems you might expect from a 33-year-old head coach during a miserable first season on the job. In addition to giving Morris another year, when the evidence of a turnaround on his watch is slim, the Glazers allowed Morris to take over as defensive coordinator, a role he has never filled at the NFL level.

There is some hope in Tampa, as 2009 first-round quarterback Josh Freeman showed flashes of competency during his rookie campaign and is expected to take a leap forward as a sophomore. A couple of rookie wideouts - Arrelious Benn (Illinois) and Mike Williams (Syracuse) - have been drawing rave reviews during the early stages of training camp and could be long-term targets for Freeman.

Defensively, Morris is trying to get the team back to its Tampa-2 principles and the presence of McCoy and second-round tackle Brian Price (UCLA) should help them show more punch in the area of run-stopping.

All of that said, hopes are not high for the Buccaneers in 2010, and if the losses pile up the way many expect them to this season, no amount of spin- doctoring on the part of Bucs brass is going to change the perception that this organization is stuck in a deep morass.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2009 RECORD: 3-13 (4th, NFC South)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007, lost to N.Y. Giants, 24-14 in NFC Wild Card

COACH (RECORD): Raheem Morris (3-13 in one season with Buccaneers, 3-13 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Greg Olson

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Morris

OFFENSIVE STAR: Josh Freeman, QB (1855 passing yards, 10 TD, 18 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Gerald McCoy, DT (1st Round, Oklahoma)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 23rd rushing, 24th passing, 30th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 32nd rushing, 10th passing, 27th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: WR Arrelious Benn (2nd Round, Illinois), WR Reggie Brown (from Eagles), DT Gerald McCoy (1st Round, Oklahoma), DT Brian Price (2nd Round, UCLA), LB Jon Alston (from Raiders), CB Myron Lewis (3rd Round, Vanderbilt), S Sean Jones (from Eagles), P Brent Bowden (6th Round, Virginia Tech)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Byron Leftwich (to Steelers), FB B.J. Askew (released), FB Byron Storer (not tendered), WR Mark Bradley (released), WR Antonio Bryant (to Bengals), G Arron Sears (released), DL Jimmy Wilkerson (to Saints), DT Chris Hovan (to Rams), LB Angelo Crowell (released), LB Matt McCoy (to Seahawks), OLB Rod Wilson (not tendered), CB Torrie Cox (released), S Will Allen (to Steelers), S Jermaine Phillips (not tendered), P Josh Bidwell (to Redskins), P Dirk Johnson (released)

QB: Somewhat unfairly, given that he's a 22-year-old kid with nine NFL starts under his belt, Freeman is now the face of this franchise. In those nine starts a year ago, Freeman did some nice things. He handed the Bucs their first win of the year by throwing three touchdown passes in an upset of the playoff-bound Packers, and showed some maturity by keeping Tampa in games, on the road, against the Dolphins and Falcons (both eventual losses). But Freeman also had some awful stretches, throwing eight interceptions in a two-game stretch against the Jets and Panthers and completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes in three different losses. To be clear, he'll sink or swim this year. The backup will be the athletic but also inexperienced Josh Johnson (685 passing yards, 4 TD, 8 INT, 148 rushing yards), who lost all four of his starts a year ago while serving as a bridge from Byron Leftwich to Freeman. The third quarterback in training camp was former Arizona State star Rudy Carpenter, but he's not certain to make the roster.

RB: The fact that Cadillac Williams (823 rushing yards, 28 receptions, 7 TD) is still playing football after multiple devastating knee injuries is heartwarming indeed, and Williams enters 2010 as Tampa Bay's unquestioned starter for the first time in three years. The former first-rounder played in all 16 games last season for the first time in his career, but his injury history makes a backup plan highly necessary. The Bucs have a couple of decent ones in Derrick Ward (409 rushing, 20 receptions, 3 TD), who is looking to rebound after being a big-money disappointment upon his arrival from the Giants in free agency prior to 2009, and fullback Earnest Graham (66 rushing yards, 14 receptions). Graham had 200-plus carries for the Bucs' division winner in 2007, but is better-suited for his current lunch-pail role. Clifton Smith will make the team as a third running back and reliable kickoff and punt returner.

WR/TE: If Freeman is able to win NFL games with this group of wide receivers, then he truly is capable of becoming a high-level starter in this league. The cast of characters includes the second-rounder Benn (Illinois), the fourth- rounder Mike Williams (Syracuse), holdovers Sammie Stroughter (31 receptions, 1 TD), Michael Clayton (16 receptions, 1 TD) and Maurice Stovall (24 receptions, 1 TD), and Eagles castoff Reggie Brown (9 receptions with Philadelphia). The only members of this group with a real body of work are Clayton, who hasn't crossed the 500-yard barrier since his rookie season of 2004, and Brown, a former Philadelphia starter who was buried on the Birds' depth chart the past two years. As for the rookies, Williams and Benn are both big guys with good hands but lack polish. Freeman's favorite target could end up being tight end Kellen Winslow (77 receptions, 5 TD) who had a credible first season in a Tampa Bay uniform. John Gilmore (3 receptions) and the detestable Jerramy Stevens (15 receptions, 1 TD) should stick around for another year as the backup tight ends.

OL: The Bucs offensive line isn't going to be mentioned among the best in the league when such topics are trotted out, but the organization is hoping that some continuity in that area helps matters. All five starters are expected back in their 2009 roles. The strength of the group is probably on the interior, where guards Jeremy Zuttah (left side) and Davin Joseph (right side) are versatile and center Jeff Faine is capable as well. The tackles are iffy, which should not come as a great relief to Freeman. On the left side, Donald Penn got the big contract he had been craving late last month, but his conditioning has been an issue. On the right, Jeremy Trueblood has not missed a game since 2006 but is just a guy. The swing tackle will probably be Demar Dotson, who appeared in nine games last season. Former Panther Keydrick Vincent should add some depth at guard.

DL: The ability of the Bucs to be competitive this season could rest on the development of this group. Within the defensive tackle rotation, Morris will be counting on two untested rookies - McCoy and Price - as well as second-year pro Roy Miller (33 tackles, 2 sacks) and limited former first-round bust Ryan Sims (33 tackles, 1 sack). Tampa Bay will have to be especially strong on the interior, because it might be featuring the weakest group of pass rushers in the league. Stylez G. White (43 tackles, 6.5 sacks) is the closest thing the Bucs have to a No. 1 defensive end, though he'd be a situational pass rusher on most teams. Second-year-pro Kyle Moore (10 tackles), a 2009 fourth-round pick who appeared in eight games as a rookie without a start, is being penciled in as a starter on the other side. There's little reason to expect holdovers Tim Crowder (43 tackles, 3.5 sacks) or Michael Bennett (3 tackles, 1 sack) to emerge as high-end starters either.

LB: Though the line and secondary were also culpable in the Buccaneers' rank of 32nd in NFL rushing defense a year ago, a suspect group of linebackers did Tampa Bay few favors. That fact made the team's inability to upgrade the linebacking corps in the offseason somewhat curious. It looks like Morris will be sticking with the mediocre Barrett Ruud (142 tackles, 1 INT) in the middle, with Quincy Black (84 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) and Geno Hayes (98 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) again on the outside. Though Black and Hayes are both quick and would probably be decent blitz candidates (especially on a team with few legitimate pass rushers), the Tampa-2 will have them concentrating on tackling ball carriers and coverage responsibilities. Backup linebackers like Adam Hayward (23 tackles), Niko Koutovides (11 tackles) and Jon Alston (23 tackles with Oakland) are best known for their special teams abilities.

DB: The strength of the Tampa Bay defense in 2010 could be at cornerback, where the volatile Aqib Talib (64 tackles, 5 INT) has emerged as a credible No. 1 corner and the ageless Ronde Barber (77 tackles, 2 sacks) has given the Bucs no reason to reconsider his role. Talib and Barber are not going to be done much of a service by the team's pass rush in 2010, so they are sure to earn their money. The safety position should not fill Morris with as much assurance as corner. On the strong side, the Bucs hope that ex-Brown and Eagle Sean Jones (61 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack with Philadelphia) can seriously challenge the marginal Sabby Piscitelli (80 tackles, 2 INT). At free safety, Tanard Jackson (71 tackles) had five picks in just 12 starts last year but is inconsistent on the whole. A couple of rookies - corner Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt) and safety Cody Grimm (Virginia Tech) - figure to make most of their contributions on special teams.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Perhaps in keeping with their team-wide youth movement, the Bucs will be young in the kicking game in 2010 as well. Chiefs castoff Connor Barth (14-19 FG) was good enough in nine games as a Buc last year to keep the place-kicker job into 2010, while the team used a sixth-round pick to select Brent Bowden (Virginia Tech), who it hopes can be as reliable as Josh Bidwell was for years. Andrew Economos begins his fourth season as the team's long- snapper. In the return game, Clifton Smith (29.1 kickoff return avg., 10.1 punt return avg.) would seem to have things covered.

PROGNOSIS: Not to make this all about Freeman, but you wouldn't predict big things for a 22-year-old quarterback even if he had proven receivers, an elite offensive line, and an experienced high-end defense, so how can you predict big things for Freeman and the Bucs when they have none of those complementary elements? The Buccaneers do have a lot of young talent around which to build, and will probably be more consistently competitive in 2010 than they were last year, but they're clearly the fourth-best team in the NFC South. You can forget about the last-place team in the division going worst-to-first this time around.