ESPN's Matt Williamson tried to forecast the top 10 running backs in 2015, and put one Tampa Bay Buccaneer on that list: Doug Martin. Undoubtedly we'll look back at this list in four years time and go "how could he have thought that?", but it's an interesting look at what Williamson, a former NFL scout, thinks of the Buccaneers running back.

Like Richardson, Martin will have just three seasons under his belt entering the 2015 season. In these upcoming three years, Martin should be in line for plenty of touches, but with LeGarrette Blount also in place in Tampa Bay, Martin might not have taken as much abuse as Richardson. The Buccaneers have a lot invested in their offensive line, Josh Freeman and the passing game, an area where Martin excels as well. He should continue to improve as a receiver over time.

Doug Martin certainly has the tools to be a top 10 running back. While he isn't a truly special running back, he's an all-around back who can contribute in every area of the game. More importantly, perhaps, he has the ability to be a true workhorse back. Greg Schiano can certainly appreciate that, given his penchant for running the ball at Rutgers. Does this push Legarrette Blount to the background? As I've said before, I think Blount and Martin will divide their carries like Bradshaw and Jacobs have in New York - and Martin is clearly the Bradshaw in that scenario.

There is perhaps one problem with this ranking, though. If Martin really is a top 10 running back in the NFL in 2015, it's likely we haven't seen Josh Freeman develop. No one hands the ball off play after play to a running back when they have a star at quarterback - not even Greg Schiano. I hope. Of course, if Martin doesn't become a top 10 back, was trading up for him in the first round really the right move?

ESPN's K.C. Joyner has busted out the yards per attempt stat once again to analyse various NFL players, and he comes to one really surprising conclusion: Vincent Jackson may just be the best wide receiver in the entire NFL. Joyner bases this on Jackson's statistical performance against his top-rated cornerbacks, defined as cornerbacks who allow fewer than 9 yards per attempt. Vincent Jackson posted a yards per attempt (target) statistic of 11.5 against Joyner's top-rated cornerbacks. That statistic is much better than every other player on Joyner's list. Victor Cruz came closest, with 10.9 YPA.

Jackson was the only wideout to top the 11-yard mark in this category. Any concerns that this was due to his working extra hard to land a big free-agent contract should be alleviated by the fact that he posted an 11.7 YPA on 60 targets in this category in 2009, his last full NFL season. This just provides more evidence that Tampa Bay quite possibly made the best free-agent pickup this offseason when they signed Jackson. He gives Josh Freeman a dangerous downfield target, something that was lacking for Tampa Bay last year.

This is a bit surprising to me. I think Vincent Jackson is a great wide receiver, but he played with a struggling Philip Rivers last season while posting some inconsistent statlines. Yet, apparently, he was the best receiver in the NFL by at least one metric. That bodes well for his future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bucs coach Schiano is on the details | Tampa Bay Buccaneers blog: Bucs Beat | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
Everything is about details

Bucs Add Cousin As Director Of Player Engagement - Pewter Report
More new faces.

Buccaneers doing it right with Eric LeGrand - NFC South Blog - ESPN
How can you not love this?

Insider: Projecting the Draft Picks – Doug Martin | ESPN Florida | Florida's Sports Leader
He'll be good.

What do DBs look for when they break the huddle? | National Football Post
Pretty interesting.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

Details, details, details. That seems to be Greg Schiano's motto. That certainly appears to be correct, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach seems to worry about a lot of little things. The latest: the temperature in meeting rooms. Why? Well, because it gets hot in meeting rooms and that hurts concentration. Makes perfect sense, but it's not the kind of detail most organizations would worry about. Another example was, of course, the fact that he wants players to bring two drinks of water to every meeting. Details are important.

But, there's a downside to this. He's been described as a control freak, as we've talked about before. That isn't necessarily a good thing, as it's easy to want too much control over unimportant things. One such issue: which noodle is used in your pasta. Apparently, a Rutgers staffer once admonished food servers because the pasta was the wrong shape, so says Peter King. It's not clear whether that was just an overzealous staffer, but that kind of control is unnecessary and often counterproductive.

In Tampa Bay, the emphasis on details is part of a culture change. The Bucs want to change everything in their building, and they want to infuse the organization with a feel for the importance of details. That's what Schiano did at Rutgers, and he had a lot of success there. Can he replicate that in the NFL? He thinks he can, as he told Albert Breer. We'll just have to wait and see.

According to Pewter Report, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired former NFL player Terry Cousin as their director of player engagement. Supposedly the hire occurred earlier this month. Cousin previously worked as the South Carolina Gamecocks' director of player development. Presumably he will work with players helping them adjust to life in the NFL.

Cousin played in the NFL for 12 seasons as a cornerback and safety with various teams, entering the league with the Chicago Bears. There's a Greg Schiano connection, there: Cousin was coached by the Buccaneers' head coach in 1997 and 1998, when Schiano was with the Chicago Bears as an assistant.

The Bucs have worked hard to expand their front office, and with Cousin that expansion continues. Slowly but surely, the Bucs are overhauling the organization on various different levels as Schiano molds the organization to his vision. We'll probably see plenty of turnover over the next year or so.

Every year, the Associated Press hands out two awards to rookies: Defensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seen two of their players win the second award, as running backs Warrick Dunn and Cadillac Williams won them in their rookie seasons. But no Buccaneer has ever won Defensive Rookie of the Year, despite a host of high-quality first-round defensive picks. This could change this year, though, as the Bucs have one player who could win the award quite easily: first-round pick safety Mark Barron.

The Defensvie Rookie of the Year is often handed out to the player who produces the most 'splash plays', preferably on a national stage. Not surprisingly, then, pass-rushers and linebackers are the primary recipients of this award: they're often put in position to impact the game through sacks and big hits. It's also relatively easy for a pass-rusher or linebacker to make an impact early in his career. But no safety has won the award since 1990, when Chicago Bear Mark Carrier took it home.

Continue reading this post »

Tampa Bay Buccaneers need magnificent seven for franchise turnaround - Tampa Bay Times
Seven key players.

Cosell Talks: "He’s a Winner" : NFL Films Blog
No one is just a winner.

NFL Network goes on-the-record about Warren Sapp returning
Hurray.

Post-Draft Review/Grade-Tampa Bay Buccaneers | The Sideline View
Another draft review.

Ten Reasons Why NFL Players Go Broke | National Football Post
Bad decisions.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

The Glazer family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have come under fire frequently. They own two high-profile sports teams: Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fans of both teams regularly accuse the Glazers of siphoning money from one team to the other, although neither group can agree on the exact flow of that money, while both groups want to see more money spent on their teams. 'Cheap' is a word that is commonly used to describe the Glazers.

But is that perception still fair, at least when it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Yes, the Buccaneers were at the bottom of the NFL in terms of payroll for several years on end. However, it was never clear whether this happened because the Glazers refused to spend, or because general manager Mark Dominik's long-term vision mandated a low payroll in early years as the team was built around draft picks.

More importantly, though, the Glazers haven't skimped on spending this year. They replaced their entire coaching staff, added a few people to the front office and, most visibly, spent a lot of money in free agency. The Bucs added two top-tier free agents to their team in Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks, and added another expensive player in the form of Eric Wright. The guaranteed money in those players' contracts alone amounts to $72.5 million, and that doesn't include the contracts handed out to a number of low profile free agents.

All in all, the Glazers have certainly spent this offseason. Does this change your view of ownership? Let us know in the comments and the poll.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have now officially hired Eric Stokes as their director of college scouting, as was reported yesterday. That position was not filled last year after Dennis Hickey was promoted to director of player personnel. With his addition, the Buccaneers now have a whopping 19 people in their personnel department, scouting players and managing their roster. That's a decent uptick compared to last year, when they had 17 people in their personnel department.

A similar growth can be seen in their coaching staff. The Bucs had 20 coaches last season in various capacities last season, while they have 22 on the roster now. This will please many fans, as the coaching staff seemed overwhelmed last season. But more coaches (or personnel men) isn't necessarily better, as it can lead to an unclear hierarchy and a lack of accountability. Coaches and personnel evaluators can work at cross purposes, and the bigger a staff, the harder it is to keep them all working the same way and with the same goals in mind.

The Bucs' confused hierarchy doesn't help in this matter. Butch Davis exemplifies this problem: he's listed as a "special assistant to the head coach", but he is part of the personnel department. What's his function, who reports to him and who does he report to? Similarly, there's now a director of player personnel as well as a director of college scouting and a general manager and it's entirely unclear to people outside the building who does what.

Among the coaching staff, there is an offensive coordinator, but also a senior assistant with an unclear role. Obviously Greg Schiano is the boss, but how does the relationship between the coordinator and senior assistant work?

All of this is not a problem if the organization is well-run and everyone has a clearly defined role. But an overloaded staff can implode quickly if they're poorly managed.

NFL Podium Awards: Jahri Evans headlines offensive linemen - NFL.com
Nicks third.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Word of Muth: Scouting the Falcons
Offensive line goodness.

NFC South can wait for 'Hard Knocks' - NFC South Blog - ESPN
As long as Schiano is here, the Bucs won't be on Hard Knocks.

Rock Report: Eric LeGrand making amazing strides in rehab
Cool.

Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton says he was a 'bad teammate' despite his banner rookie year - Yahoo! Sports
Newton is going to be a real problem for the Bucs.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

The NFC South has a history of teams going from worst to first. In fact, it has happened in five of the nine seasons the division has existed, and no division champion has ever repeated a title. Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue that trend and get to the top of the division in 2012 after falling to the bottom? SB Nation's Joel Thorman doesn't give them much chance, ranking them fifth most likely among the eight division losers to make it back to the top. The good news: he thinks the Bucs have the quality to be much, much better in 2012. The bad news: their division makes it very hard for them to get back to the top.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs could very well end up being better than most -- if not all -- of the teams already listed here. Josh Freeman is a young quarterback who should get better, and he now has a major receiving weapon in Vincent Jackson. The Bucs' rushing attack should get better as well with Doug Martin pairing with LeGarrette Blount. They were a 10-win team just two years ago, so it's not unreasonable to think they can do the same in 2012.

Unfortunately for the Bucs, they're in an incredibly difficult division, possibly the best in the NFL. The Saints are one of the elite teams in the league, and they should be near the top of the division again, despite the offseason issues relating to the bounty scandal. The Falcons are an above average team who should be in the playoff mix, and the Panthers are a rising team.

The Bucs will be better, but the competition around them will make it extremely difficult to pull a worst-to-first.

My favorite football series has finally chosen a new team to feature: the Miami Dolphins, as the team has just announced. The HBO series will feature a team with a completely revamped coaching staff, a quarterback controversy, no wide receivers and a general manager who got some really bad publicity. Watch Jeff Ireland ask about the profession of some player's mother! See a player tell Mike Sherman to put a jersey on! What more could you want?

So, how is this related to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Well, the Dolphins get to play the Bucs during the first week of the preseason. This means that game will be featured (to an extent) on the show, and with a bit of luck we'll get to see some interesting footage of the Bucs, or of the Dolphins preparing for the Bucs. There really was no chance of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deciding to go on the show this year, as it doesn't fit Schiano's philosophy of restricted media access. But at least we'll get to see something of the team on this year's show.

Last year, the Bucs were in the running to be on the show, but they ultimately declined because it wouldn't help them win games. Too bad, winning games proved nearly impossible for most of the year, anyway.

The overhauling of the franchise continues, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a surprising new addition to their personnel department. The team is hiring Seattle Seahawks Assistant Director of College Scouting as their Director of College Scouting, per The Football Scoop. In my experience, that site has been accurate and trustworthy in the past.

Stokes has been with the Seahawks' personnel department since 2002, serving as a pro personnel assistant, scout and assistant director of college scouting. Stokes played in the NFL as a safety from 1997 to 1998, but saw his career cut short due to injury. The Seattle Seahawks have caught some flak for 'reaching' on certain draft picks, but in general they have done an outstanding job of finding talent for their team over the past few seasons.

Hiring Stokes is an interesting move, and could be another blow to Mark Dominik's authority - or it could just be the addition of a quality talent evaluator to the front office. The Bucs did not have a Director of College Scouting the past year, as they promoted Dennis Hickey out of that role to a Director of Player Personnel role. However, it's not clear whether Hickey's actual function changed with the title change.

Adding Stokes gives the Bucs a whopping 20 people in the front office, including "Special Assistant to the Head Coach" Butch Davis, whose actual role appears to be completely unknown. 20 people in the personnel department certainly looks like a lot. Compare it to the Seattle Seahawks, who now have 13 people with the departure of Eric Stokes. As with the coaching staff, the Bucs have gone with volume in that department. But does that lead to better results?

Bucs O.C. Sullivan: Freeman must work on decision-making | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
That would certainly be useful.

Who is Rennie Curran and what's he doing with the Bucs' first-team defense? | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
Playing?

Is Schiano on the correct side of the heat argument? | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
I have no idea as to the science of this kind of thing.

Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator on NFL Radio with Andrew Bogusch & Amanit Toomer talking about Greg Schiano's arrival in Tampa and the development of Josh Freeman. - SiriusXM Sports
Mike Sullivan's actual interview.

A More Prepared Stocker Ready To Step Up And Block | Pewter Report
I'd like to see him catch, too.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used to build their defense around arguably the best undersized linebacker in the history of the NFL: Derrick Brooks. The fact that Brooks managed to be so productive seems to have left a permanent mark on the organization, as they seem incapable of going with any player who is not undersized at Derrick Brooks' old weakside linebacker position (technically this description is inaccurate, but it will have to do). When Brooks got cut, they initially wanted to give his job to former safety (and undersized linebacker) Jermaine Phillips. That experiment didn't last very long, but replacement Geno Hayes wasn't particularly large either. And now, the Bucs have two new possible starters at weakside linebacker: Lavonte David and....Rennie Curran?

Yes, Rennie Curran has apparently been running with the first-team defense in OTAs ahead of thirdsecond-round draft pick Lavonte David, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Curran himself was a third-round pick for the Tennessee Titans in 2010, but the Titans decided to go with larger players at linebacker and decided he wasn't a good fit for their defense in 2011. At least, that's the story, but players generally don't get cut if they're very good, but just a little undersized. There's undoubtedly more to the story as to why he got cut, but for now he's the Bucs' starting linebacker. Will that last into the season? Probably not. Curran has a head-start on David in learning the playbook, but that gap will be closed eventually. More importantly, draft picks almost always have a leg up in any competition - that's just how the NFL works.

Continue reading this post »

There was quite a bit of criticism for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they traded down and selected Mark Barron with the seventh overall pick, but it didn't take long for the story to change. Mark Barron had been a steady riser on media draft boards in the days leading up to the draft, and as soon as the draft ended positive opinions on the safety started to come out. And, quite frankly, the more I watch him play, the more I like the selection. I'll talk about that a little later, but I want to highlight two Gregs who talked about Mark Barron recently: Schiano and Cosell.

Let's start with Schiano, who talked about Barron for a group of season ticket holders at an event at One Buc Place, taped by our very own akbrown15. It's interesting to see what Schiano found important about Barron that led the Buccaneers to select him: he was a dominant player in every tape he put on. More interestingly, he mentioned the fact that Barron was a two-time captain and won two national championships. The fact that he wants winners - something he got with Doug Martin too- and captains isn't necessarily different from previous seasons, but the fact that Schiano mentioned that along with quality of play as the major factors going into the decision to draft Barron says something about the kind of character he wants on his football team. Whether or not gathering players who won at the college level works remains to be seen, though. You need a lot more than a history of winning to win at the NFL level, after all.

Continue reading this post »

JoeBucsFan.com | "In Many Ways Similar To Coach Coughlin" - Tampa Bay Bucs Football
Mike Sullivan on Greg Schiano.

JoeBucsFan.com | "It Could Be Some Mechanics" - Tampa Bay Bucs Football
Freeman's mechanics must be fixed.

Kyle Orton's 2011 proof what impact trade deadline move can have - Peter King - SI.com
MMQB always worth reading.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Cardinals DT Williams getting primed for season
Some NFC rumors.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

Nearly five months into his reign, Greg Schiano has presided over a lot of roster turnover and a lot of publicity. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have added numerous free agents, a number of quality draft picks and an entire new coaching staff. They've changed their approach in some aspects, emphasizing attention to detail and conditioning in particular. Add to that, they've pushed a few high-profile players out the door.

Greg Schiano hasn't coached any games, yet, but he has certainly made his mark on the team.

So, I ask you, what do you think of Schiano's work so far? Let us know via the comments and the poll!

Throughout this offseason, it seems Greg schiano has been pulling the strings at One Buc Place. While there's no concrete evidence for that assumption, there's a lot of circumstantial evidence. There's the influx of former Rutgers players on the roster and the change in philosophy that included the sudden addition of veteran free agents. Perhaps most telling of all, the Buccaneers added former coach Butch Davis in an undetermined front office role. Butch Davis is a Greg Schiano guy, and his presence in the front office can only take away from Schiano's power.

When the Glazers fired Raheem Morris in January, they didn't fire Dominik - but they didn't offer him a lot of support, either. In fact, they made it clear that he could lose final control over the roster to a head coach. All in all, it's easy to assume that Dominik has lost quite a bit of authority over the past few months. That's exactly what Stephen Holder did in article published in the Tampa Bay Times today.

Continue reading this post »

NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
Always worth a read.

Bucs turning up the heat in conditioning | TBO.com
A well-conditioned team is a successful team.

His rules, his decisions: That's the Greg Schiano way with Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay Times
No more power for Mark Dominik?

Saints lead NFC South in popularity - NFC South Blog - ESPN
The Bucs are 24th in the NFL.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Eric Wright to a five-year, $38 million contract, a lot of fans agonized over that decision. Eric Wright did not have a great reputation when he came to Tampa Bay, as he was taken advantage of just a little too often last season with the Detroit Lions. Pro Football Focus in particular was rather harsh on the veteran cornerback.

But, advanced statistics paint a different picture. Eric Wright is a ballhawk, averaging 3 interceptions per year. More importantly, he's also pretty good in coverage. According to Football Outsiders, the Detroit Lions had the fourth best passing defense in the NFL last season. While this is obviously buoyed by their pass rush, you can't discount the impact of Eric Wright's solid play. The advanced statistics were interesting in another way: the Lions were ranked 3rd against #1 receivers and 5th against #2 receivers. It wasn't until they put their third receiver on the field and forced the Lions' third cornerback to play that the passing defense went down the drain.

Here's another interesting fact: Eric Wright spent the first four years of his career at left cornerback. He played all over the formation for the Lions last season, and the Bucs referenced his versatilty as a reason for signing him. But the Bucs may want to use him primarily at left cornerback, as he played his best football at that position. The player who calls that spot home now? Aqib Talib. Do they see Wright as the future replacement for Aqib Talib?

One question that keeps coming up this offseason is whether Legarrette Blount or Ahmad Bradshaw Doug Martin will be the day one starter in Tampa. Who will have the honor of taking the first snap of the game? And, perhaps more importantly, who will actually get the biggest share of the workload?

One place we can look for the answer to this conundrum is New York. Specifically, the 2010 New York Giants. That was the season they had both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs healthy for 16 games and handed the ball off to those players, a lot. At the end of that season, Ahmad Bradshaw had 11 starts, 276 carries for 1,235 yards and 8 touchdowns plus 47 receptions for 314 yards. Brandon Jacobs complemented him with 147 carries for 823 yards and 9 touchdowns, as well as 7 catches for 59 yards. Bradshaw got the ball twice as much as Jacobs, but the big back was hardly an afterthought in the Giants' offense.

Continue reading this post »

Bucs Q&A: Will Blount be the starter, or Martin? | TBO.com
Martin, but Blount will undoubtedly get his touches.

Penn To Freeman: "We Like The Way You Are Working" | Pewter Report
He has to work hard.

Buccaneers: Dream/nightmare scenarios - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Super Bowl/first overall pick.

Pewter Pulse 5-25 | Pewter Report
Lots of OTA notes.

Warren Sapp's book, Sapp Attack, is as raw, boisterous and loud as the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer himself - Tampa Bay Times
Good fun.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last changed their regime in 2009, it was clear to everyone involved that they were entering a rebuilding year. They jettisoned a number of key veteran players, declared that they were building through the draft and talked about building a lasting contender - in time. There were some half-hearted attempts to win early, as no one wants to lose games, but the signing of Byron Leftwich and the trade for Kellen Winslow were more or less the extent of the "win-now" efforts of the 2009 Bucs. Unsurprisingly, that team won just 3 games as they started a plan to win more games over the next years.

So when the Bucs went through another regime change in 2012, perhaps some expected more of that approach. Overhaul the roster, build for the future, win in time. And while new head coach Greg Schiano has on occasion hinted at building a lasting contender and the difficulty of building a winner, it is clear that this team wants to win - and they want to win right now.

Continue reading this post »

I always gravitate towards betting lines as indicators of the quality of teams. They're far from perfect, as the lines are designed to exploit a market rather than be perfect predictors, but they seem to come pretty close still. And few people have found ways to consistently outperform betting lines, so at least they're relatively accurate.

The line for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been set at 6 wins by Cantor Gaming, the first sports book to release over/unders for the 2012 NFL season. That's a disappointing number for a lot of fans, probably, but it's also a pretty realistic estimate for a team coming off a 4-win season. A team, moreover, which lost its last 6 games and has already lost one of its most talented defensive linemen for most or even all of the season.

But these win totals are no fun. They're best discussed among a group of fans. So, how many games do you think the Bucs win this year?

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Greg Cosell on the NFC South Draft | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell tackle the NFC South. Lots of good stuff on Josh Freeman and the draft.

How much will Bucs throw to TEs? - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Not much, I would expect.

Bucs' Blount determined to earn starting job | Fox Sports Florida
I doubt he succeeds.

[Video] Don't Let The Franchise Tag You; Bomani & Jones, episode 19 - YouTube
Bomani Jones and his views on the Franchise Tag. Hint: holding out works.

[Audio] Dallas Clark, Buccaneers - ESPN
Dallas Clark does an interview.

[Audio] Football Today - ESPN
Doug Martin joins the Football Today podcast.

Bucs hope offseason work in weight room pays off in regular season | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
Everyone hopes that.

[Video] Bright House Sports Network - Video Player
Eric LeGrand walks us through a day of rehab.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »

ESPN is running a feature behind its Insider pay wall on the future power rankings of every NFL franchise in 2015. Given the trouble people have making bold predictions and extrapolating into the future, it should come as no surprise that the rankings are really very, very similar to today's rankings. But it's worth examining, anyway.

The Bucs were ranked 19th in the NFL, which is a little higher than they usually appear in power rankings right now. More importantly, ESPN really did have a lot of good things to say about the direction of the team:

Roster: There is youth on this roster due to pretty good recent drafts, and that bodes well for the future. They are in good shape at the offensive skill positions with some work to do on the offensive line. On defense, they are young and talented in the front four, but there is a lot of work to do in the back seven. The player they can build around is rookie safety Mark Barron. -- Horton

Quarterback: With 40 regular-season starts under his belt, it's easy to forget Josh Freeman is still 24. He forced things last year and piled up 22 INTs, but should improve dramatically as he doesn't try to force things for a team going nowhere. That was the story in 2011. -- Dilfer

Draft: Below-average returns over the past two years, but with promise still out there. If Freeman bounces back, he rescues the 2008 draft. The 2012 could be star-studded, as Barron, RB Doug Martin and LB Lavonte David could all be immediate starters. -- Kiper

Front office: This organization changed its course this offseason as it freely spent money on game-changing free agents. The Bucs also are good at re-signing their own players, which helps keep a happy locker room. The front office and coaching staff really know their personnel and that helps the Bucs in attracting the right players. GM Mark Dominik and his scouting staff work well with the coaches, and Dominik leans on personnel director Dennis Hickey for input. -- Horton

Coaching: With head coach Greg Schiano coming from the college ranks, this coaching staff has a real teaching element to it and they will demand discipline and attention to detail from the players. There are not a lot of high-profile names here and the coordinators are not necessarily well known, but you get the feeling that Schiano will oversee every facet of this staff, much like Belichick does. -- Horton

Here's the thing, though. If the Bucs are ranked 19th by 2015, then Greg Schiano won't be the Bucs' head coach anymore, Josh Freeman won't be the quarterback, and Mark Dominik won't be running the front office. Displaying so little improvement over a four-year period would likely be unacceptable to the Glazers. The Bucs have the pieces in place to be much better than that - but so do a lot of other franchises. It will be interesting to see whether the Bucs can make it to the top again in the next four years.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost Da'Quan Bowers to injury, but the former second-round pick certainly showed his talent last season. According to Football Outsiders, 55% of his 'plays' (tackles, sacks, pass defenses and other things that show op on the sheet) last season resulted in 'defeats', which ranked fourth in the NFL. They define a defeat as a play that causes a turnover, a loss of yardage or a third- or fourth-down stop.

The most interesting part of the appearance of Bowers on that list is that he's listed among a large group of pass-rushers, but his own defeats didn't happen as a result of rushing the passer: he only had 1.5 sacks last year. Instead, his 4 passes defensed and his 7.5 tackles for loss were the main reasons for his appearance on the list. Bowers has a lot of talent as a pass-rusher, but didn't get to the passer much.

Of course, there's also one problem there: he only managed to get in on 26 total plays over the season. While part of that is a result of playing as a backup, another part of is that the rookie was simply inexperienced and lost at times, especially in run defense. He'd have his splash plays - but you'd also see him get out of his gap and mess up repeatedly. That's something that will get fixed with experience, but given his Achilles injury, he can't fix those problems right now. Even if he gets back on the field late in the season, that could still be an issue.

SB Nation was at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere this offseason, and they've been producing some really funny and interesting videos. Here's the latest.

Some thoughts on missed OTAs | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
No one's getting cut for that.

JoeBucsFan.com | Donald Penn Talks Bucs, Josh Freeman - Tampa Bay Bucs Football
Penn loves Nicks.

Freeman may be better without Winslow - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Maybe, but replacing Winslow with Clark isn't exactly a step up.

The Roger Goodell Dictatorship Will End In Disaster - SBNation.com
Somehow, I doubt it.

NFL Players Association files collusion claim against league - Jim Trotter - SI.com
This is going to be fun.

NFL - Many layers to NFLPA collusion case - ESPN
Andrew Brandt with the explanation.

NFLPA Files Collusion Complaint Against NFL, Alleges 'Secret' Cap In 2010 - SBNation.com
Labor peace? Nope.

Bucs have to look ahead to 2013 salary cap - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Don't expect a spending spree next year.

Bucs paid extra for undrafted rookies - NFC South Blog - ESPN
They always do. No real reason not to, really.

Are Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano's domineering ways good or bad? - Tampa Bay Times
I'll go with 'undetermined'.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers look at OTAs as 'an extended period of practice' - Tampa Bay Times
...isn't that how everyone sees OTAs?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't have to attend OTAs, but coaches note absences - Tampa Bay Times
It doesn't matter that much.

JoeBucsFan.com | Gerald McCoy Speaks - Tampa Bay Bucs Football
And Gerald McCoy gets an interview spot.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Continue reading this post »