Ive been a buc fan since about 1998 I believe. There has never been a wideout as dynamic as Vincent Jackson on our roster. The only one that comes close is David Boston and that never worked out. We had Joey Galloway be dynamic for us a few years along with Antonio Bryant but I think Gruden was a big reason for their success,and overall they both are not on Vincent Jackson level. We also had the great Keyshawn Johnson, but he was a glorified tightend.

Vincent Jackson has everything you want in a NFL wideout. He is fast, strong, great hands, nice run blocker, good route runner, and he knows how to read coverages finding holes in defensive zones. Having a player like this is great in so many ways. Free now has a go to guy on the edge, who will make big plays for our team. Since we are going to run the ball opposing teams defense is going to have a hard time committing to the run or pass. If you run the ball a lot in the nfl you are going to bring extra guys in the box. But that is not going to happen because teams will respect Jackson ability too much on the outside,that factor alone gives our run game a advantage. That is scary when you think about it. The Vincent Jackson effect also gives us a advantage in opposing teams preparations. The time spent preparing for what Jackson brings to the table, means time is being taken away scheming for the other guys. Before when you prep for the bucs it would not be as hard to do. Speaking of the other guys, or at least 1 Mike Williams will benefit the most. There is no question about his abilities, and his work ethic the question was can he be an effective and efficient number 1. The answer to that is no, but he does not have to worry about that now with Jackson on the team and who knows maybe he can develop into that number 1 wideout. But think about the field that is opened up to Williams now. He is better then most number 2 DBs, I heard him talk about having to beat double teams a lot last year, well teams are not going to be able to double him this year. Again its scary when you think about what Williams will be able to accomplish now that his name is not at the top of defenses scouting reports. Benn will more then likely be the slot but he better show up cause Parker is no scrub. If I had a choice on who I wanted to play the slot it would be Benn. I would think teams just looked for him to go deep last year but how are you going to account for him with he is bigger then most nickle corners and faster then most safeties.Parker is consistent he will get better but his ceiling is not that high, I don't expect to see no difference in him simply cause I have been watching him since his days at FSU and he has remain consistent in the fact that he always plays hard. Free will have the most work to do, it will be his job to decipher how teams is defending the wideouts, and spread the ball around. Free will also need to know when to take shots based on what the defense is doing, cause with a effective run game and Jackson the D will be caught slipping at a high rate, it is up to free to take advantage of that. I liked what k2 would of been able to do with this group but that will not happen. Just know that the TEs on our team may have the easiest job in football, yes easier then Conor Barth.

If Martin and Blount can be consisttent, there will be no defense in the NFL that can stop us. All this was made possible by the signing of Jackson, there are some other aspects to factor in like the pickup of Nicks, but Jackson is the guy who will be stretching the field. It is going to be fun experiencing the Vincent Jackson effect

This has been a madden franchise turn around off-season so far. I mean when Tampa ended the 2011 2012 season we were just horrible. I think horrible isn't even the word, look we gave up more yards then the cream sickle bucs did. Even when we were winning we looked horrible, hence Indy looked better then us in our Monday night match up. But it seemed DOM got tired of getting bullied and is now ready to doing the bulling.

On offense it looked like we was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Most times we was playing from behind,which forced Josh Freeman to throw to wideouts who DBs and defensive coordinators did not respect for good reason, plus Olson looked like he was more concerned about what hair jell he was going to use on Sunday rather then the opposing defense. The offensiveline was not the problem but they was not opening up no huge holes for the backs either. The offense was frustrating to watch wack scheme and no continunity, which is mostly because it was just not very talented, with a lack of difference makers. In comes Dom the don! What kind of difference maker can we add to open up field and make life easy on all the other skills players we have, a guy with great physical tools who can stretch the field, is reliable, and is feared by most secondary player, he is one of the best wideouts in the league his name is Vincent Jackson. Now the talents of Winslow, Williams, Parker, Benn, and Briscoe will be elevated. OK we got the field opened up and Freeman will have some favorable windows to throw through to get the ball to his wideouts, but we want to run the ball who can we get that is going to impact the run game making the ground attack more consistent. Well lets open some holes up by getting arguably the best offensive guard in the league in Carl Nicks. With just that one player the bucs oline went from above average to one of the best in the league, even with Trublood at rt. Nicks, Joseph, Penn, and Zuttah will anchor a line that will be very intimidating. So we got a all world WR and one of the best linemen in the game, what about the much needed 3rd down back all round running back you know the guy who can run, block, and catch we fill that through the draft with Doug Martin a guy who can do it all. Martin and Blount will be a headache to deal with I know we got some guys who can get the job done at the receivers position, but Martin and Blount will be featured these guys will carry the load. Like these players or not bucnation but on paper this offense has the ability to compete on a high level against any defense in the league, depending on how far Freeman is willing to ride the ship.

On defense lets face it we sucked, yea we had some injuries but so dose every team in the league. Rah was installing too much for these guys to handle and the worst part about that is Raheem believed too much in these players. Just terrible in my Charles Barkley voice is all I can say. Again here comes Dom the don to the rescue. He starts by bringing in a hard nose defensive coach who really don't care about your name or accolades, he just wants to know if your going to get the job done. Greg Schiano is the first key to getting the worst defense in Bucs history turned around. Sander gave us some info on how he thinks this defense is ran through his interpretations of different sound bites from Greg. But truly only one level of the defense has been explained from Schiano and that's the secondary. He talked about the secondary with the introduction of Eric Wright and he talked about it when he had his press conference after we drafted our new QB of the defense Mark Barron. The defense will be better under Greg in my eyes cause he aint going to put you on the field just cause you got talent. The biggest difference Ive noticed between our new head coach and our old head coach is that Rah said, we are going to try to put the best 11 on the field, Greg says the best 11 on defense will play. If Connor Barth makes for a better corner then Eric Wirght then Connor will be lining up at corner. I think in that aspect alone it will make the defense better, mostly cause it is going to force the players to hold themselves accountable. Tackling was just horrible my grandma who got glaucoma and arthritis could break tackles against our defense. I will never forget about Quincy Black who is suppose to be a physical specimen looking like a grade school girl when he got stiff armed by Brandon Marshall. Well lets fix this by drafting a great cover corner who cant tackle right, right, wrong. We pick up a tackling machine at safety, and another solid tackler at lb in Lavonte David who will more then likely be playing the weakside for us. As it looks the defense does not look as formidable on paper as the offense does, but these guys have the potential to do some big things with proper coaching, and as I said before players holding themselves accountable. Mccoy has had the Mark Sanchez treatment sort of speak in the sense he was pretty much handed the job, and while I don't think Mccoy talent is holding him back he needs to prove to the world that he is a anchor who can stay on the field. Clayborn may be our best defender, Bowers has the potential to be great, Price has a ceiling as high as Booger Macfarland, and Bennet is a solid rotation guy, yes these guys are talented but again if Greg don't think you deserve to be on the field then you wont. At linebacker we just drafted a guy who some say remind them of Derrick Brooks, and we have a guy in Foster who I think will play with a chip on his shoulder,simpily cause he is more talented then he showed last year. That loser called Quicy Black,I am so disappointed in I wish he would make like a tree and leave like Geno Hayes, I had high hopes for those 2, and for good reason cause give me their physical talents and I would be a NFL pro bowl linebacker. With that being said I think Watson is the fix at the Sam that guy is solid. I am not to concern with corner I think we will be fine there as long as the front seven can play to the level they are capable of playing. All this defense is missing is the on field mastermind who leads by example, in comes Barron. We tried to let Foster carry this burden last year even though I believe Black was doing it at the start of last year, but both guys are not capable, maybe Foster with time but we all don't have the patient to let that play out. I think Barron is more then capable and will put us in great positions on defense pre snap.

Overall on paper our Bucs football team has the potential to turn some heads this coming season. I just pray and hope these guys can put it all together and come together as one cause the sky is the limit. Last year Rah said this unit was by no means a complete product, but as of right now this product is 80% complete.

Lets take a walk down memory lane as I begin this fanpost. At the begining of camp in 09, the bucs were like freshmen their first day in college. Guys were getting the opourtunity to start for the first time, guys were learing new systems on both sides of the ball, and at almost each position there was a spot open. Fastfoward to the begining of camp in 2010, there was more clarity, we had our QB in place, there was still a lot of postion battles going on, but most positions were filled. While both offensive and defensive systems were in place, the learning cruve was still a factor, unlike the previous year though guys could work on getting better indvidualy while in camp.

That brings us to the begining of the Bucs 2011 traning camp. The learning curve is slim, there maybe 3 or 4 jobs open, but everybody else is clicking on all cylinders and that is a first for this new era of buc football. Now I know the players are not is pads yet, but it feels good to hear how the bucs are progressing together as a unit. Hearing Coaches and other media people talk about how Freeman is coming along is great to hear, they speak of Freeman like they are expecting something great from him. The O-line is in tact, those guys are learning some new schemes, but I dont think that will stop this unit from clicking when its time to play September 11 vs Detroit. The wideouts are young, but Freeman has got their back like four flats on a Cadillac.  Free and the wideouts have been working out together this hole offseason, and they will be catching passes from a guy who makes his receivers look better, QBs like Mcnabb, Farve, Brady, Rivers have been doing that their hole careers. I do think they need to bring in a back who is a change of pace guy, Norwood is on the market, who ever it is I think it is a move that needs to be made.

More than likely there will be 3 new starters on defense, at MLB and both DE positions. Tanard is out for the first 4 weeks and I dont know how they are going to work him into the mix when he comes back. Talib maybe out at some point of the season, so I expect a little shifting to be going on in the secondary for a while, still you got to love the potential in the secondary. We all know Geno and Black will man the outsides im not worried about those two, they will get better with time and im pretty sure they will be better this year. Mason and Tryone is battling it out for the Mike position, I think it's Tryone job to lose, although the competion will be good for Mason,  Mason  will get a lot of PT casue he can play all over the field. Overall our back 7 geared up to play some BucBall to the fullest.

To me the only group of guys that will behind the 8ball is the D-line. Now our D-line is stocked with potential, we have 4 game changing type players across the d-line. Price and Bowers both had to rehab during the lockout, they say Bowers is more than ready to go and Price will need to work himself into shape. Mccoy and Claybourne are the other 2 guys, im pretty sure they will be in camp working on every they can trying to make our d-line a force. We also have pretty good depth behind the guys who are slated to start. The Dline will make or break the team this year, Our offense will move like a well oiled machine( we still need 1 more back). I believe Tryone will fill into the MLB great, and the DB will be ready to go out and get the ball back to Freeman. The only concern with this team is the D-line.

There maybe no other D-line in the NFL with the overall raw potential that we have. The qeustion is will they put it all together? Can our young talent on the d-line become a threat that none wants to play. Only time can answer that question. But I do know this, if our D-line comes together and live up to their potential, then the Bucs will have a legit shoot at winning the NFC south easily. If those guys struggle, then once again we will sturggle to make the playoffs. Overall though it is a good thing our Bucs is clicking early in camp for a change.

Gerald Mccoy was the biggest 1st round pick we Bucs have had in a long time. Cadillac was a top pick but the impact was not as big as Mccoy, Freeman was big but picking him at 17 he did not have that pressure on him for being a top 10 or 5 pick. Mccoy was the 3rd overall pick of the 2010 draft, and on Mike Mayock draft board he was the number 1 player overall, let me tell you something there is a lot of pressure on a guy in that position.

Mccoy started out steady not fast not slow but steady. He would come up with stops and what not, he forced a couple of fumbles which is a good thing but that was inconsistent, although week in and week out the media always talked about how consistent he was at applying pressure. Mccoy even came out and had a talk with the coaches, cause there was some confusion about his role in our defense.a few weeks after that though Mccoy started to take off, making big splash plays all while keeping up with the great pressue he applys. That led up to his bicep injury which was somewhat dissappointing but that comes with the territory.

Going into year 2 I think Mccoy will be better than ever and we will see a true leader carry this defense. Think about what a better Mccoy means for this defense? It will mean better DB play because there is a better pass rush being applied, if we come in with the same DEs they will not be under a whole lot of pressure on those guys cause Mccoy is wrecking so much havoc up the middle, also our WILL linebacker play will improve, as we all know the 3 technique in our defense opens things up for the WILL .

Mccoy physical tools are overwhelming, he has  good not great upper body  strength but his explosiveness is off the charts for a DT, making him more than capable of causing problems play in and playout rather against the run or pass, kind of like Sapp. There are really no holes in this mans game, add that to the fact that he knew all about BucBall before he got here, we will be in for a special treat next year.  I can't stress how important Mccoy is to this defense there are other key guys on this unit, otherwise Mccoys impact would not matter that much. However if Mccoy can make the same jump Freeman made in his second year, I will fell sorry for the NFC south, if there is a season next year.

During the glory days when the  Bucs had the most  dominate defense, there were 3 guys who stood out as leaders, those guys were Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and John Lynch. There were other guys who emerged as leaders and or play makers like Ronde Barber, Shelton Quarles, Booger Macfarland and so on, but Sapp, Brooks, and Lynch were the main guys. When that group started to split up our team slowly started to go down hill, Warren Sapp and Lynch were released in 04 and we struggled, after that we did some rebuilding made some playoffs runs but we were slowly losing our respect. Once we released Brooks in 09 we were officially rebuilding, and looking for some new leaders like Sapp, Brooks, and Lynch.

2 years into the rebuilding process our team has put together a talented group of players. But who in this group will step out and lead this new era of BucBall? There are some of our young guys who are already is picking up the pieces the legends left behind. 1 guy a leftover from the glory days is Ronde Barber, not only is he a leader on the field still, but he is instrumental to the success of our young guys on both sides of the ball. Ronde is also a guy Rah can turn to for pointers on how to run this team. But since Ronde is a left over sort to speak lets focus on the young guys. 

Aqib Talib is definitely becoming a leader in the secondary. It seems he brings great energy to the locker room and he is guy we can lean on to make big plays to swing momentum. Talib is a player who can rally the troops when the chips are down definitely a key quality in being a leader. In our you linebacking core there is only 1 guy I see as stepping out as a leader, his name is Geno Hayes. In 09 Geno led the defense in what you can call factor points, this year he will come close to that again with 4 sacks 1 int and 1 fumble he was also 2nd on the team in tackles. Ever since Geno came to Tampa he has been scoring defensive touchdowns and making splash plays to give us momentum. Geno has made more stops for lost this year playing his role as the WILL, but he can be more consistent at controlling his Gap, once he gets that under control he will definitely emerge as the leader in that linebacking core. The only potential leader we have on our D-Line is obvious his name is Gerald Mccoy. Mccoy was born to be a Buccaneer  but not only that he was born to be a leader. He was the leader of a Sooner team that is always loaded with raw talent, he took the lead when the 2011 draft prospects were nervous to meet Mr. Goddell, and before he got injured he was taking the lead on our D-line. Mccoy finished he rookie year with 22 tackles 2 fumbles and 3 sacks very similar to Sapps rookie year 17 tackles 1 fumble and 3 sacks. Talib, Hayes, and Mccoy are 3 guys I see who will eventually develop into leaders for our team. But by the way this team is being built there will be leaders who emerge on the offense side of the ball unlike in the previous era. 

During the glory years Tampa had a few guys on offense who were leaders on the team. The A-Train, Dunn, Keyshawn, and Brad Johnson. But those guys got overshadowed by the guys on the defense side of the ball. That will not be the case with this group. There is a mix of young guys who can emerge as leaders on this team Like Blount, Zuttah, and Williams, but there are 3 who have already hands down stepped up as leaders. 

Kellen Winslow Jr. a vocal leader who also lets his play do the talking on the field, he is a physical presence who will lead this young group of receivers into this new era. Donald Penn has stepped out as a leader along the offensive line, he is 1 of those guys who makes it easy on young players who have to come in due to injury. Penn also gives us that intimidation factor as many guys due no look forward to facing him on sunday, Penn dues a great job at keeping Freeman upright while watching his blindside. Josh Freeman what do i haft to say about him. Freeman is a clear cut leader on our team and he has become mister 4th quarter, our team will still be rebuilding if Rah had listen to some of the experts and drafted a DT in the 09 draft. 

When our young potential leaders like Hayes, Mccoy, Talib, Williams, and Blount, catch up to our guys who are already established as leaders on our Buc team, we will be invincible. Thats right Bucnation, the key is in the ignition, we have a full tank of gas, and a brand new engine, all we got to do is drive the car. The question is who will be the ones driving it?

The debate over the leagues best corner is always a good 1. The names are always changing and no one guy stays at the top for that long. I can recall guys at the top of the list like Ty Law, Dre Bly, Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Nate Clements, Asante Samuel, and we all know the 2 at the top of the list now days, Revis and Asomugha. The list is huge and the guys at the top never stays the same for long. There is a new guy who is coming into his own and climbing up this list at an alarming rate, his name is Aqib Talib.

When the Bucs drafted Aqib in 08 I would be lying if I said that I knew a whole lot about him, who he was, or if he was good enough to be drafted where he was. As a matter of fact I thought Talib was Antoine Cason who was the number 1 DB prospect that year(I am glad he wasn't might I add). It did not take long for Aqib to get himself know though, he was key in helping the Bucs in their playoff hunt in  08. Talib was also 1 of the very few bright spots in 09 he definitely was making himself known as someone who will be an asset in our secondary.In 2010 Talib will make an argument for himself as 1 of the leagues best Corner. You really did not see Talib as a victim of a big play, and he picked off 6 passes in 11 games. Slowly but surly Talib is becoming a guy QBs do not want to throw too. 

Talib has picked off 15 passes in 3 years that is more than a lot of highly rated shut down corners (Revis, Champ Bailey, Nnamdi Asomugha). The thing with Talib is that early in his career he has become more of a ball hawk, but 2010 he showed flashes of his shut down abilities. Not only is Talib a proven ball hawk but he is also a good tackler, you can tell he has been well schooled by the great Ronde Barber. Aqib Talib has to have his name entered as 1 of the leagues best corner there is no doubt about that, it is only a matter of time before he becomes number 1 on that list. 

While reading a recent post on the grading Barrett Ruud, I felt that everyone had an basic understanding of what Barrett has to do, but no one fully understood his responsibilities. I went online to read many articles on what Barrett has to do in our defense the best 1 came from this site(http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/nov/20/201926/tampa-bays-ruud-playing-the-middle-exactly-right/sports-bucs/).

Like I said most of bucnation already understand what Ruud has to do. So lets not waste a lot of time talking about, Ruud getting that depth in the middle of the field and calling the plays and what have you. 1 key thing that the article brought out is how the undertackle and the weakside linebacker have the most responsibility at stopping the run, and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. Another Key point is that Barrett is a failsafe guy who protects the gaps on the second level, meaning he is supposed to make plays 5 yards off the line where other guys make mistake playing their gaps, that is almost the role of a safety. 

This still does not change my view on Barrett, mainly cause of these 2 points. 

1. I think his range has a limit, when someone messes up on their gap assignment I think his ability to pick it up is limited. Also there are a lot of miss tackles at the second level with him manning the middle there should be a lot of gang tackles on the second level. Also since he has limited range, and has to do a lot of anticipating when he is wrong his broken plays lead to big plays and touchdowns.

2. I don't care who you are and what role you play on this defense the main role is making plays, of course you are supposed to make the play infront of you but it is important to be a playmaker. With the group of guys we have now and our D-linemen still under development, I think it is imperative that we have a play maker in the middle. Ruud is just not that guy. We need a guy there who can cover range in the secondary to get ints get knock downs and force plus recover fumbles consistently, all while taking care of his MLB responsibilities. 

What Rah wants from his MLB he gets in Ruud with a real good grade. But this teams needs more a lot more from the MLB position. Hayes is good but he is no Brooks, Mccoy will be great but he is no Sapp, Jones os good but he is no Lynch. We need a dominate playmaker in the middle. When it is all said and done Ruud is just not that guy. 

I understand that the Bucs went through an easy schedule in 2010, and some on Bucsnation believe that is the reason why the Bucs did so well this past season. That can be true, the Bengals had an easy schedule in 2009 and they struggled this year, but I think how the Bucs players improve themselves is what will determine how they will do next year. 

I have seen many guys come in this league, have a good year and then fall off the face of the earth. Anthony Thomas the 2001 rookie of the year came in and was dubbed Anthony A-Train Thomas, he never looked special to me and after that season he never really produced in this league either. That same year Jim Miller had a good year as the Chicago QB and many looked at him as the answer at that position for the Bears, after 2001 he really never did anything in this league.I've seen a balanced running back in Travis Henry come in an so some dominance and then fade away. We all know about the Michael Clayton experiment who looked like the answer to our wideout problems, and he just proved to be a problem instead of an answer. 

The Bucs had a great season and for the first time ever they were very fun to watch on offense. But in this league nothing stays the same, if you show that you can play the league will attempt to dismantle everything you do, and leave you high and dry with your hands in your pocket. If you have any kind of talent when you first come into this league or add an new wrinkle to your game you almost have an advantage when you first show case that talent, until of course the league picks you apart. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 NBA season the New Orleans Hornets looked like the best team in the league but as of right now they have fall out of the top 10, 1 NBA expert noted that they had brought in an new unique style that the league had no tape on, once the league studied the Hornets style they were average at best. This almost goes hand and hand with what I am talking about. 

Mike Williams, LeGarrette Blount, and Cody Grimm are 3 rookies who had stellar rookie seasons. They showed that they can play in this league while being effective at what they do. My thing is what will they do when the league attack their weakness and take away what they do best. Williams and Blount plays a big part on our offense take them away and that will reduce our production on offense dramatically, and if QBs can exploit Grimm weakness it will be like the Sabby experiment all over again. 

The next guy can make or break our whole team. Josh Freeman who just capped off a wonderful year, throwing for 25 TDs and only 6 picks. He showed what he can do and where he is strong at. In 2009 Josh just showed that he can play QB in this league. Now that the league will have time to look over the tape and take away what Josh is good at  how will he respond.

If there is 1 thing I like about Josh it's how he came in this offseason added new wrinkles to his game and got better. 1 key reason why Rah said he wanted Josh so bad is that Josh is always trying to get better, and that other guys on the team also gravitate towards getting better. I think Josh will continue to work hard and get better, but what about the other guys? WIlliams,Blount, and Grimm will need to make their weakness their strength and add new wrinkles plus continue to get better. While it seems that should be every player goal on the offseason, as I mentioned earlier I have seen talented players fall off the face of the earth. I don't think an harder schedule would stop this team from producing, I think it will be our players inability to get better as a unit that will stop us from producing. If we do forget about the NFC south we can be the best in the league. 

From 3and 13 to 10 and 6. The youngest team in the league has just come off an remarkable season. Who would of guess that our Bucs would end up 10 and 6. The best thing about our situation is that we are only going to get better with the seeds of the future we have in place. 

When you look at the lay out of this Buc team it has 80% of the pieces in place to be an title contender. Thats right I said and if you were to ask me this team is 1 consistent pass rusher away from being a title contender this year. As the 2009 season exposed who was real ( Roy Miller, Quincy Black) and who was fake ( Sabby, Clayton) the 2010 season exposed who this team can build around. Going into the 2010 draft I felt that all this team was missing was an explosive player on offense, a solid DT, and a better SS. Tampa addressed those issues with Mccoy, Price, Williams and Sean Jones, that played a big role in the Bucs race to 10. To see what more our Bucs need to contend in 2011, we should first take a look at what we got.

On offense I again say we have a solid offensive line, going into the offense I don't see the team wasting big money bringing in a big time free agent on the line or even drafting an O-linemen high. It would be nice to see Blunt workout this summer as hard as Freeman worked out last summer, it will not be so sweet for him next year. But it is nice to have LeGarrette on our side if he gets better then our team will be that much better. Our group of wideouts have the potential to be better than any other group in the league. Williams is a go to guy, Benn will be better next year, the young guys like Parker, Spurlock, and Briscoe are some good fill ins, Stoughter did not live up to expectations to me but I think he will be better once teams start keying in on Williams. Tightend Kellen Winslow turned in another solid year and continues to be 1 of the best in the league, and John Glimore is solid at the backup tightend position. Of course we have an all world player in Josh Freeman, who has turned into a do it all quarterback the only thing that can stop this guy is injuries, there is a lot to say about this guy so I think I am going to save that for another post.

On defense, man man man this unit took me on a roller coaster this year. On the line we have really good serviceable defensive ends Crowder, White, Bennett, and Magee are all guys you would want to go to war with but none are difference makers. At defensive tackle let me tell you we got a stud in MR. Gerald Mccoy. Before he got hurt he started turning the corner at his position he is definitely someone we can build around. It is not fair to make a grade on Price but, he will have to prove himself to get playing time next year as Miller will still be over the nose after a solid year and Al Woods is a great player to have in our rotation. Overall I do not expect no new faces in the DT rotation. At linebacker Quincy Black and Geno Hayes are exactly what this team needs at the OLB position and Dekoda Watson plus Adam Hayward are some nice dependable backups. Ruud leaves me scratching my head. He finished the season strong but did not live up to expectations while still making stops way off the line of scrimmage. While I don't see the team making it a top priority to replace him, I will not be surprised if there is someone else manning the middle in 2011. In the secondary I again say we have some of the best DBs in the league with some new faces to add to that list. Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber, E.J. Biggers, Myron Lewis, and Elbert Mack gives the Bucs great depth at the corner position. When T-Jak went down I was like it is going to be big play after big play all over again like 2009, but Cody Grimm came in and did a stellar job and was better at run support than was Ruud. When Grimm went down, Lynch seemed to be Grimm clone. Sean Jones came in and did what I expected him to do, get a lot of stops and he also did not give up many big plays.

So to some this thing up and to answer what the Bucs need in 2011 to contend is this. 1 consistent pass rusher on the edge, and 1 player on offense who can score at any given point of a game. Both of those type of players protect the 2 players who will lead this team Josh Freeman who is in the race to be great,and Gerald Mccoy who is starting his race to be great. That explosive player on the offensive side of the ball is all this offense is missing, if it's a back that will be even great, but if it's a wideout then it will open things up even more. The consistent pass rusher should be the main priority for this team in the off season. This defense is good but with that pass rusher this defense is early 2000s BucBall good. That type of player would even make our DBs a whole lot better than they really are. If we get a consistent pass rusher and an explosive speed demon on offense we will contend in 2011 no matter the schedule.

We have gotten off to a fast start in our race to ten, and it is now a race to 8. But we have beaten some ok teams in Carolina and Cleveland. This week will expose who is for real and who is just doing enough to get by. Our run defense will be highly tested Tampa has showed that we have 1 of the best and complete secondaries in the league. With Dixon hurt, and Tomlin knowing our Tampa2 ways I think our run defense will be in for a pounding, and the 2 guys to help keep us stable will be Ruud and Sean Jones they will need to make plays consistently Sunday. If our offense can move the ball on the Steel Curtain then we will be able to move the ball against anyone. We don't have to put up big numbers, but it would be nice if we move the ball the same way we did against Cleveland and Carolina. If our run D holds up then I think 17 to 20 points will be more than enough to win this game. 

If Carnell "Cadillac" Williams was truly a vehicle he would be 1 that has had some serious damage, but through hard work and reconstruction your Cadillac is as good as new. I mean I am talking serious damage to the engine, alternator, carburetor, tires, rims, pistons, battery, serious damage. This is the case with Buccaneers running back Cadillac Williams, he has been getting injured, rehabbing, and bouncing back for a long time. 

As a highly requited running back out of Alabama Williams chose to play football at  Auburn University. In week 9 of the 2001 season Williams had a breakout game against Arkansas and he was then promoted to the starting position. Two weeks when Auburn played their in state rivals Alabama, Williams broke his collar bone. He left that game early and sat out the rest of the 2001 season. In 2002 Williams bounced back, and early in the season he showed why he was had the nickname Cadillac. In week 7, Williams had broke his left fibula and had to sit out the rest of the 2002 season. 2003 was good times for Williams and Auburn football. At the beginning he shared the same backfield with Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins. But when Ronnie got hurt early Williams became the feature back and had his best season and did not get hurt, and he set a Auburn record with 17 touchdowns. 2004 Williams continued with his recent success all while staying injured free and helping lead Auburn to a 13-0 record. 

In 2005 Williams was drafted by the Bucs, and well we all know what happened after that. His shows and gloves from week 3 was retired in the football hall of fame. Week 4 Williams had injuries in his ankle and foot that he battle with throughout the 2005 season. Still he was named rookie of the year and helped the Bucs to a 11-5 record. 2006 Cadillac struggled while battling  an injury, and the 2006 Bucs weak o-line made it no better. 2007 Williams caught the injury bug early in week 1 he left the game but still was able to play up until week 4. 

In week 4 of the 2007 season Williams right leg buckled on an 18 yard run, he had torn his patellar tendon. William's needed surgery and that ended his season, Williams was also told that he would not be able to return to full strength. 2008 Williams of curse had to rehab in order to play, and was not ready until week 12.He came back against Detroit,  but was being used sparingly he still showed that he still had it though. The last game of the season Williams tore his left patellar tendon, many questioned rather he would ever play again. 2009 Williams looked like a brand new Cadillac, playing in every game and while he did not put up top numbers, it was miraculous to see Cadillac run again, I think Ken Hamlin knows what I am talking about. 

The injuries Cadillac went through are career ending injuries. And as a matter of fact some players could never recover from the injuries physically, and some players are not able to handle the situation mentally. Not Cadillac who has had so much work done to his body getting hurt and rehabbing over and over again. He always bounced back though and as long as he stays healthy he will show the world once more why he is nicknamed Cadillac. 

Ask your self a big question, why in the world did Joe Dumars (The Pistons GM) spend all that money last year when he could of got a good crop of players this year. Joe knew in 2009 that Wade, Bron, and Bosh was going to be playing together. Joe also knew guys like Dirk, Yao, and Gay would resign with their respected teams. He knew that then and spent the money in 2009 instead of waiting. Some will say well he could of got a shot at Amare, Boozer or Joe Johnson. Not in Joe D Mastermind. Joe knew that Amare would either be traded by Phoenix, or he would stay with the Suns or go back with his old coach in New York. Joe knew that he was not going to match all the money ATL or any other team was going to throw at Joe Johnson. Another reason why Joe D did not go at those second tier of players in this free agency class is because it would put a limit on the other players he would need to get to compliment Amare or Joe Johnson. Joe D just did not want Carlos Boozer, he had a chance to get him last year but well we will just leave it at that, he just did not want Boozer. So instead of looking like New Jersey who instead of getting any major superstar and just end up picking a bunch of ok talent. Joe D got 2 of the best players in the 09 market that would benefit his team in the future.

Tampa has recently ran there first goal line drill, which marked the first day of tackling. This drill simulates a goal line situation for both the 1st string offense and defense. And according to Raheem Morris there was a lot of competing going on and  a few players who stood out. 

The D-line continues to improve, Mccoy, Price, and Moore each stood out in the Bucs first day of full contact.We all know that Mccoy and Price can rush the passer but they showed how good they are in the power department in the goal line drill. Keydrick Vincent got some snaps with the 1st team o-line at left guard, Vincent really seems like he will bring a nice physical presence along the offensive line. Rather Keydrick will start or not I think is up in the air. Kareem Huggins has been receiving praises  for his jump cut ability since training camp started, if this guy continues to improve he can be an x-factor on this roster.

Raheem also talked about the development of Dre Moore, Moore comes from a Maryland program who produce some raw athletic talent( Bruce Campbell, Hayward-Bey, Vernon Davis, Shawne Merriman) if he can use that athleticism he has in the d-line rotation, Dre can spare Mccoy some nice minuets at the 3 technique. Roy Miller also got some work at full back  I am not sure how often he will play full back in a game, but it is proven that teams can gain an edge by having a 6th or 7th offensive linemen on the field. It's early and there still is a lot more to prove but every practice, every snap, every tackle is important when you are trying to be great. 

In an interview with Raheem Morris someone asked the question, Is everything in place for your team to win this year. Raheem answered the question by saying it's a race to ten. He elaborated on the statement by saying the Bucs are in a race to win Ten games, that will step them up for a playoff run and they would be ready to compete with any one from there on. Why a coach answered the question( is everything in place for your team to win this year) by saying it's a race to ten, will tell what he believes this team can accomplish. 

Break down the question, 1 part comes down to Rah giving an evaluation about his roster, and he answered by saying the Bucs are in a race to ten. No coach is going to say that unless he is sure he has that pieces in place to do this. What Tampa lacked last year, they have addressed in the offseason. There is still optimism about they way the Bucs addressed their issues, because they did so with some unproven and young talent. Raheem is not optimistic about what he has though. He is confident about the jump the team is about to take during training camp.That confidence in Raheem is something to feel good about, if you are a Buc fan. 

Another part of the question came down to Rah answering if he think the team can win or not, and again the answer to the question was it's a race to ten. Expectations for the Bucs have them not even a .500 team. But everyone expects them to win at least more than the 3 games they won last year. Those are not Raheem expectations for his team.Body language and tone of vice tells you how a person truly feels when asked a question liked Raheem was asked. Rah answered the question like there is not a doubt in his mind that his team can go out there and win 10 or more games this year. The fact that he did not have that confidence last year should also be a sign of how far the Bucs have came.If Raheem had said that his team was in a race to ten last year everyone would look at him like he's crazy. Last year he was an assistant thrown into the fire of building a young team with no direction. This year it is different, it's a different vibe, a it's different swag, and a different level of confidence.

Tampa went 3 and 13 in the 2009-2010 season. There was a lot of speculation about the talent, and development of the team up until the end of the year when the team started to show a little promise. Even with all the up and downs Tampa went through last year, it is interesting to see What Tampa would be like without their Head Coach Raheem Morris.

The Buccaneers owners wanted a young staff, and the formula they wanted executed on the field was an strong running attack with an stout defense against the run. The 09-2010 roster was being built to have a strong running attack and a Stout defense. The draft would of went the same except for this. The Bucs would not have drafted Josh Freeman unless he was available in later rounds.

The Bucs would of either traded up for Mark Sanchez or Matthew Satfford or they would of drafted the best DT on the board who would of been Peria Jerry. Freeman's inconsistency in college had him down graded and picking him was a high risk. But Raheem had a better tool to look at Freeman than any other scout had in the 2009 NFL draft. Morris was the defensive coordinator for Kansas Sate while Freeman was at KSU. Raheem was sold that not only was Josh good for Tampa, but he was the best QB out of Josh, Mark and Matthew in 2009. That alone made Tampa ready and willing to roll the dice on Freeman. 

Not only would there be no Freeman under center but the special teams would not be as strong either. Raheem used a different approach in camp last year and had some practices based only on the special teams, he also said that it was a bonding technique and thats why he called it his We-fense. It payed off in the long run cause Tampa had a effective special teams last year. I am not sure if some other coach would of detailed his special teams unit the way Rah did. 

Josh Freeman and Greg Olson development would of took a back seat in 2009. Even though the owners were not happy with Jags approach to the offense, they did not want Olson as a coordinator for their youthful staff. Raheem wanted Olson and believed in his system, and in a way would put pressure on the front office to give Olson a shot. If Olson did not get the job as OC this would of stunt Olson growth as a play caller of what can be an effective offense. And it would stunt Freeman growth cause of this. By the time Olson became the coordinator no one on the planet knew when to start Freeman but Olson. He had a plan for Freeman and he has done a good job putting it to work so far. 

The defense would of had no hope no matter how you look at it. It was no secret that last year the player personnel for the style of defense the owners wanted was not a good fit. And if Raheem was not here nothing about the Tampa2 would be here, so there is no reason to believe that they would of switched to another style like Rah did. The jump the D made after the switch last year would of been the same jump the strong point of attack defense would of made this year, if Rah was not here. 

The last thing of notice that would be different if Raheem Morris was not in Tampa is, Tampas competitive edge. There were on a few occasions last year where the Bucs had no chance at winning, but competed all the way to the end. That says a lot about the character, and will of the Bucs. And those are things that a team takes from their coach, the person who installs that into the players, especially in young talent. More important Raheem gave this team a identity and since of direction. The team Raheem took over had no identity or since of direction. I am not sure if another young coach could of had Tampa headed in the direction it is headed now under Raheem. 

Overall without Raheem Tampa would have no Tampa2, no Freeman, and not a strong special teams for sure. Who ever they would have brought in to coach might have installed a good competitive spirt, and probably could of gave the Bucs a since of direction plus an identity, but that is just a possibility. With Raheem those things are a guarantee. I am not sure the Bucs can be in a better position they are in now.