Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Preview & Predictions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 NFL Record: 3-13 Home: 1-7 Away: 2-6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Preview

When Gerald McCoy was 14, he was a fan of the Buccaneers and their dominating defensive tackle Warren Sapp. So much so that when the Bues were beating the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, he and the pastor’s son were snealcing out of Sunday night church service to get scoring updates. How ironic. Now it’s the drafting of McCoy, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma, with the third overall pick that gives the Bucs a prayer of restoring their once-proud defense and competing in the NFC South. In fact, McCoy, who has been asked to fill the enornlOUS shoes left by Sapp at the 3-technique years ago, believes some divine intervention was involved. The Bucs are also counting on quarterback Josh Freeman to grow up quickly. Freeman showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie but needs to make better decisions with the ball after throwing 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in nine starts. One thing is certain: The Bucs are committed to building through the draft. Less certain is the fans’ patience with a team that went 3-13 a year ago.

2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterbacks

As a rookie, Freeman spent the first seven games on the sideline before winning his first start against the Packers. He finished with three wins in nine starts and still has much to work on, including his 54.5 percent accuracy. That was better, though, than the Jets’ Mark Sanchez or the Lions’ Matthew Stafford, the other first-round quarterbacks in his draft class. Freeman also showed great arm strength, poise in the pocket and the ability to feel and escape pressure. This year, he also must become the vocal leader of the team. The Bucs have decided to remain young at quarterback. They traded Byron Leftwich to the Steelers, leaving third-year pro Josh Johnson as the backup and Rudy Carpenter, whom they signed off the Cowboys’ practice squad, as the No.3.

2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Backs

Cadillac Williams made a remarkable conleback from two serious knee injuries that ended his ’07 and ’08 seasons. He led the team in rushing with 823 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bucs must milk more out of Derrick Ward, who was neither Earth, Wind nor Fire after signing a four-year, $17 million contract as a free agent from the Giants a year ago. Earnest Graham, who has been more effective as a tailback, was shifted to fullback the past two seasons and has struggled to stay healthy. The Bues would like to involve kick return man Clifton Smith as a third down back, but injuries have prevented him from taking over that role. Overall, the Bucs lack explosiveness at running back. Their longest run in 2009 was a 35-yarder by Williams.

2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receivers

The Bucs worked hard to find new targets for Freeman, and a pair of rookies could be their starting wide receivers. They used a second-round pick on Illinois’ Arrelious Benn, a 6’2″, 220-pound wide receiver who is big, physical and great after the catch, and then gambled a bit in the fourth round by taking Mike Williams of Syracuse. The 6’2″, 212-pound Williams missed all of 2008 for cheating on a test and the final three games of 2009 after leaving the team. But the Bues did their homework on Williams, and general manager Mark Dominik believes his team will “reap the rewards.” Tampa Bay also traded for Philadelphia’s Reggie Brown, who has just 27 receptions over the past two seasons. Of course, the biggest weapon for Freeman is tight end Kellen Winslow, who led the team in receiving last season and figures to do the same in 2010. He’s a matchup nightmare. The Bucs are excited about the play of Sammie Stroughter, who had 31 receptions as a roolcie and returns as the slot receiver. Maurice Stovall, who is in the final year of his contract, is a big contributor on special teams but needs to bring that fierceness to the receiver position.

2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Line

The Bucs still believe the offensive line is the strength of their team. But at this point, it’s fair to say the unit is a bit overrated after paving the way for the league’s 23rd-ranked rushing offense. The best of the bunch is right guard Davin Joseph, a road grader who was named to the Pro Bowl two years ago. But he struggled in some of the Zone-blocking schemes. Center Jeff Faine is the brains of the group and the old man at 28. But he could use some help at left guard, where Jeremy Zuttah struggled at the point of attack. Look for inspired play from tackles Donald Penn and Jeremy Trueblood, who will become unrestricted free agents in 2011. Penn already has lost 25 pounds and is determined to produce in a contract year.

2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense

McCoy doesn’t welcome the comparisons to Sapp, but the Bucs didn’t invest mega-millions in the Sooner star to get a cheap, sidewalk knockoff. McCoy is the foundation upon which the Bucs plan to rebuild their defense. Fortunately, he will have help. The Bucs used a second-round pick on UCLA’s Brian Price, a’move they hope will shore up their defensive interior for years. McCoy and Price figure to start in the spots manned by Ryan Sims (now a backup) and Chris Hovan (released) last year. A pair of second-year linemen, tackle Roy Miller and end Kyle Moore, are ready to blossom. Both were asked to gain about 25 pounds as rookies to play in Bates’ two-gap system, but they’ve stopped counting laps around the fast-food drivethrough, the weight is gone and their explosion is back Ends Tim Crowder and Michael Bennett are coming along, but Tampa’s best edge rusher is Stylez G. White, who led the team with 6.5 sacks and 34 quarterback pressures a year ago.

Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud isn’t flashy, but he is the quarterback of Morris’ defense and was the team’s leading tackler last season. He is better in Morris’ scheme than he was in the one Bates ran for 10 games in ’09. Morris will lean on Ruud to help direct a unit in which Geno Hayes and Quincy Black return on either side of him after being first-year starters in ’09. Hayes channeled his inner Derrick Brooks during the final six games of the season and is another run-andhit Florida State linebacker. The Bucs used a seventh-round pick on Dekoda Watson, another prototype Seminole who will likely play his way into the rotation.

Cornerback Ronde Barber is 35 and in the final year of his contract. This might not be a farewell tour, but it feels like goodbye. For the first time since his rookie season, he did not have an interception last year. Barber still is effective in the slot in nickel situations, but his eventual replacement is here. The Bucs used a thirdround pick on Vanderbilt’s Myron Lewis, who can stand up to the league’s more physical receivers at 6’2″, 203. The Bucs’ shutdown corner is Aqib Talib, who locked on to opponents’ No. 1 wideouts a year ago and stood up. Talib tied free safety Tanard Jackson for the club lead with five interceptions. The weak link is strong safety Sabby Piscitelli, who had just four passes defensed in 16 games and takes bad angles to the ball.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Season Prediction

The Bucs no longer have an identity crisis. They went through a painful transformation last season, but they have gone back to their roots by restoring the Tampa 2 defense and drafting accordingly. But there’s a lot more growing to do, and while fans and owners don’t like green bananas, this might be the right course. The Bucs have a favorable early schedule – four of the first six are at home – that could help the young players gain confidence, and it’s conceivable the team could hover around .500 this season. Even six wins would double their 2009 total.

We predict that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finish 4th in the NFC South, with a record of 5-11.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting

NFC South Odds: +2000 NFC Conference Odds: 60-1 Super Bowl Odds: 100-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Five-Year Win Betting Trends

2005: 11 2006: 4 2007: 9 2008: 9 2009: 3

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