Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

With the NFL Football season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 32 teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NFL Football Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the NFL in our recommened sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2009 NFL Season Previews here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2008 NFL Record: 9-7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers ATS (Against The Spread): 8-8

With four weeks left in the 2008 regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in control over their own destiny. They had a 9-3 record and were first in the division, and were surging behind reinstated quarterback Jeff Garcia. However, the Bucs would lose their last four games, two against division rivals, to finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs. The collapse would mark the end of the Jon Gruden era, and many familiar faces would be released during the off season. The Buccaneers at times struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Neither Earnest Graham nor Carnell Williams was healthy for the entire season. Garcia was by far the best option at quarterback for the club, but he only threw for 12 touchdowns in the 12 games he played. The defense was great against the pass, ranking fourth in pass yards allowed by sub par against the run, ranking 19 th. The unit, a mix with a cast of young and emerging stars and a few veteran holdovers, ranked 10 th in points allowed.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 2009 PREVIEW

The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done some major modifications to the whole system this year starting with the firing of head coach Jon Gruden, after his 7 years the organization wanted a change. They wanted to bring in a younger guy to help relate with the players, so they move Raheem Morris to the head coaching position. Defensive cordinator Monte Kiffin left to be the Defensive Coordinator for his son at the University of Tennessee. Jim Bates over the defensive cordinator job, he has been coaching in the NFL for 17 years. The Buccaneers also hire Jeff Jagodzinski to make the offense more of a physical run-oriented system rather than the west coast offense they ran under Gruden. Jeff Garcia is now in with the Raiders, so they bring in Byron Leftwich and they also draft quarterback Josh Freeman. They pick up free agent Derrick Ward to help the offense, they also decide to make a trade to pick up Kellen Winslow. The Buccaneers also unload some players that have been the face of the team for years Warrick Dunn, Joey Galloway, and Derrick Brooks have all been let go. The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Preview looks to be about the same as the 2008 Season.

2009 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS OFFENSE:

There are two major questions for the offense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009. The first is which quarterback is going to be running the show. Free agent pickup Byron Leftwich certainly has the experience and the arm to win the battle. But the team may decide to hand over the reigns to rookie Josh Freeman, allowing him to develop by learning after seeing the success of the division rival Atlanta Falcons with Matt Ryan starting his rookie campaign last season. Either way, the quarterback will have Antonio Bryant, who was resigned in the off season and trade import Kellen Winslow to throw the ball to. The second major question is the health of their running backs and the status of the pecking order. The team has Carnell Williams, Earnest Graham and free agent pickup Derrick Ward all eager and capable of carrying the ball if they all remain healthy. Ward will see a good dose of action either way, as his speed provides a great change of pace. If all three backs remain healthy and happy in the shared role, the Bucs could be fielding one of the best running attacks in football, which would make life much easier for whichever quarterback gets the job.

2009 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS DEFENSE:

The lone big name holdover from the Super Bowl season is cornerback Ronde Barber, who is still performing at a high level in pass coverage and on the blitz. But the stars of the defense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are their young core players. Linebacker Barrett Ruud has already established himself as a leader and a force in the middle of the field. Cornerback Aqib Talib had an excellent rookie season and should be even better with the year of experience under his belt. Defensive end Gaines Adams has had two strong seasons and could be ready to explode into a dominating force in this third. With that trio of young players, one each in every line of the defense, the Buccaneers have visions of returning to a shutdown force for years to come.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 2009 SEASON PREDICTIONS

We predict that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finish 4th in the NFC South, with a record of 6-10.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS BETTING

Super Bowl Odds: +10000

NFC Conference Odds: +4000

NFC South Odds: +600

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