Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Head Coach: Lovie Smith (0-0 all-time in Tampa, 81-63 all-time)
Last Year's Results: 4-12, no playoffs
Projected Starters:
(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)
OFFENSE:
QB: Josh McCown (AS)
RB: Doug Martin (GS)
FB: Lonnie Pryor (PS)
WR: Vincent Jackson (HQ)
WR: Mike Evans (R)
TE: Timothy Wright (AS)
C: Evan Dietrich-Smith (AS)
RG: Jamon Meredith (BAS)
LG: Carl Nicks (HQ)
RT: Demar Dotson (GS)
LT: Anthony Collins (GS)
DEFENSE:
DE: Adrian Clayborn (PS)
DE: Michael Johnson (GS)
DT: Akeem Spence (PS)
DT: Gerald McCoy (E)
WLB: Lavonte David (E)
MLB: Mason Foster (BAS)
SLB: Jonathan Casillas (AS)
CB: Alterraun Verner (GS)
CB: Johnthan Banks (BAS)
SS: Mark Barron (AS)
FS: Dashon Goldson (BAS)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Connor Barth
P: Michael Koenen
Schedule:
vs. Carolina
vs. St. Louis
vs. @ Atlanta
vs. @ Pittsburgh
vs. @ New Orleans
vs. Baltimore
BYE WEEK
vs. Minnesota
vs. @ Cleveland
vs. Atlanta
vs. @ Washington
vs. @ Chicago
vs. Cincinnati
vs. @ Detroit
vs. @ Carolina
vs. Green Bay
vs. New Orleans
Predicted Results: 7-9 (3-3 in division)
Team Analysis: Parity exists in the NFL. It seems like every year in the NFL, there is a team that comes out of nowhere and goes from "worst" in the division to "first". In 2012, it was the Indianapolis Colts. In 2013, it was the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2013, it could very well be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What do the Bucs have in common with both those Colts and Chiefs teams? They made significant upgrades at both head coach and quarterback. The two most important parts on an NFL football team. The Bucs dumped former head coach Greg Schiano as the player's just weren't buying what he was selling and you could tell by watching the Bucs play under Schiano. Mike Glennon was decent with the Bucs last season, but he failed to complete over 60% of his passes, threw for less than 3,000 yards and had a QB rating of 83.9. An upgrade was needed and the Bucs went and signed Josh McCown from Chicago. McCown took over for the Bears last season after Jay Cutler went down and actually looked pretty good (Bears head coach Marc Trestman is an excellent QB coach though....). McCown completed over 65% of his passes, threw for 18 TD's with only 1 interception and had a QB rating of 109.0. While McCown isn't a HUGE upgrade over Glennon, he's a big enough improvement that Bucs fans should actually excited to see what happen this year on offense.
Josh McCown isn't the only reason to have interest in Tampa Bay's offense though. The Bucs have some solid weapons that could see their games get raised thanks to the addition of McCown. Doug "The Muscle Hamster" Martin returns from an injury and looks to pick up where he left off in 2012 after he exploded into the league. When he's healthy, Martin has shown that he has the skills to be a top running back in the NFL. Look for him to have a huge year this season. One reason why I'm comfortable that McCown is going to be successful in the NFL? Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. McCown enjoyed a lot of success with Chicago last season because he had Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery's to throw the ball to. In Tampa, he'll have a proven stud in Jackson and one of my favorite players in this last summer's draft, Mike Evans. The Bucs also have a good offensive line, so McCown should get plenty of time to throw the ball. I honestly don't hear anyone talking about Buccaneers players when it comes to fantasy football (Lovie Smith effect?), but keep an eye on this team. The offense will put up some points.
The part that really worries me about the Bucs is their defense. They have two guys that I would consider "elite" and a bunch of other guy's that either need to improve or find new homes. Bucs fans should rejoice though that they have a head coach who knows how to get more out of his defense than most coaches. Lovie is a former defensive coordinator who consistently had some of the scariest defenses while head coach of the Bears. If he can recapture some of the success in Tampa Bay and turn this defense around, this team could be a hell of a lot better than even I'm giving them credit for. As I mentioned earlier, the Bucs feel the part of a "surprise team" in 2014. I have them finishing 7-9, but it wouldn't shock me to see them finish with 10 wins either. Either way, keep an eye on these guys. The arrow is pointing "up" with this franchise....
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