Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Preview: Time to Change

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.



I think we've found our slogan (and theme song!) for the 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a disappointing end to the 2008 regular season, including a somewhat embarrassing 31-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders -- at home -- to close out the campaign and fall short of the playoffs, the Buccaneers cleaned house this offseason. Enter a new head coach, new defensive coordinator, two new offensive coordinators, new quarterback, a number of veterans cut loose, and a couple of big additions through free agency and trade. A lot of moves, but will they be enough to get Tampa Bay back into the postseason?

Offense: First-round pick Josh Freeman is, hopefully, the future of the Buccaneers offense, but the present belongs to veteran Byron Leftwich. The 29-year-old quarterback played well in his limited time with the Steelers a season ago, but he struggled in his previous stops with Jacksonville and Atlanta. He's simply keeping the seat warm until Freeman is ready to take over. The strength of the offense should be the running game that includes Earnest Graham, former first-round pick Cadillac Williams, and free agent acquisition Derrick Ward, a 1,000-yard runner with the New York Giants in 2008. Antonio Bryant rejuvenated his career in '08 with his best season ever, hauling in a career-best 83 passes -- 36 more than the next closest player on the roster, a tie between Ike Hilliard and Warrick Dunn, both no longer with the team. It's a thin group behind him and Michael Clayton. I've never been a huge Kellen Winslow fan, but he should still help in the passing game and be an upgrade over whatever it was Jerramy Stevens provided as a starter. Assuming Winslow stays healthy, of course. I'm not sold on Leftwich as a starter over the course of a full season, or the lack of depth at the receiver position, but I like the potential the Bucs have on the ground. Heat Index: 7


Defense: The always stout Buccaneers defense ended up being the teams undoing down the stretch in 2008, including the disastrous four-game losing streak to end the season. Just to rehash it one more time: the Buccaneers surrendered 756 yards on the ground over the final four weeks on just 144 attempts. That's 189 yards per game, and over 5.2 yards per carry. Yikes. After using its first-round pick on Freeman, Tampa Bay went defensive line with its next two picks and selected defensive tackle Roy Miller from Texas, and defensive end Kyle Moore from USC. The Bucs also added Maurice Evans on waivers from the New York Giants this past weekend. Veteran Derrick Brooks was part of the offseason roster purge, which leaves Barrett Ruud as the only proven commodity at the linebacker position. Heat Index 6.

Special Teams. For the first 32 years of their existence, we had to listen to every announcer remind us of the fact that the Buccaneers had never had a kickoff returned for a touchdown. In 2007, Michael Spurlock saved us from that weekly ritual by taking a kick 90 yards for a touchdown. In 2008, the Buccaneers did themselves one better and found a pro bowl caliber return man in Clifton Smith. He averaged over 27 yards per kickoff return, 14 yards per punt return, and scored two touchdowns (one kick, one punt) in the return game. Rookie Sammie Stroughter saw time returning kicks this preseason, including a 75-yard return against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. Statistically, the Bucs had one of the best kick coverage units in the NFL a season ago, while Mike Nugent takes over as the new kicker, replacing Matt Bryant. Heat Index: 8

Coaching. A lot of unknown here, which is why I gave them such a low mark. To replace Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers went young with Raheem Morris (currently the youngest coach in the NFL), hoping to find the next Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh. Losing one of the best defensive coordinators of all time in Monte Kiffin has to be considered a step backwards, and the team is already on its second offensive coordinator of the season even though the season hasn't started yet. I hope these guys know what they're doing. Heat Index: 4.

Intangibles. The Buccaneers opened their offseason by purging the roster, tearing the whole thing to the ground and seemingly starting over from scratch with a fresh coaching staff and a new approach. Though it's still unclear as to what, exactly, that approach is. If you're going to rebuild, why sign a 29-year old running back (even if he is a pretty good player) and trade a draft pick for Kellen Winslow, and then immediately sign him to a huge contract extension? Speaking of Winslow, the idea of him and Antonio Bryant in the same huddle, and the same locker room, should be somewhat of a concern. Heat Index: 4

Overall. 29/50 -- At this point, there appears to be more questions than answers in Tampa Bay. I could see them winning nine games again, and I could easily see them picking near the top of the draft in 2010, especially if they get off to a slow start with what appears to be, on paper, a brutal first-half schedule, including games against every NFC East team, plus home games with divisional rival Carolina and AFC power New England.