2011 NFL Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2010 Record: 10-6



Offense:



Freeman burst onto the scene last season, and I am becoming a believer. He is big, tough to take down, and seems to be a flair for the dramatic. He kind of plays like Roethlisberger, and by that I mean he is able to extend the play by shedding tacklers, and finding an open receiver. The question for me is what is around him. Blount was solid last year, but very inconsistent. Mike Willaims is going to be really good, but is only in his 2nd year. Kellen Winslow is probably his best option and he led the team with 66 catches last year. This unit should be better then last year, as they all get more comfortable with each other and mature. They didn't really add anything, so it's all going to be banking on the fact of these guys improving.



Defense:



Tampa for the most part still plays a Cover 2, the key to this is getting pressure from their d-line. That is why Tampa used two draft picks in 2010 (Gerald McCoy and Brian Price) and two this year on DEs (Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers). It will be interesting to see how Bowers does and if he can play. At one point people thought he would be the #1 pick, so the Bucs might have got a steal. Losing Barrett Ruud is going to hurt, and I am really surprised the Bucs didn't sign more free agents to help this defense out, especially with a guy like 36-year-old corner Ronde Barber not getting any younger. What will also hurt the probable loss of Aqib Talib, who could be facing a major suspension after his felony assault charges from an off-season shooting.



Overall:



I like this team, but I think they overachieved a bit last year. They were 2-5 against playoff teams (and one of the wins were the Seahawks), and this year their schedule looks to be much tougher.



2011 Record: 8-8

With The 20th Pick In The NFL Draft The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select...

DP's Pick:
Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA

With all of the DE's practically off the board the Bucs select a LB. The passed two years the Bucs selected 2 DT's so getting a physical specimen such as Ayers is a must. He should be able to shoot the gaps as well as be decent in cover. He's also a great tackler so that's always a plus.

BMack's Pick:
Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue

There are some questions if Kerrigan is an every down DE, but he is a sack machine (12.5 sacks last year), and that is something the Bucs need terribly after ranking 30th in the NFL in sacks. On top of that he led the country in tackles for loss, so he knows how to shed blocks and get behind the line. Very solid pick by the Bucs here, and somewhat of a steal if he falls this far.