Buccaneers-Cowboys: Dallas Teaches Young Bucs Some Tough Lessons, 45-27

When the Bucs look back at this one against the mighty Dallas Cowboys, they’ll focus on four plays. Take away those four plays and the Bucs hold Tony Romo to 121 yds and six points.

Unfortunately for a young team in a battle with possibly one of the NFL’s best teams, defensive lapses are going to happen.

It was up to Romo to take advantage of those mistakes and he most certainly did, leading the Cowboys to a 45-27 win over Tampa Bay.

Romo hit Miles Austin on a 42 yard touchdown late in the first half to put the Cowboys up at the half 13-7.

He then connected on throws of 66, 80, and 44 to lead the Cowboys to a 34-21 win over the plucky Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay’s offense was no slouch, either. The Buccaneers offense churned up 450 yards, bouyed by their sensational running game which pounded 173 yards on the ground.

Cadillac Williams led the way for Buccaneer rushers, slashing for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Derrick Ward added 69 yards and a score.

Byron Leftwich was solid, completing 25 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. The game also saw the return to form of Michael Clayton, who made some tremendous catches en route to a team-leading five catches and 93 yards.

The Buccaneers defense was solid until it wore down in the second half. Marion Barber led Dallas with 76 yards rushing and a game-sealing touchdown.

But this day belonged to Romo. With Tampa Bay leading 7-6, Romo found Miles Austin down the sideline on a busted coverage for a 42-yard score.

Busted coverages seemed to be a the rule of the day for the Tampa Bay defense. We told you before the ballgame that pressure on Romo would be crucial for the Bucs to have a chance to win.

The Bucs didn’t get the pressure they needed and the Cowboys took advantage of Tampa Bay’s young secondary.

Sabby Piscitelli had a day he would love to forget, going for Romo pump fakes several times during the ballgame and leaving receivers wide open down field, a Cardinal sin for a safety.

Piscitelli bit on a pump fake and allowed Roy Williams to split a seam down the middle of the field. Williams rumbled 66 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a commanding 20-7 lead.

The Bucs battled back, driving 84 yards in 11 plays and capping off the series with a one-yard score by new Buccaneer Derrick Ward. Tampa Bay trailed 20-14 with 13:45 left.

Romo would dash the Bucs hopes again two plays later. A well designed play had Bucs safety Sabby Piscitelli lined up against the Cowboys fastest receiver, Patrick Crayton. While Piscitelli has wheels, he couldn’t stay with Crayton. When the young safety bit on a Romo pump fake, it was all over for Tampa Bay.

Romo hit Crayton in stride and the speedy receiver raced 80 yards for a score to open up the lead to 27-14.

The Buccaneers wouldn’t give up, driving all the way to the Cowboys 26 yard line. Facing fourth and seven, Leftwich put the ball on the money to the Bucs’ top acquisition of the 2009 off-season, Kellen Winslow, Jr. but Winslow dropped the pass.

Romo would victimize the Buccaneers secondary again, hitting Crayton for 44 yard strike, setting up Marion Barber’s six-yard touchdown to seal the game for the Cowboys.

Leftwich led the Bucs back down the field one last time, capping an 11 play, 72-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Winslow to shave the lead to 34-21 with 1:28 left.

The Cowboys would recover the ensuing on-side kick and that would be the ballgame.

So for the young Buccaneers, they went toe-to-toe with allegedly one of the best teams in football and were in the ballgame most of the way.

There was a lot to be excited about for the Buccaneers, especially on offense. Tampa Bay faced a tough Dallas defense and moved up and down the field on the vaunted Cowboys. The Bucs simply couldn’t finish off enough drives to stay with Dallas.

Lapses in defensive concentration and shoddy play on special teams did them in.

You have to imagine Bucs GM Mark Dominik was on the phone with Matt Bryant to see how his hamstring is doing. Bryant’s replacement Mike Nugent had one kick blocked and missed a makeable one, costing the Bucs six points.

In the preseason, the one achilles heel of this new Bucs defense seemed to be the big play downfield.

That continues to be the case as of the first regular season game. Until the Bucs can pressure the quarterback or not go for pump fakes, streaking receivers will continue to be an unwelcome sight.

The good news for Tampa Bay is that the problems experienced aren’t due to talent deficiencies but mental errors.

The errors are correctable.

The Bucs can run the football and their offensive line protected Byron Leftwich, allowing no sacks by the team that led the league in that category last season.

If the Dallas Cowboys are truly one of the better teams in the NFL, Buccaneer fans can feel good that their team may not be that far away from contending themselves.

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Just Joshin’: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fall To Houston In Preseason Finale

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a glimpse of the future and some of it was pretty good as the Joshes—Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson—led the Greg Olsen Buccaneer offense against the Houston Texans.

Tampa Bay and Houston both played second and third team players the majority of the way. The number one defense played one series to begin the game and it made an impact, forcing a fumble by Texans TE Anthony Hill.

Unfortunately, Josh Freeman’s first pass was a little off the mark and was picked off by Brice McCain. McCain was hit by WR Brian Clark and he fumbled, giving the ball right back to the Buccaneers. It would eventually lead to a Mike Nugent field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Former first round pick Rex Grossman checked into the ballgame in the second quarter and promptly tossed an 87 yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Jacoby Jones to make it 7-3 Texans. Grossman would add another touchdown pass later in the second quarter to build the advantage to 14-3.

Freeman struggled throughout the contest with his accuracy. Another pass behind tight end Jason Pociask was intercepted by Houston linebacker Kevin Bentley that eventually led to a Houston field goal and a 17-3 advantage.

Freeman, who finished 7-for-17 with 85 yards, one TD and two interceptions, would finish his final preseason appearance strong. Leading the Bucs down the field in a two minute drill, Freeman finally showed some of the hallmarks that had the Bucs excited enough on draft day to move up in the first round and select him.

Marching the Bucs’ 74 yards in ten plays, Freeman used precision passing and his feet to convert on three third downs, culminating in a 23 yd laser beam to WR Cortez Hankton and his first career NFL touchdown pass (albeit in pre-season).

Josh Johnson came in to start the second half and his night started the same way as Freeman’s. An interception on the first play of the second half by Texans strong safety John Busing set the Texans up on the Tampa Bay one yard line. Former USF grad Andre Hall would take it in to put Houston up, 24-10.

It would be the only negative play on the night for Johnson, who showed Mike Vick-like speed, scrambling for 43 yards and making some tight passes down field. Johnson passed for 182 yards and a touchdown, making his strongest case for forcing Tampa Bay to carry four quarterbacks this season.

Johnson hit tight end Ryan Purvis on a beautiful 14 yard touchdown pass to pull the Bucs within seven at 27-20 with 8:14 left in the ballgame.

Johnson would lead the Bucs all the way down to the Houston five yard line with 1:14 left in the game but on fourth and goal, the scrambler would run out of time and be sacked by defensive tackle Frank Okam.

Bucs head coach Raheem Morris had three timeouts but decided that he had seen enough, allowing the Texans to run out the clock and end the exhibition season.

New Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olsen’s offense piled up 387 yards and 24 first downs. Despite resting running backs Derrick Ward, Earnest Graham, and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, the Buccaneers still rung up 124 yards rushing (although most of it came from the scrambling of Freeman and Johnson).

The Buccaneers completed a turbulent off-season and exhibition schedule at 1-3 and now begin their preparation for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Hopefully, the Bucs will be able to complete the week without any more drama.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Choose Byron Leftwich

NFL veteran Byron Leftwich has won the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting QB job according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Twitter.

Morris apparently informed ownership and his coaching staff of his decision on Friday night, then the team this morning.

Leftwich is the logical choice. A veteran, he has the most experience of all the quarterbacks on the Buccaneers roster and has the ability to make throws downfield—a trait missing from Buc QBs for some time.

The knock on Leftwich is his inaccuracy with his blazing throws and his long wind up that leads to sacks or fumbles.

McCown was give ample opportunity to win the job but failed to really take control of the job.

Josh Freeman was never really in consideration for the starting job as the team would like to bring him along slowly.

Leftwich told Pam Oliver during Fox’s national broadcast Thursday night that he hopes Freeman will “give me one year.”

Morris is expected to make the decision official either later today or tomorrow.

Bucs QB Quandry Still Stormy

The thunderheads rolled in like an ominous precursor to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home schedule. Between the raindrops the inadequacy of the Tampa Bay starting back quarterback situation came to light for the entire nation to see.

Byron Leftwich was too inaccurate. Luke McCown was too indecisive. Josh Freeman was both. Inept QB play wasted another solid showing of the Bucs underrated young defense that held the defending AFC East champion Miami Dolphins to 10 points and pitched four straight three-and-outs against Miami’s starters.

The defense would go on to limit Miami to 252 total yards, force three turnovers, and register five sacks.

Coupled with the running game that churned up 127 yards against a stingy Dolphin run defense (including 54 yards on eight carries by Carnell “Cadillac” Williams), the Bucs moved between the twenties through out the first half.

Unfortunately, accuracy was not Byron Leftwich’s strong suit. While he completed nine passes on 17 attempts for 101 yards, he missed wide open receivers down field that could have been big time plays. He also fumbled once in the red zone after holding the ball for too long.

Leftwich would leave the game after leading the Buccaneers to a 6-0 edge.

Luke McCown would take over midway through the second quarter – working the Bucs down to the Miami 35. He would then take consecutive sacks and the Bucs would find themselves out of field goal range.

In McCown’s defense, head coach Raheem Morris made the curious decision to put him behind the Bucs second and third string offensive lineman against Miami’s first team defense.

The results were as expected, not pretty. McCown would go 5-for-11 for just 38 yards.

McCown also had to sit with the rest of his teammates during a 45-minute lightning delay.

After getting a field goal right before halftime, Miami Head Coach Tony Sparano—perhaps not happy with his offense’s performance – kept starting Quarterback Chad Pennington and Miami’s number one offense to start the third quarter.

It allowed the Dolphins to work their way down the field on a five play 72-yard drive that was capped off by Chad Pennington some how avoiding a vicious Buccaneer pass rush to find a wide open Anthony Fasano in the end zone for the game’s only touchdown.

Miami led 10-6. McCown gave way to Tampa Bay number one draft pick Josh Freeman for the rest of the way.

Freeman wasn’t bad; he was just victimized by poor protection and penalties from his offensive line that resulted in no points in six possessions.

The Bucs were undisciplined in this one. 13 drive-killing penalties for 85 yards continuously plagued the team throughout the soggy contest.

So the Dolphins won the game, despite being outplayed most of the way by the young Bucs.

What was learned by Coach Morris? No matter whom he chooses quarterback is going to be a major problem for the Buccaneers. Leftwich may be the best of the bunch but that’s not saying much.

If the Bucs truly want to bring Josh Freeman along slowly, Leftwich must be the choice. There’s really no point to McCown. He needs reps at quarterback. If you’re going to give a quarterback on the job training, it might as well be Josh Freeman.

Lord knows he needs it.

While there’s certainly encouraging signs in the defense and the running game the ultimate downfall this season for the Buccaneers is going to be the quarterback situation.

The Bucs QB will likely have to only throw the ball 20-25 times a game. If Leftwich is the man, that translates to about nine completions.

Scary, isn’t it?

Bucs-Jags: Under Pressure

After a week where the secondary was decimated by off the field incidents, the Buccaneers defensive backs dealt with on the field miscues, giving up two long plays that led to fourteen points by the Jacksonville Jaguars and a 14-3 deficit.

Still, other than those two bumps the Bucs defense showed some life, especially in the pass rush department by sacking Jacksonville quarterbacks five times and pressuring them throughout the contest.

Gaines Adams bounced back after being invisible in week one. While he only registered one tackle in the game, Adams was disruptive in the Jags backfield pressuring starter David Garrard several times.

While the Bucs defense was hot and cold, the offense came alive under both Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown. The latter stated is strongest case to date of why he should be the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers.

After Leftwich led the Buccaneers to three points in three series, McCown took advantage of field position set up by a 76 yd kickoff return by rookie phenom Sammie Stroughter. McCown found Jerramy Stevens on a 17 yd score, shaving the lead to four.

After the defense pitched a three-and-out, McCown marched the Bucs 45 yds in 11 play, finishing it with a 9 yd touchdown pass to Stroughter to give the Bucs a lead before halftime.

The stats for the two competitors –

• McCown – 6-for-9, 51 yds, 2 Touchdowns
• Leftwich – 6-for-12, 63 yds, 1 rush for 2 yds.

Bucs top pick Josh Freeman came in in the third quarter and impressed on his opening drive. Freeman led the Bucs on an 11 play, 80 yd drive. Freeman converted three third downs on the drive including his 28 yd touchdown run that added to the Bucs lead 24-14.

Freeman would quarterback one more drive but poor field position and penalties would stymie the drive. Freeman finished 3-for-5 for 47 yds, 1 rush, 28 yds, 1 TD.

Josh Johnson came in for the fourth quarter but could not build on his solid effort in the pre-season opener. Johnson’s four drives resulted in three punts and a missed 46 yd field goal by Mike Nugent. Johnson would pass for 21 yds on 2 completions in four attempts.

While the quarterbacks continued to battle for the head job, the Bucs running game got on track, pounding out 159 yards and averaging 4.2 yards per carry. The Bucs top free agent acquisition Derrick Ward showed some sensational moves as he cut through gaping holes and hurdled tacklers for 40 yds on just five carries.

Defensively, the Bucs weren’t happy with their pass defense. Despite offering a steady pass rush, David Garrard carved up the Bucs secondary for 216 yds and a touchdown. Most of the damage was done by wide out Troy Williamson who finished with three catches, 147 yds, and that 74 yd touchdown score on the game’s opening play.

Sabby Piscitelli had a rough outing, missing a couple assignments that led to long passing plays.

Bucs reserve defensive end Louis Holmes stated his case to make the team, registering two sacks.

Both Tanard Jackson and Aquib Talib played in the ballgame. Jackson was suspended for the first four games by the NFL for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Talib was arrested the next day for punching a cabby in the head. He’s expected to also be suspended, leaving the Buccaneers without two key members of their secondary at the start of the season.

The Bucs secondary added a couple names to the injury list as linebacker/safety Jermaine Phillips suffered a shoulder bruise and Elbert Mack suffered an ankle injury. Phillips is expected to play on Thursday night against Miami. Safety Will Allen (shoulder) should be back for the Dolphins game.

Tampa Bay’s Angelo Crowell will not be as lucky. The oft-injured linebacker will be out for the remainder of the season with a torn bicep. Crowell was signed despite recovering from a knee problem and was expected to add experience to a young linebacking core.

Head Coach Raheem Morris had previously stated the Buccaneers would decide on the quarterback competition after the second pre-season game. After an entire off-season of organized team activities, a training camp and two pre-season games neither Luke McCown or Byron Leftwich appear to have a tight reign on the job.

Leftwich seemed to have the advantage, but after another week were he was largely inaccurate and a strong performance of McCown, who showed he can lead the Bucs to scores in the red zone, the choice is as muddy as ever.

Statistically speaking, through two games, McCown has a decided edge in passer rating (107.5 to 73.2), completion percentage (58.8% to 46.2%) and touchdown passes (2 to 1). Leftwich has thrown for more yards (124 yds to 70 yds).

It should be interesting to see if Morris expands the QB competition another week or decides to make a final decision based on the evidence he has.

T-Jacked: Tanard Jackson’s Indiscretion Puts the Bucs in a Bind

He’s never been to the Pro Bowl, but he was a crucial part of the Buccaneer defense. Tanard Jackson was the one piece head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jim Bates didn’t need to worry about. He was T-Jack, the hard-hitting, talented young safety and the anchor of the Bucs secondary.

Now, he is a man fighting his own demons. What came to light Tuesday afternoon was the obvious battle each player must deal with that fans of the sport could not possibly know about.

As fans, we only see the players on the field, at practice, or on TV. We can’t possibly understand the temptations that confront players on a daily basis—how making the wrong choice could not only wreck your career, but also your life.

“It was something that was before I got into this league,” he told the St. Petersburg Times, ”but it kind of lingered on and led to my suspension.”

To be suspended by the league for substance abuse, you have failed one test and then either failed a second or have not met the terms while being in stage one of the substance abuse program.

“I had to comply with some things and as a result of that, that’s what led to my suspension,” Jackson said.

Jackson didn’t elaborate on which particular demon he is dealing with, but it’s apparent that it’s been getting the better of him. It’s such a shame. On a young football team he was an emerging force, one the Buccaneers were looking toward to take the torch from leaders like Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks. He was to fill the leadership void caused by NFL attrition.

Now the one kid you didn’t worry about, you must. It’s well documented that some athletes cannot overcome their demons. Guys like Darryl Strawberry, with all the talent in the world, saw their careers derailed by substance abuse.

Jackson has a promising career in front of him—but there’s one last difficult choice he will need to make.

Are the drugs more important to him than playing football? For Ricky Williams, marijuana was…until he realized that he couldn’t feed his habit without an income.

Jackson is at the crossroad.

Down one road is denial. “I’ve got it under control. I’ll just do it in the offseason and cut it out during the season.”

Down the other is redemption. “I’ve got to get this in check. I can’t let down my family, my team, my coaches, and fans anymore.”

Williams is a league success story, as are some other players who struggled with their own demons and went into the substance abuse program. Williams returned from his self-imposed exile and has not relapsed. He’s been a contributor to the Dolphins’ resurgence and a poster child of redemption.

Still, each day he is tempted. Sometimes the temptation gets the better of you.

Look at Texas Rangers and former Tampa Bay Devil Ray draft pick Josh Hamilton. He too struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. The Rays finally had given up on the promising outfielder after several relapses.

Hamilton finally conquered the demons and became an All-Star. Not even that could prevent him from having a setback. One moment of weakness, and he was in front of Ranger nation having to own up to his weakness.

With so much money in your pocket and the forces of evil surrounding you, if you have that weakness, it’s difficult to “just say no.”

At this point, the Buccaneers have a big question mark in a spot they thought was one of the few answers on the team. The team not only is scrambling to fill the void for the four games Jackson will not be allowed to play, but they also may need to start looking at long-term solutions to protect themselves in case Jackson slips again.

Derrick Brooks was fond of saying, “Every day, the team is looking to upgrade on you.”

While the team will be supportive of Jackson and try to give him the help he needs, the NFL is a win now business. At the end of the day, Raheem Morris must win to remain employed. If Jackson can’t be counted on to help him do that, the team will need to move on at some point.

Hopefully for Jackson, this latest setback will be his last, and he can become the next success story in the NFL substance abuse program.

Bucs-Titans: More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were some positives and some negatives to take out of the first dress rehearsal of 2009. Ironically, it was the distinct similarities to the ’08 squad that seemed a bit perplexing for this football team. Dominant defense and pedestrian offense…gee, where have we seen that before?

The Buccaneers’ defense held the Titans to 278 yards, sacked Tennessee quarterbacks twice, and intercepted starter Kerry Collins twice. They displayed a swarming style that maintained a lot of pressure throughout the contest. In fact, the Titans really didn’t show much offensive productivity until the second half, when all the Bucs’ regulars were out of the game.

Stylz G. White (formerly known as Greg White) had a spectacular ballgame, tipping and intercepting a Collins pass as he tumbled backward, setting up a score for Tampa Bay. White followed up on the next possession with a sack of Collins that put the Titans deep in their own territory. A holding call in the end zone during a punt would net the Bucs a safety and a 9-3 lead.

On the flipside, however, things were not very good for the Buccaneer offense. Keeping in mind that the Tennessee defense is no slouch, the Bucs managed only 256 yds of total offense.

The interesting dynamic in the offensive output was the play calling. It was very Gruden-esque for a team that has publicly stated they are going to be a run-first ballclub. 36 pass attempts versus 26 running attempts do not really translate to a run first mentality.

However, considering the Bucs are trying to decide who will be the quarterback for the start of the 2009 season, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that you can’t decide on a quarterback by having the competitors turn around and hand the ball off.

Ah, those competitors. Luke McCown looked like…well, Luke McCown. He was indecisive, didn’t have the accuracy he should have (4-for-8, 19 yds) and the offense was stagnant while he was in there.

Byron Leftwich had the look of a starter. While he completed under 50 percent in completions, he was victimized by several dropped passes by Tampa Bay wide outs. Leftwich displayed the command of the huddle and a cannon arm.

He also took a few chances, one of which resulted in a 24 yd touchdown pass to WR Brian Clark. Leftwich also just missed on a deep ball to WR Maurice Stovall.

Leftwich’s aggressive approach opened up holes in the running game, which was stymied under McCown. Both Derrick Ward and Clifton “Peanut” Smith showed flashes behind the Tampa Bay offensive line’s new zone blocking scheme.

Josh Freeman was accurate, completing 5-of-9 passes for 52 yds but learned a valuable rookie lesson. Freeman stared down a receiver running an out, Titans defensive back Ryan Mouton watched the rookie’s eyes and jumped the route, picking it off and racing untouched 29 yards for a touchdown.

Second year pro QB Josh Johnson looked solid in the four quarter, displaying his dazzling speed on a 43 yd scramble for a touchdown. Johnson hit tight end Ryan Purvis in the back of the end zone to convert a two-point conversion and pull the Bucs within a touchdown, 27-20.

Some folks believe that if Johnson makes enough impact in games this preseason, the Bucs might be tempted to go with him and cut the loser of the McCown-Leftwich battle for the quarterback spot, leaving Freeman as the number two quarterback.

Johnson definitely has a compelling skill set. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to perform well against scrubs and give himself a chance.

So, all in all, definitely a solid first outing under rookie head coach Raheem Morris against a tough opponent. The Bucs defense looked better than advertised while the offense appears to be following the same mantra as all Tampa Bay offenses that came before it. It’s a work in progress.

State of the Tampa Bay Bucs Heading into Training Camp

Everywhere you look, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are written off. Beat writers talk about this being a rebuilding year. National pundits scratch their heads and wonder who the heck this Raheem Morris guy is and why in the world would they blow out Jon Gruden for him?

Add to the dismissal of veterans Joey Galloway and future hall of famer Derrick Brooks, as well as an apparent daunting schedule and four wins appears to be a bit high for an over/under on wins for 2009.

The Bucs are a younger football team, there’s no denying that. But are they better? As we move closer to Training Camp, opening July 31 at One Buc Palace in Tampa—let’s take a look at the major moves the Bucs made this offseason and do a little pigskin prognostication of our own.

 
Quincy Black, Jermaine Phillips, Geno Hayes and Angelo Crowell vs. Derrick Brooks and Cato June

You can never replace a leader like Derrick Brooks. In the locker room and in the community, few Buccaneers are as beloved and admired as Brooks. That admiration makes it very difficult for fans to accept the truth about their favorite player.

Brooks is done—he just doesn’t know it yet. As much as Buc fans love No. 55, it was Brooks’ pride that contributed to the Bucs defensive collapse at the end of 2008.

He was injured but refused to come out and opponents exploited the one legged linebacker, who had no where near the speed to fill the gaps and cover as he once did. He was beaten unmercifully and at times it was painful to watch him.

Can Jermaine Phillips or Geno Hayes replace him? You don’t just replace a Derrick Brooks, folks. But that’s only if we’re talking about Derrick Brooks of 2002. Derrick Brooks of 2008 was expendable.

Neither Phillips or Hayes will have the vast amount of knowledge Brooks used to diagnose plays and make an impact. Still athletically, they will be far superior, returning to the defense the sorely missed speed they’ve lacked the last couple of years.

Under new defensive coordinator Jim Bates, the linebackers will be called on to blitz a lot more off the edge. Phillips and Hayes are built to do that.

As for Cato June, let’s face it—June was an overrated football player at Indianapolis and was invisible in Tampa Bay. Quincy Black is a former third round draft pick with speed to burn and a desire to live up to his draft status. He will finally get that opportunity to compete for the starting spot with free agent Angelo Crowell.

Determination: Upgrade.

McCown, Leftwich, or Freeman vs. Jeff Garcia

Jeff Garcia has the heart of a champion, no doubt. What he lacks is height, the ability to see open targets down the field and the courage to stand in the pocket that extra second to deliver the ball.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Garcia lacks courage overall—on the contrary, he would make some gutty runs and bled for this football team. I’m saying that the decision to run always seemed to come too quickly and he lacked the trust in his line or his receivers to stand in the pocket that extra second to make a play.

Luke McCown is the polar opposite. In fact, it has been said he makes his decision too slowly and while he waits for plays to develop, he gets himself sacked.

Still, athletically McCown has a better arm than Garcia ever had, he may be one of the best athletes on the football team and has established a trusted relationship with many of the team’s weapons.

Byron Leftwich has the most experience among the starters but his inability to get the ball out could be a major issue for him in the competition. With no rush in his face, Leftwich is deadly accurate, with a cannon to get the ball down the field.

Unfortunately a hitch in his throwing motion not only delays getting the ball out but tips off corners and safeties when the ball is coming.

Josh Freeman has all the physical attributes you’d want for your quarterback with the exception of one important one—experience. The only way you get experience is to play the game but we all know the horror shows that are rookie QBs indoctrination into the league.

Freeman was supposed to redshirt this year but either by the failure of the two other QBs or his own merits, he’s forced Buccaneers management to rethink their position on the rookie’s development track. In the end, its likely in the best interest for the team to keep Freeman on the bench for the short term.

Determination – Downgrade.

Kellen Winslow, Jr, Kelly Campbell, Sammie Stroughter vs. Alex Smith, Joey Galloway, and Ike Hillard

One of the biggest offseason moves this year was the Buccaneers acquisition of Kellen Winslow, Jr. from the Cleveland Browns. Winslow is an All-Pro tight end and an immediate impact in the offense. Alex Smith never lived up to his early potential with the Bucs and was eventually dealt to New England to make room for Winslow.

Kelly Campbell is a CFL reject who had a cup of water with the Buffalo Bills early in his career. Campbell performed well in the Canadian league and has been impressive in the OTA’s and minicamp.

Joey Galloway was a dominant performer for the Bucs before age caught up with him this last season. After becoming one of the first Buccaneers to post consecutive 1,000 yd seasons, Galloway missed most of 2008 with nagging hamstring and foot injuries.

Sammie Stroughter is a seventh round draft pick that has the Buccaneers thinking they got their own Marcus Colston. Ike Hillard was reliable “Mr. Third Down,” always there at the sticks when the Bucs needed to extend a drive.

Determination – Push.

Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski vs. Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach Jon Gruden

Coach Jags offense is not all that different than Coach Gruden’s. The biggest change is the philosophy of pushing the football down the field vertically rather than run several short routes. Jags offense has simplified terminology compared to the voluminous playbook of Gruden.

It won’t have as many shifts or motions as Gruden’s offense had that enabled mismatches. Jags offense will run first to set up the pass, compared to Gruden’s pass to set up the run philosophy.

Determination – Upgrade.

Defensive Coordinator Jim Bates vs. Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin

There’s no denying the Tampa Two success in Tampa Bay that made Monte Kiffin a legend among Buccaneer fans. Kiffin’s erratic and charismatic demeanor seemed to energize the team, while his defenses continued to dominate for close to a decade.

Toward the end, though, Kiffin’s famed defense began to develop cracks. His penchant for using veterans over younger players helped the defense get off to good starts but when the veterans bodies began to break down, the defense would limp to the end of the season.

Jim Bates scrapped the famed Tampa Two in favor of a much more aggressive version of the 4-3 defense. This defense relies on bigger bodies in the middle to stuff the run, with pressure coming from the edges. The corners, do to the increased pass rushing responsibilities of the linebackers will be forced into more man-to-man situations.

Determination – Incomplete. It will take some time to see how the Bucs personnel adapts to Bates’ style of defense.

Head Coach Raheem Morris vs. Head Coach Jon Gruden

Gruden won a Super Bowl in Tampa—there’s no arguing against that. He was charasmatic in front of the media, showing an amazing wit and fun nature about him.

But there was a darker side to Gruden. A side that abused his players mentally and caused them to distrust their coach. Gruden couldn’t tell the truth to his players and if one got injured, they might as well have been dead.

Toward the end, a good portion of the football team no longer believed in Gruden and had no interest in helping the Buccaneers suceeed with him at the helm. Under Gruden, the Bucs favored veterans and were more of a finesse football team.

Morris has looked confused and shaky in front of the media, causing fans to take pause, but according to several reports—he has made a tremendous impact on the players. Even newcomer Kellen Winslow sees it, saying “I never want to play for a coach other than Coach Morris.”

There’s more to coaching then having the players like you and it will be interesting to see how Morris will handle the game time decisions of going for it on fourth down, clock management and other situations that can win or lose games. Under Morris, the Bucs favor young players and want to be tougher, more physical style in mold of the Steelers.

Determination – Incomplete. Again, we have to see how Morris handles game-time situations.

The 2009 schedule vs. 2008 schedule

There’s no doubt that own paper, the Buccaneers have one the NFL’s toughest schedules this season. Facing the NFC and AFC East as well as Green Bay from the NFC North and San Francisco from the NFC West, in addition to the NFC South it appears to be a tough road to hoe for a young team under a first year coach and general manager.

A closer look at the schedule, however, and it doesn’t look quite as daunting as one might believe. 

I really don’t think Dallas is going to be all that good this season. Washington isn’t a world beater and the Giants lost a lot when Plax shot himself in the thigh (plus they lost the fireplug in Ward).

I don’t see Miami’s gimmick working this season, Buffalo remains a work in progress, the Jets are starting Sanchez, and New England’s quarterback is coming off multiple surgeries on a damaged knee (and lets face it, he wasn’t overly mobile to begin with).

In our division, Carolina is solid—but can Jake Delhomme survive the season? Everyone will be ready for Atlanta’s running game this year—will Matt Ryan step forward or step back? New Orleans continues to be New Orleans…all glitz, no championships.

Determination – Tougher.

Bottom line, there are many question marks about the 2009 Buccaneers but something tells me fans and pundits a like may be very surprised by the kind of play coming out of Raymond James Stadium this season.

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