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Submitted by Shirley.
I love the aggressiveness involved in football. But with the aggression, there is also agility and strategic thinking; players use their mind as well as their body. I became more than a casual fan of football in 2003 when I stumbled upon the second preseason game between the Buccaneers and the Rams. I had no idea that they had just won the Super Bowl; I just saw the Bucs defense play and fell in love.
The team captains for the 2009 Buccaneers have been declared: Davin Joseph on offense, Barrett Ruud on defense and Will Allen on special teams. Why is a QB not mentioned as a captain? There's no clear starter at that position for the regular season.
Last season, Jeff Garcia, now with the Oakland Raiders, was the starting QB for most of the season. Although the Bucs often found it difficult to reach the end zone with Garcia behind the center, he was a decent quarterback. He actually had close to the same number of touchdowns and interceptions as Titans QB Kerry Collins (12 TDs & 6 INTs - Collins had one more INT) and about 50 more passing yards. Those stats aren't great but satisfactory. With Garcia out of Tampa, the starting QB position is up for grabs.
Josh Freeman, Luke McGown, Josh Johnson, and Byron Leftwich are all competing for the starting job. But who shall rise as the victor? My guess is that it will end up going to Byron Leftwich. The frontrunners seem to be Leftwich and Luke McGown.
Leftwich has the most experience of the four QBs. McGown started this year's first preseason game, but Leftwich delivered a pass TD to wide receiver Brian Clark. Freeman seems to be ahead of Johnson in the depth chart. While Johnson's 43 yard TD run in this year's preseason opener, he only completed three out of five passes for a total of only 15 yards. Freeman did throw an interception but seemed to act with maturity on and off the field by not getting too rattled and by accepting fault for his mistakes.
Although the success of Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan and Baltimore Ravens’ Joe Flacco during their rookie season has made it such that it is no longer silly to entertain the possibility of having a rookie QB as a starter, I highly doubt that Freeman will be selected as the starter of the regular season.
Wide receiver Michael Clayton spent the off-season working out with legend Jerry Rice, along with Larry Fitzgerald, Antrel Rolle, Greg Jennings. Clayton had an amazing rookie season but his production in the following years never matched the numbers of his first year in the NFL (80 receptions for 1,193 yards and 7 touchdowns). However, the fact that he’s been working with Rice and Fitzgerald can only help with his production.
Last year, 7th-year wide receiver Antonio Bryant had numbers similar to Clayton's rookie season. Bryant recently went under surgery for the his knee injury. The Bucs really need Bryant to be healthy for the regular season, especially if Clayton disappoints once again.
With Bryant and Clayton in the number one and two WR spots, the third spot is being sought after by Brian Clark, Sammie Stroughter and Maurice Stovall, with Cortez Hankton close behind. Clark may be likely to get it as he was on the receiving end of a TD pass from Leftwich and seems to be a frequent target for Leftwich in training camp practices.
Many of the Bucs players have been impressed with tight end Kellen Winslow. McGown related a story about throwing a pass to Winslow which was short but was somehow caught by Winslow by reaching back with one hand. With offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski running the offense, Winslow will be put to good use, as will Jerramy Stevens and John Gilmore.
In the off-season, the Bucs acquired Derrick Ward, formerly of the New York Giants, to add to their backfield which already consists of Earnest Graham and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. Assuming that all three stay healthy, that would be a great combination. Cadillac Williams suffered from a knee injury in the last game of the 2008 regular season and in early August. Even with three quality backs, the Bucs also haven't eliminated any thoughts of using Pro Bowl kick-returner Clifton Smith as a running back. Smith has worked hard on ball control after suffering from fumble-itis last year and can still be thrown into the mix.
It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers D will be this year. After being ranked top five from 2002 to 2005 under former Coach Jon Gruden, it dropped to 17th in 2006. The defense found itself back in the top five the following year, however it wasn't the same elite-level defense that helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl. Moreover, with the departure of linebacker and 11-time Pro Bowler Derrick Brooks and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the defense must compensate for their big defensive losses.
The team captains for the 2009 Buccaneers have been declared: Davin Joseph on offense, Barrett Ruud on defense and Will Allen on special teams. Why is a QB not mentioned as a captain? There's no clear starter at that position for the regular season.
Last season, Jeff Garcia, now with the Oakland Raiders, was the starting QB for most of the season. Although the Bucs often found it difficult to reach the end zone with Garcia behind the center, he was a decent quarterback. He actually had close to the same number of touchdowns and interceptions as Titans QB Kerry Collins (12 TDs & 6 INTs - Collins had one more INT) and about 50 more passing yards. Those stats aren't great but satisfactory. With Garcia out of Tampa, the starting QB position is up for grabs.
Josh Freeman, Luke McGown, Josh Johnson, and Byron Leftwich are all competing for the starting job. But who shall rise as the victor? My guess is that it will end up going to Byron Leftwich. The frontrunners seem to be Leftwich and Luke McGown.
Leftwich has the most experience of the four QBs. McGown started this year's first preseason game, but Leftwich delivered a pass TD to wide receiver Brian Clark. Freeman seems to be ahead of Johnson in the depth chart. While Johnson's 43 yard TD run in this year's preseason opener, he only completed three out of five passes for a total of only 15 yards. Freeman did throw an interception but seemed to act with maturity on and off the field by not getting too rattled and by accepting fault for his mistakes.
Although the success of Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan and Baltimore Ravens’ Joe Flacco during their rookie season has made it such that it is no longer silly to entertain the possibility of having a rookie QB as a starter, I highly doubt that Freeman will be selected as the starter of the regular season.
Wide receiver Michael Clayton spent the off-season working out with legend Jerry Rice, along with Larry Fitzgerald, Antrel Rolle, Greg Jennings. Clayton had an amazing rookie season but his production in the following years never matched the numbers of his first year in the NFL (80 receptions for 1,193 yards and 7 touchdowns). However, the fact that he’s been working with Rice and Fitzgerald can only help with his production.
Last year, 7th-year wide receiver Antonio Bryant had numbers similar to Clayton's rookie season. Bryant recently went under surgery for the his knee injury. The Bucs really need Bryant to be healthy for the regular season, especially if Clayton disappoints once again.
With Bryant and Clayton in the number one and two WR spots, the third spot is being sought after by Brian Clark, Sammie Stroughter and Maurice Stovall, with Cortez Hankton close behind. Clark may be likely to get it as he was on the receiving end of a TD pass from Leftwich and seems to be a frequent target for Leftwich in training camp practices.
Many of the Bucs players have been impressed with tight end Kellen Winslow. McGown related a story about throwing a pass to Winslow which was short but was somehow caught by Winslow by reaching back with one hand. With offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski running the offense, Winslow will be put to good use, as will Jerramy Stevens and John Gilmore.
In the off-season, the Bucs acquired Derrick Ward, formerly of the New York Giants, to add to their backfield which already consists of Earnest Graham and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. Assuming that all three stay healthy, that would be a great combination. Cadillac Williams suffered from a knee injury in the last game of the 2008 regular season and in early August. Even with three quality backs, the Bucs also haven't eliminated any thoughts of using Pro Bowl kick-returner Clifton Smith as a running back. Smith has worked hard on ball control after suffering from fumble-itis last year and can still be thrown into the mix.
It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers D will be this year. After being ranked top five from 2002 to 2005 under former Coach Jon Gruden, it dropped to 17th in 2006. The defense found itself back in the top five the following year, however it wasn't the same elite-level defense that helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl. Moreover, with the departure of linebacker and 11-time Pro Bowler Derrick Brooks and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the defense must compensate for their big defensive losses.
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