2009 NFL Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By 49er16:

Tampa Bay under went some serious changes in the offseason. The Buccaneers front office waited for a while, until they finally fired Jon Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen. This came after longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin left to coach with his son at Tennessee. The Buccaneers lifted 32-year-old Raheem Morris to head coach.

Morris' name had come up for other head coaching jobs around the league and many people said that Morris would likely become a head coach in the next year or two. But the Buccaneers didn't want to see Morris leave, so they fired Gruden and elevated him to head coach.

That isn't the only place where Tampa Bay has made changes. They let go veteran players like Derrick Brooks, Kevin Carter, and Warrick Dunn. They also let go Jeff Garcia and drafted Josh Freeman. A lot of change will affect this season for the Buccaneers. I really don't expect much from them this season.

Coaching Staff: Morris was smart and brought in a veteran coaching staff to support him. He brought in veteran coach Jim Bates to run the defense. Bates will likely move away from the Cover-2 scheme that Tampa has used since Tony Dungy arrived in the mid-90's.

Morris also brought in Jeff Jagodzinski to run the offense. Jagodzinski if you remember, was the guy who was fired from Boston College for interviewing for the New York Jets job. Jagodzinski will use a more run-oriented offense, moving away from the pass-happy attack that Gruden favored.

Who's the Quarterback?: Tampa Bay drafted Freeman to be the future quarterback. Right now though, Freeman is too green to start right away. That's one of the reasons why Tampa Bay brought in Byron Leftwich to compete for the starting job. Leftwich will compete with Luke McCown right now for the starters job. McCown is known to make some poor decisions under center, but he has some impressive athleticism. Leftwich has the arm to be the starter, but he isn't athletic at all. Who will be the starting quarterback by week one will be any one's guess.

Running Attack: The Buccaneer's could have one of the best backfield's in the NFL this season. Ernest Graham returns from an ankle injury. Graham is one of the best inside rusher's in the league who has the knack to break off long runs. The Buccaneers also picked up Derrick Ward from the Giants. Ward rushed for over a 1,000 yards last season and is a reliable receiving option. Also Cadillac Williams will also return this season. Williams has been hampered by knee injuries ever since winning the rookie of the year in 2005. If everyone can stay healthy, then the Bucs should have one of the best backfield's in the NFL.

Questions on Defense?: This is the first time in about 15 years that the Buccaneers have more questions on defense than offense. The defense will have to get used to a new coordinator in Jim Bates. Monte Kiffin left for Tennessee in the offseason, so Tampa Bay will be without their defensive leader for the first time in about 15 years. They will also have to get used to a new defensive scheme. Bates will move the defense away from the Tampa-2 into a heavy blitz scheme that will focus on press coverage. Tampa Bay will also have to replace five starters including veteran linebacker Derrick Brooks. They will struggle this year on defense.

Schedule: Their schedule is brutal this year. They have to travel to Buffalo, Philadelphia, Seattle, and London to face New England. Not exactly a schedule that favors a first time coach looking for a quarterback while the defense rebuilds.

Video: Since Tampa Bay is using their throwback uniforms this season, lets celebrate the early years of Tampa Bay. That's when they were really bad.



Prediction: 5-11, 4th NFC South. There is just too many factors that are not in the Buccaneers favor. New coach, new coordinator's, new quarterback, new schemes, tough schedule, and a rebuilding defense. The more I think about it, the Buccaneers could compete with the Raiders for the worst record in the NFL this season.

Uniforms: Oh yeah, the Buccaneers will play a game in their old uniforms. I still don't know what's worse, the color or the pirate on the helmet.