Written by: Matthew Blunk
Josh Freeman's progression as a
quarterback had a kind of hiccup last season, but the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers remain convinced he is their guy. Tampa Bay is another
situation in which there is a new head coach inheriting a young
quarterback. In an unexpected twist, the Bucs whiffed on landing Oregon
head coach Chip Kelly and instead settled on Rutgers boss Greg Schiano.
GM Mark Dominik outlasted previous coach Raheem Morris, and selected Schiano to replace him. Can Schiano get through to the "youngry" Buccaneers? Remains to be seen. What he can do, is work with Dominik to get this team to a better place, personnel-wise. The NFC South is usually a tough division, but the New Orleans Saints could be a distracted team in 2012 and the Atlanta Falcons are never really all that good (my apologies to the ATL). So anything is possible, as they say.
Safety
John
Lynch is long gone, and so is Tanard Jackson at this point. Cody Grimm
is a painfully average starter, and the Bucs have little else on their
current roster. Major upgrades are required at safety in Tampa. Jackson
may have been a bonehead, but so is Aqib Talib, and Talib is still with
the team. They won't get a shot at Mark Barron (barring a trade-down),
but the Buccaneers at the very minimum have to draft one safety.
Running Back
LeGarrette
Blount is a beastly power back, but every bruiser needs a complement,
someone to spell them when they need a breather or when the offense
calls for a little change of pace. That is the precise state of the
Buccaneers running back situation right now. LaMichael James seems like
an ideal fit in the middle rounds of the draft (imagine if Tampa had
managed to hire Kelly!). James is just the scatback-type they need.
Outside Linebacker
Quincy
Black has some decent ability, but he mans only one position. Dekoda Watson has some sneaky upside, and could turn out to be a real keeper. But the Buccaneers
could definitely use another outside linebacker, if only to bolster
their depth. They may not need the next Derrick Brooks, but the Bucs
need some help here.
2013 NFL Draft – Top Impact Players
This year’s National Football League draft gets underway on Thursday night (4/25) in New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall. The ceremony will begin at 8ET and be televised on ESPN. One can only wonder what the wild and crazy Jets fans will have to cheer (or jeer) about now that the N.Y. …
2013 NFL Draft Primer
The 78th edition of the National Football League draft will begin on Thursday night, April 25th at 8pm ET. The official description of this event is The NFL Player Selection Meeting. This gathering will take place at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. …
Concussions, lawsuits and the NFL – How did we get here?
By Melissa Harder
Next week will mark a big moment in the ongoing concussion class action lawsuit brought by over 4,000 former players against the National Football League (NFL). Lawyers for the former players will argue the matter belongs in federal court while the NFL will push for the claim to be heard in arbitration. …
