The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not | KFFL.com - Fantasy Sports Blog
The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not
<!-- Post Author and Post Date --><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>By Bryce McRae on October 11, 2010
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Read more: The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not | KFFL.com - Fantasy Sports Blog
How about those ? Bucs?
Keith Hernandez highlighted the Kansas City Chiefs last week. This week, the surprise team in the NFC receives its due.
Fresh off a comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 3-1, trail just the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.
How have they done it? An opportunistic defense (nine interceptions), relatively safe play from their offense (plus-five turnover ratio) and some steady resolve. A somewhat cushy schedule has helped, too.
There?s room to grow, too. I don?t expect them to go the way of the 2009 quick starter, the Denver Broncos, who went from 6-0 to 8-8.
Tampa Bay?s offense has some playmakers in it that should make it more dangerous as it develops. Mike Williams has put his name in the Rookie of the Year discussion. Kellen Winslow, despite knee pain that isn?t going away, is still dangerous. Arrelious Benn is finally learning the ropes at the flanker spot.
Kareem Huggins should help their running game now that he?s finally healthy. They plan to work him and LeGarrette Blount in more, when the situation allows them. A running back that actually has some burst (see Huggins) would help this offense tremendously. Cadillac Williams has been a great story, but he has just one run of 20-plus yards this year and is averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. This offense needs someone more explosive.
Most importantly, Josh Freeman is emerging as a leader. Stats aside, here?s right tackle Jeremy Trueblood on Freeman after Sunday?s game, courtesy of The Tampa Tribune: ?They bring pressure, that?s for darn sure. ? But Josh breeds confidence. There?s never a scared look about him.?
Freeman worked hard on his accuracy this offseason; it has paid off so far with a jump from 54.5 to 59.5 percent. The added threat from the receivers has helped Williams increase his yards per attempt from 6.4 to 7.1. Tampa Bay doesn?t plan on limiting the offense for Freeman; they?ll let this offense develop into something dynamic. And of all that, perhaps most important is that he has been making good, quick decisions with the ball.
No Fear-man
The Bucs secondary has performed well, especially with the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks (four sacks). The biggest defensive worry is they can?t stop the run. They have the talent to perform better. Defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, both top picks in this year?s draft should help as they develop.
I?d still like to see them tested again by a quarterback that can throw deep with some velocity (the anti-Carson Palmer), and this week?s matchup against the New Orleans Saints should give them just that. It?s a litmus test game. The Saints are struggling. If Tampa wants to show they?re for real, now is the time to shock New Orleans. Kind of like they did in Week 16 last year.
Winning the division is probably out the door with the Atlanta Falcons looking like a much stronger and more tested team. But a Wild Card spot?
It usually takes nine wins to make it, 10 if you want to be safe. The Bucs are 3-1 right now. After the Saints this weekend, they play the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers in four of the next six weeks. They also have the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins on the docket.
I concede it might be a stretch for them to win all seven, but those are all winnable games. They win six of them and they?ll be in the mix.
All speculation aside, this team is getting tougher to play against. They don?t back down. They?re playing smarter. They?re developing some weapons on offense. They have talent on defense.
And a year after I thought Raheem Morris was in over his head as their coach, it seems like he?s finally learning the ropes. He?s one of the youngest head coaches in the league and had never served as anything higher than a defensive backs coach in the NFL. It takes some time to figure things out, especially inheriting a roster that doesn?t jive with what you want to do.
I?ve used the word ?develop? plenty of times in this offense. Not everyone develops positively with time, but with Morris and Freeman leading this team, I?m confident Tampa will make those steps forward. And the next one? How about the playing well into January.
Read more: The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not | KFFL.com - Fantasy Sports Blog
<!-- Post Author and Post Date --><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>By Bryce McRae on October 11, 2010
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Read more: The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not | KFFL.com - Fantasy Sports Blog
How about those ? Bucs?
Keith Hernandez highlighted the Kansas City Chiefs last week. This week, the surprise team in the NFC receives its due.
Fresh off a comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 3-1, trail just the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.
How have they done it? An opportunistic defense (nine interceptions), relatively safe play from their offense (plus-five turnover ratio) and some steady resolve. A somewhat cushy schedule has helped, too.
There?s room to grow, too. I don?t expect them to go the way of the 2009 quick starter, the Denver Broncos, who went from 6-0 to 8-8.
Tampa Bay?s offense has some playmakers in it that should make it more dangerous as it develops. Mike Williams has put his name in the Rookie of the Year discussion. Kellen Winslow, despite knee pain that isn?t going away, is still dangerous. Arrelious Benn is finally learning the ropes at the flanker spot.
Kareem Huggins should help their running game now that he?s finally healthy. They plan to work him and LeGarrette Blount in more, when the situation allows them. A running back that actually has some burst (see Huggins) would help this offense tremendously. Cadillac Williams has been a great story, but he has just one run of 20-plus yards this year and is averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. This offense needs someone more explosive.
Most importantly, Josh Freeman is emerging as a leader. Stats aside, here?s right tackle Jeremy Trueblood on Freeman after Sunday?s game, courtesy of The Tampa Tribune: ?They bring pressure, that?s for darn sure. ? But Josh breeds confidence. There?s never a scared look about him.?
Freeman worked hard on his accuracy this offseason; it has paid off so far with a jump from 54.5 to 59.5 percent. The added threat from the receivers has helped Williams increase his yards per attempt from 6.4 to 7.1. Tampa Bay doesn?t plan on limiting the offense for Freeman; they?ll let this offense develop into something dynamic. And of all that, perhaps most important is that he has been making good, quick decisions with the ball.
No Fear-manThe Bucs secondary has performed well, especially with the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks (four sacks). The biggest defensive worry is they can?t stop the run. They have the talent to perform better. Defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, both top picks in this year?s draft should help as they develop.
I?d still like to see them tested again by a quarterback that can throw deep with some velocity (the anti-Carson Palmer), and this week?s matchup against the New Orleans Saints should give them just that. It?s a litmus test game. The Saints are struggling. If Tampa wants to show they?re for real, now is the time to shock New Orleans. Kind of like they did in Week 16 last year.
Winning the division is probably out the door with the Atlanta Falcons looking like a much stronger and more tested team. But a Wild Card spot?
It usually takes nine wins to make it, 10 if you want to be safe. The Bucs are 3-1 right now. After the Saints this weekend, they play the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers in four of the next six weeks. They also have the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins on the docket.
I concede it might be a stretch for them to win all seven, but those are all winnable games. They win six of them and they?ll be in the mix.
All speculation aside, this team is getting tougher to play against. They don?t back down. They?re playing smarter. They?re developing some weapons on offense. They have talent on defense.
And a year after I thought Raheem Morris was in over his head as their coach, it seems like he?s finally learning the ropes. He?s one of the youngest head coaches in the league and had never served as anything higher than a defensive backs coach in the NFL. It takes some time to figure things out, especially inheriting a roster that doesn?t jive with what you want to do.
I?ve used the word ?develop? plenty of times in this offense. Not everyone develops positively with time, but with Morris and Freeman leading this team, I?m confident Tampa will make those steps forward. And the next one? How about the playing well into January.
Read more: The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Why not | KFFL.com - Fantasy Sports Blog
