What do these Bucs need to contend in 2011
by keysersoze19 on Jan 4, 2011 5:28 PM EST
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From 3and 13 to 10 and 6. The youngest team in the league has just come off an remarkable season. Who would of guess that our Bucs would end up 10 and 6. The best thing about our situation is that we are only going to get better with the seeds of the future we have in place.
When you look at the lay out of this Buc team it has 80% of the pieces in place to be an title contender. Thats right I said and if you were to ask me this team is 1 consistent pass rusher away from being a title contender this year. As the 2009 season exposed who was real ( Roy Miller, Quincy Black) and who was fake ( Sabby, Clayton) the 2010 season exposed who this team can build around. Going into the 2010 draft I felt that all this team was missing was an explosive player on offense, a solid DT, and a better SS. Tampa addressed those issues with Mccoy, Price, Williams and Sean Jones, that played a big role in the Bucs race to 10. To see what more our Bucs need to contend in 2011, we should first take a look at what we got.
On offense I again say we have a solid offensive line, going into the offense I don't see the team wasting big money bringing in a big time free agent on the line or even drafting an O-linemen high. It would be nice to see Blunt workout this summer as hard as Freeman worked out last summer, it will not be so sweet for him next year. But it is nice to have LeGarrette on our side if he gets better then our team will be that much better. Our group of wideouts have the potential to be better than any other group in the league. Williams is a go to guy, Benn will be better next year, the young guys like Parker, Spurlock, and Briscoe are some good fill ins, Stoughter did not live up to expectations to me but I think he will be better once teams start keying in on Williams. Tightend Kellen Winslow turned in another solid year and continues to be 1 of the best in the league, and John Glimore is solid at the backup tightend position. Of course we have an all world player in Josh Freeman, who has turned into a do it all quarterback the only thing that can stop this guy is injuries, there is a lot to say about this guy so I think I am going to save that for another post.
On defense, man man man this unit took me on a roller coaster this year. On the line we have really good serviceable defensive ends Crowder, White, Bennett, and Magee are all guys you would want to go to war with but none are difference makers. At defensive tackle let me tell you we got a stud in MR. Gerald Mccoy. Before he got hurt he started turning the corner at his position he is definitely someone we can build around. It is not fair to make a grade on Price but, he will have to prove himself to get playing time next year as Miller will still be over the nose after a solid year and Al Woods is a great player to have in our rotation. Overall I do not expect no new faces in the DT rotation. At linebacker Quincy Black and Geno Hayes are exactly what this team needs at the OLB position and Dekoda Watson plus Adam Hayward are some nice dependable backups. Ruud leaves me scratching my head. He finished the season strong but did not live up to expectations while still making stops way off the line of scrimmage. While I don't see the team making it a top priority to replace him, I will not be surprised if there is someone else manning the middle in 2011. In the secondary I again say we have some of the best DBs in the league with some new faces to add to that list. Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber, E.J. Biggers, Myron Lewis, and Elbert Mack gives the Bucs great depth at the corner position. When T-Jak went down I was like it is going to be big play after big play all over again like 2009, but Cody Grimm came in and did a stellar job and was better at run support than was Ruud. When Grimm went down, Lynch seemed to be Grimm clone. Sean Jones came in and did what I expected him to do, get a lot of stops and he also did not give up many big plays.
So to some this thing up and to answer what the Bucs need in 2011 to contend is this. 1 consistent pass rusher on the edge, and 1 player on offense who can score at any given point of a game. Both of those type of players protect the 2 players who will lead this team Josh Freeman who is in the race to be great,and Gerald Mccoy who is starting his race to be great. That explosive player on the offensive side of the ball is all this offense is missing, if it's a back that will be even great, but if it's a wideout then it will open things up even more. The consistent pass rusher should be the main priority for this team in the off season. This defense is good but with that pass rusher this defense is early 2000s BucBall good. That type of player would even make our DBs a whole lot better than they really are. If we get a consistent pass rusher and an explosive speed demon on offense we will contend in 2011 no matter the schedule.
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Number 1 need is a PASS RUSHING RE
We really need someone who can get to the QB consistently. If Quinn falls around 12-15,then i think trading up should be considered
The most important game is the one that is right in front of you
Not sure if the answer will come in the draft
I don’t think there is a pass rusher in the draft who will make an impact next year
Oh, there definitely is.
Instant impact ones wont be around for us though,
i disagree i think we need help big time on the o line
And our depth at corner isn’t that great mack should get cut, ronde might not come back and if he does it will most likely be his last year and i don’t think myron lewis is a starter right now but i agree with most of your post
by Carlitin1988 on Jan 5, 2011 1:58 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Yea this season got so heated
that the only thing I wanted to do was wait till Sunday no NFL network no ESPN just wait till Sunday plus posting on here last offseason made the offseason go by really fast
Here are 2 guys on offense
both I think will be on the board when we draft in the first 3 to 4 rounds and both can help us out on offense next year, 1 Noel Devine out of West Virginia or James Rodgers out of Oregon State, both guys are explosive and can score at any given moment.
Better improve the OL, especially with run blocking...
or those backs will get stuffed too.
by Cracker Ball on Jan 5, 2011 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
not a pressing need
and the o-line played well while being banged up Faine out Davin out, we had a 1000 yard rusher and Josh Freeman again was well protected. There are bigger issues than o-line on this team
You build greatness from the inside out...
so begin closest to the ball. We could lose Joseph, Faine is always getting hurt, and Blount often makes his own holes by running angry. Also remember to consider our (easy) strength of schedule when saying things like “we finished 8th in rushing offense”.
Do you mean we SHOULD lose Joseph
or just that the front office might not resign him. If it’s the former, I would say that’s an overreaction to one poor year when he has performed very well in the past. I really hope they do find a way to resign him as consistency in our front line will take a lot of pressure off Freeman and he has shown he can be a real road grader (though needs to be more consistent).
5 picks out of the first 100 in a draft saturated with talent. Yes, I'm optimistic.
by chuckyforpres on Jan 5, 2011 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
I mean he is a F/A and could easily leave TB of his own choosing...
I don’t want anybody to leave until there is a better player to replace him – Ruud included. Having said that, I think it is time to begin the task of replacing some of the more marginal players on our roster.
For example, sign OG Logan Mankins and we can say “Davin who?” Sign Paul Posluzsny and waive goodbye to Barrett Ruud. But don’t just send people packing without adequate replacements – or you go 3-13.
PAUL POSLUZSNY ???
naw bro we need an athlethic freak in the mold of a ray lewis or patrick willis in the middle who could make that deep drop in coverage in our tampa two defense , as well as be an tackling machine .
DRAFT TARGETS
1. greg jones msu
2. travis lewis ou
3. bruce carter unc
4. quan sturdivant unc
5. kelvin sheppard lsu
6. nate irving ncst
7. donta hightower ala
8. casey matthews ore
by RIP SEAN TAYLOR 21 on Jan 6, 2011 1:30 AM EST up reply actions
Good point
About the schedule. But honestly, I think you could probably go up and down the list of Rushing YPG and see an inverse relation to the quality of opposing run defenses and records. It would be more accurate to take a look at who we ran on and how they ranked against the run. Forgive the crudeness of this table, since I don’t know if there is a way to format them on this blog.
Team Avg YPG Our Yards +/-
=========
Browns 129.4 129 -.4
Panthers 123.8 95 -28.8
Steelers 62.8 75 +12.2
Bengals 115.2 125 +9.8
Saints 112.3 42 -70.1
Rams 113.1 124 +10.9
Cardinals 145.2 154 +8.8
Falcons 105.9 96 -9.9
Panthers 123.8 186 +62.2
49ers 96.7 162 +65.3
Ravens 93.9 101 +7.1
Falcons 105.9 151 +45.1
Redskins 127.6 103 -24.6
Lions 124.9 176 +51.1
Seahawks 118.9 208 +89.1
Saints 112.3 84 -28.3
Total differential of +199.5. This means we gained 10 more yards per game against the teams on our schedule than the average team that played them.
I like our line. It got better as the season went on despite injuries. Everybody but Faine will likely get better as they are all young. Worry about DE, MLB, CB, first. Then the OL.
I would like to see a mid round offensive lineman
Not a huge issue, but I would like to see depth there. Other then that, a DE and DB would cap off a solid defense.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
Mid Round Yes
I agree. Somebody is going to have a dropoff in ability or get hurt so we should have somebody to plug in.
Any LB spot and DE can be upgraded
It would be nice if Patrick Peterson fell to us in the first round lol not likely at all. OL can be upgraded and our most vulnerable spot would be center because injured Faine. True Zuttah can play center but we might get one to fall to us in the second or third worth grabbing i hope.
As for the subject of LB and DE. Kelvin Sheperd may be good 2nd to 4th round pick. We need a good pass rushing LB with a brain. Rudd has a brain but no brawn. Black and Hayes are just above average in everything and average in brain. But as for DE, I don’t know who is worth noting as obviously Clayborn and mostly others noted above will already be gone by our pick or not be on our draft board.
Did you see Ivory FLATTEN Ruud early in the game?
I was so embarrassed. Ugh.
YALL TRIPPIN !!!
black & hayes are good they just dont have that man in the middle they can rely on barret ruud just doesnt lead the way they always gotta have his back instead of him having there’s
by RIP SEAN TAYLOR 21 on Jan 6, 2011 6:17 PM EST up reply actions
If anyone is held back by their teammates freelancing too much it's Ruud, not Hayes or Black
Ruud has his faults, but you can’t accuse him of not knowing and sticking to his assignments.
Black came into a defense that was designed to put him in position to make big plays. He hasn’t. He’s also a free agent after this year and we barely saw a dropoff when he went out and the committee of Watson and Hayward took over for him.
Hayes was very up and down
But had some very good games. He’ll mess up his assignments now and then, though.
All 3 LBs could be upgraded...
and will probably need to be for us to become an elite DEF. Begin with Ruud.
by Cracker Ball on Jan 6, 2011 10:53 PM EST up reply actions
WOW
black is our most dependable tackler he more solid then ruud & hayes .
we need to keep hayes&black in add a tackling machine in the middle that can drop back down the middle of the field .
by RIP SEAN TAYLOR 21 on Jan 7, 2011 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
Black is not that solid at all
Did you notice a dropoff when he went out and Watson/Hayward took over? Because I sure didn’t.
Don't know what Black you were watching
Black had an outstanding year, to me he is playing out of position he is exactly what this team needs in the middle the only question to me is can he QB this defense
He can't
He’s not very solid within the scheme.
And no, Black really didn’t have that good of a year. The defense was designed to make him the star. He failed to deliver.
How was the defense designed to make him the star
the SAM linebacker has never had a big role in any Tampa2 defense he got hurt and was still tops on the team in tackles, Put this guy in the middle and let him roam around I think we all will like the results
The 3-3-5 was made specifically so Black could stay on the field on passing downs as a pass rusher
We didn’t run ‘the Tampa 2’, Morris really did a lot of different things with the scheme. The main thing he did was make the Sam much more the focus of the defense than the Will.
How good of a job did
Black do at getting pressure on the QB I think Black ability to get pressure was more of the reasoning in putting him in that position rather than his ability to get sacks which is not one of his strong suits if you were to ask me, it is safe to say that his sack total would of been higher had he stayed healthy no he would not had 8 to 10 sacks but 5 is a pretty good number for a 4-3 OLB,
I think we were more of a 4 man front with Kyle Moore in the lineup
Outside of the two sacks, Black actually got very little pressure on the quarterback
The first wasn’t the result of him beating anyone, but just getting a free rush because the defensive line set up the game so well. The second sack was the result of the guard blocking him just being completely incompetent, but he did beat him.
Generally though, Black can’t really beat any O-linemen and even struggles beating backs staying in to block. He has excellent athleticism, but so does Dekoda Watson. I really think Watson and Black are very similar players.
And when I say that Black got no pressure outside of those two sacks, I’m not kidding. I charted about a half of each game this season, and I have him down for exactly one other pressure: against the Falcons, week 13.
This is it in a nut shell
Move Black to the Middle and let Watson play the Sam linebacker. Black reminds me a lot of Shelton Quarles I think he fits in the middle perfectly. Ruud also has a lot to do with the way our other linebackers play, the middle linebacker is always directing the front 7 in the Tampa2(Expect for the all world D Brooks) hence thats why Ruud is our QB of the defense and Ruud was not doing a very good job of that the first 2 quarters of the season. Also add in the fact that the better Mccoy plays the better our WILL LB will play.
At DE I think we should get the best pass rushing DE in the free agency young or old, then draft a guy who we can develop into an consistent pass rushing threat.
Rave on about the O-Line, but I think you will see the same guys there next year, the o-line has a lot of depth, as Faine, Trublood, and Davin all was out and the offense still played at an high level. I wouldn’t look too much into to the o-line cause the staff is more worried about getting the guys we already have better. I think on the offensive side of the ball the need for an explosive speed demon is higher than the need fro an offensive lineman, look at Oakland and KC their speed demons accounted for at least 3 wins for each of those teams, we get 1 and we will sweep our division next year
Heard on the radio to not expect Black back next season.
I'm not negative, I'm just telling you how it is.
I wouldn't either
He’s not a bad player, but I honestly did not see a dropoff from him to Dekoda Watson and Adam Hayward.
i think that Black is better than Rudd at Rudds position but Watson filled in pretty nicely
But i do understand what keyser says about Black, he is way more physical and probably will do better than Rudd
To answer your question...
Either Da’Quan Bowers or Robert Quinn.
We won’t get either, though, unless they get arrested several times between now and the draft. Seriously, those guys are beasts.
Nice to have you posting again, keyser.
If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
It's always good to talk BucBall
Lets be real then we really don’t now how the Bucs draft board will look come April, but we will haft to find a Mike Williams or Tanard Jackson type DE prospect to make an impact right away, my biggest concern is upgrading the pass rush right away like I brought out in this post, if we had a consistent pass rushing end during the season we might have a number 1 seed with the best record in the league. So if I were the Bucs I would send a lot of money at the best pass rushing DE in free agency and draft a DE to the Bucs liking who can turn into a consistent pass rusher,
1 thing to say about the Bucs and drafting the past 2 years they have done a good job filling needs through the draft ( with the exception of drafting a always sexy speed demon) and I am sure upgrading the rush off the edge is something that will be fixed come next year
thats easier said then done
It is not easy playing O-line in the NFL, and if you do not have a good one you will not win the way we won, I watch NFC playbook break down the Bucs strengths and weakness this whole year not once did they mentioned the O-line as being an issue, and be real put AP in our backfield and we are still playing bro
Here is a list of potential DE free agents who can help us out right away
Mathias Kiwanuka, Charles Johnson, and Jason Babin
OLB who can play 4-3 end
Lamar Woodley, Tamba Hali, Matt Roth, Kamerion Wimbley
I like any 1 of these guys lining up on the edge
Edwards in Minn could be a FA too I think.
Now would be a great time for us to stumble upon the next Simeon Rice.
To me Edwards
get some good numbers cause of the attention the other 2 great pass rushers gets that he plays with, I don’t think he is any better than Stylez
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