Lee Caswell
The defense should indeed be remarkable. Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David are a glory to behold. Mark Barron has supposedly been putting in serious work all offseason, There are Pro Bowl players at every level of the defense, and Michael Johnson, and (ATV) Verner are just icing on the cake. There is no excuse for Frazier's boys not to be a top five defense this year. All the pieces are there.
The offense is a different story, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. A ton of money and draft picks went into completely flipping around the debacle that was last year. Will Josh McCown live up to the hype? I personally doubt it, but sure as Hell hope so. Will the twin towers of the 2014 draft (Evans and Sefarian-Jenkins) make an immediate impact? Will Charles Sims cut into Doug Martin's playing time? Will Mike James make a full recovery and/or even get to see the field after his spectacularly brief stint as a human battering ram last season?
There are so many questions up in the air this year, and for the first time in a long time, hope abounds.
Bold Prediction: ATV gets 10 interceptions in his first season in Tampa.
Season Predition: Bucs finish 9-7, compete for wild card.
JC De La Torre
Revis. "We were 4-12 with him."
Leo Howell
jarldg
All of the other clubs cross their fingers for the identical thing and most come away disappointed. This offseason has given me an entirely different breed of hope. After half a decade, we have a known quantity at head coach. This feeling is oddly familiar as I have to reach back into 2008 to experience it. Gruden gave the team a chance each year- more than the puncher's chance we've suffered through lately. Lovie puts the team in a similar position, and with his talent for evaluating personnel it's arguably a better one. He's going to field a competitive team- and that assurance is far from what we had with the most recent two coaches.
Turning our attention toward the division, New Orleans will obviously field the most complete team as it's the only one with both a competent offense and defense. Atlanta's offense is going to have to carry the team, and without Gonzalez. The other side of the ball for them hasn't shown up in years. Carolina's D is more than going to keep them in games but win some, while Cam Newton is going to struggle to score with every possession. Tampa should have a defense that's in the top half of the league, which will be a vast improvement. While they appear as though they are preparing to field a coherent offense, it stands to reason the Bucs should finish at least ahead of Atlanta come January.
Bold Prediction: Carl Nicks plays fewer than 4 games, Dashon Goldson misses 0 games due to suspension, Johnthan Banks leads the team in interceptions, and Michael Johnson tallies fewer than 9 sacks.
Season Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in NFC South
Gur Samuel
The 2014 season promises so much for Buccaneer fans - so I can't help but feel that the first campaign of the Lovie Smith era will be one marked primarily by frustration. There are plenty of reasons to be excited for 2014, don't get me wrong, but there are just a few areas that leave me with doubts over how quick a turn around we will actually see.
This frustration that I predict for Bucs fans will, I'm afraid, come from the distinct gap that will appear between the defense and the offense. The D has essentially all the pieces in place to be the best defensive side the Bucs have put on the field since Monte Kiffin decided to follow his son into the college world. Clinton McDonald will be a revelation next to Gerald McCoy, forming the most productive DL interior the NFL has seen since the peak of the "Williams Wall" that wreaked havoc for Minnesota under the watch of Leslie Frazier. Lavonte David will finally get the recognition he should have gotten last year, having his name known as familiarly by the casual NFL fan as it currently is among the more serious game film aficionado. The back end won't be spectacular, but will be solid in all areas. In all, it will look like "Buc ball" again...
...with all that comes with: anaemic offenses. As excited as I am for the Buccaneer defense, I have significant concerns over the team's O. Among the concerns is the lack of experience in the receiving corp behind Vincent Jackson, and questions over what Jeff Tedford's offense will look like, and how successful it will be in the NFL (after all, Schiano's Rutgers playbook didn't do much for the Bucs' D over the past two years, so worries over Tedford's schemes are fair).
But the one thing that concerns me above all is the heart of any offense - the five guys who keep the quarterback's jersey clean and rips open running lanes in the defense for the backs. More specifically, it's the guard position that really, really worries me. Trading Jeremy Zuttah still remains a head-scratcher for me, as he'd had been a far better option than Jamon Meredith or Patrick Omameh, and while financially the only option the Buccaneers realistically had over Carl Nicks was to keep him on the roster and hope that he gets healthy, the failure to put in place a 'plan B' in the (sadly all-too-likely) event that Nicks cannot take the field is nothing short of heinously negligent.
Weakness up the middle of the line means one thing - pressure on Josh McCown coming regularly and coming quickly. It will be a real challenge for McCown to come close to recreating his 2013 form if he has DTs bearing down on him before he's even completed his drop, yet Evan Dietrich-Smith can't block two people at the same time. Of concern to me is that McCown won't have success because of this failure of the offensive line - yet the result won't be fingers pointed at the guards, but rather at McCown (because as we all know, quarterbacks get far too much of the credit when things go right, and far too much of the blame when things go wrong), leading to another ugly quarterback controversy created by rabid fans and sports journalists too reliant on old cliched storylines. The failure to seriously address the guard position will be the downfall of the Buccaneers' offense in 2014, and as massively improved as the defense will be, they won't yet be able to carry the team to a winning record.
Bold Prediction: Clinton McDonald has more sacks than Michael Johnson; Gerald McCoy breaks Warren Sapp's record for most single-season sacks in Buccaneers history; Tim Wright leads the Buccaneers in touchdowns
Season Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in NFC South
Tahay
An eventful offseason has brought new hope into the fanbase of the Buccaneers. All throughout the summer I have been reading articles about how the Buccaneers will be great this year, how they spent their money wisely, and how they have a top-notch coach who will bring them out of their misery. Unfortunately, this is the same kind of talk that happened with the past two coaches. Yet... I am still falling for it. Every single year I let my passion for the Buccaneers get the better of me and for the past 6 years I have been let down. I remember the collapse, week 13, December 8th, 2008. I watched the game on tv and was utterly stunned. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Run after run after run was being called by the Panthers and the Bucs were just letting them do it. It was like watching Kick Ass when they are beating/burning Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage).
Just like Big Daddy beating villains, I had seen the Bucs defense take over when games seemed out of reach. But not that day. That day the Bucs, just like Big Daddy in the movie, died. I even let myself regain hope when Antonio Bryant made that spectacular one handed touchdown grab, which to this day is still the greatest catch I have ever seen. But the Panthers would win that day and the Buccaneers would spiral out of control and crash to where they are now. But that downfall is a different topic; this post is about my predictions for the season.
As I said earlier, I have become excited about the team's chances again due to their offseason moves. Acquired Alterraun Verner for a substantially cheaper price tag than Darrelle Revis (thank goodness I bought the Martin jersey that year). Picking up Clinton McDonald to provide yet another strong force up the middle. I remember how we all thought Brian Price and McCoy would be our dominant tandem in the middle for years to come. That ship has sailed, but McDonald is a very promising talent and I think he will help free McCoy to wreak havoc. Michael Johnson will bring in the edge rusher the Bucs have been looking for in what feels like forever. And I really think Clayborn or Bowers will step up their game. I feel quite pumped for this defensive line.
Our cornerbacks will have improved after a year, and oh! Let's not forget Leslie Frazier will be combining with Love Smith to unleash what is sure to be a fierce defense. I am unsure of our new offensive coordinator but his college stats are quite impressive, especially when you look at the talent he has produced. The draft sure as hell ensured Josh McCown will have targets to throw to, but will he have anyone to block for him? Anthony Collins was a good pickup, but I would certainly have like more. It seems each offseason we leave one group unaddressed, or at least lacking serious depth. I am excited for Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins to hit the field though, as I cannot imagine how corners are going to be able to cover the Bucs massive receivers. I am excited about the team, about the talent, and about the new coaching staff. For the first time in years, we have a coaching staff that we know can produce results. Lovie took the Bears to the Superbowl, Lelsie Frazier kept the Vikings defense strong, and Jeff Tedford produced a lot of NFL talent on offense in college.
Bold prediction: 10-6. And that is a very plausible bold prediction too. When I first started this post I thought I would have the Bucs at 4-12, but writing about all these new pieces has got me thinking we definitely have a chance against every one of these teams. Go Bucs!
Season prediction: 6-10. This schedule is a tough one, and although I see a lot of promise in the Bucs, I think we are still a year or two away from being playoff contenders. Certainly a proven quarterback away. Although, I hope Josh proves me wrong.
T-Jack
When you look at the "offseason" the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had, it would be very easy to dismiss the team as an east coast Oakland Raiders wannabe. The casual observer will surely look at the team and overlook the wealth of talent and youth the Bucs possess. However when you really look at what the Bucs have done, there's only one way I would choose to describe them if I were an opposing coach or team.
Intimidating
When you look at everything Tampa has going for it right now it's hard to not be optimistic and more than a little nervous if they're on the schedule. We have the best defensive tackle in the game, period. We have the best outside linebacker in the game, period. We have one of the tallest, most talented, and most imposing receiving corps in the league. We have one of the deepest stables of running backs in the league. We have atop 10 head coach who is proven at the NFL level. If Josh McCown can produce anywhere near the level he did in Chicago last year the Tampa Bay offense will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Intimidation
All that being said I'm trying to temper my expectations. We have huge question marks along the offensive line and throwing in the fact that most teams need some time to come together I could see us losing more games than winning, however I could also see us challenging for the division title. Regardless of the outcome I believe the days of getting blown out by anyone are over. Get ready to grind Tampa because the Bucs are back!
Bold Prediction: Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David will both finish in the top 5 in defensive player of the year voting and one of them will bring home that award. I also see a big bounce back for the Douggernaught with 1400+ all-purpose yards.
Season Prediction: I think the Bucs are going to surprise some people. I think Lovie will bring an edge and attitude to this team that has been missing since Dungy left. I think we will end at 10-6 and make the playoffs as a wild card.
RookTakesYou
Every summer seems to bring hope to Bucs Nation- and for the last five years, every fall negates that hope. As the Lovie Smith era begins, it's all too easy to feel that hope yet again. Solid, professional coaches at the helm after the disastrous Morris and Schiano regimes will do that to a fan. But as much as I do believe the Bucs have vastly improved this offseason, so much of how this team will perform on the field remains unknown- and I remain wary.
Sander Philipse
I'm very excited about this season. Probably more excited than I've been in quite some time. Lovie Smith is the best coach the Bucs have had since Jon Gruden, and arguably better than him. Jeff Tedford is probably the best offensive coordinator Lovie Smith has worked with as a head coach, and both the coaching staff and the talent on the roster are top-notch.
But that doesn't mean the Bucs don't have some questions to answer. How good can Josh McCown be? How quickly will Mike Evans adapt to the pro game? Who's going to start at either guard position?
Bold prediction: The Bucs will have the best defense in the NFL this season, led by Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David and a terrific performance by Michael Johnson. That group of players will lead the way for one of the most talented and well-coached defenses in the NFL.
Season Prediction: The Bucs will have a dominant defense, but their offense won't be as good. It can't be with the quarterbacks they have on hand. In the end, though, they'll do enough to vie for a wild card with a 9-7 or 10-6 finish.