I made the movie last offseason, to take a look at the young guys who would be called on to contribute for Tampa Bay. Here is that movie....and we will discuss it after the break...
oh, and click the little 360 arrow if you go to the site, and watch it in 720P.
First, lets look at the flashing names that go by...I chose these because these guys were NOT expected to produce that much, they would be bit players at best. Were they?
Adam Heyward- Special Teams player saw field time as linebacker too, but mostly only when there was a problem. Grade: C
Dre Moore- Only Morris knows what he saw of Mr. Moore, which was not too much. Grade: incomplete
Roy Miller- The Rookie ended up getting significant playing time, and impressed coaches with his emotion, especially after the Panthers drove the ball right down the Bucs in the 4th Qtr of their game at Raymond James. Miller was visibly upset in the locker room, something you can definitely build on. Grade: C+
Josh Freeman- The Rookie signal caller got his first start just about midway through the season and impressed a lot of people. Does the kid still have a lot to learn? What rookie QB doesnt. But a lot of people have raved about the kid at times this year, and the 2010 Bucs will be his team from the get-go. Grade: B-
These next two guys, we had no idea they would produce the kind of years they did. especially..
Sammie Stroughter- 7th round picks in the NFL are NOT supposed to make the team, much less jump into the #3 WR spot. He was second on the team in receiving yardage for WRs, and the Bucs have a lot to look forward to the youngster who returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Grade: B+
Quincy Black solidified his position as the SAM linebacker on the team. Grade: C+
Now, getting to the featured video clip guys, the first, Elbert Mack, disapointed many early in the year. He clearly was confused at times, and perhaps the 'looking back at the QB' system is more his type of role. Later in the year, after Raheem Morris changed the defense back to the familiar Tampa 2, Mack appeared at least a little more comfortable in it. It would seem nickel is the ceiling for him. Grade: D
Sabby Piscitelli went into the year needing to have a breakaway year to prove he was the right guy for the safety position. His continuous bad angles and poor tackling have the Bucs looking to shore up that position via the draft or free agency. Grade: D+
Geno Hayes used the entire year, but once the transition to the Tampa Two went into effect, he came on at the Will linebacker position. With extremely large shoes to fill, Hayes never let them get the best of him. The Bucs have high hopes for their linebackers, all three of which are Young Guns! Grade: B+
Aqib Talib really dominated most of the year, but remarkably so, better while in the Jim Bates system. Leading the team in interceptions, Talib was the Bucs shut down corner, taking the best receivers for the other team out of the game. Grade: A-
And so this year, with the focus on the Bucs 10 draft picks and the 5 very high ones the building of this franchise will once again be on the extreme focus of the newest batch of Tampa Bay Buccaneer 'Young Guns'!