Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2011 Preseason Schedule: Time for Youth to Be Served

The curtain will be drawn back on Friday night in Kansas City and you will get your first look at the 2011 version of your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If there is a recurring theme to the preseason, let's simply say that it time for youth to be served.

The average age for this football team is an eye-popping 25.9 years. There are three starters over 30, the oldest being the elder statesman, Ronde Barber. Barber is the "old man" of this football team at 36, he's older than the head coach, Raheem Morris, who turns 35 two days after the final preseason game at Washington.

This preseason is very important for the rookies who were not able to take in knowledge from OTAs and rookie camps, activities wiped out by the lockout.

No one knows better than Mark Dominik that there is a lot to watch over the next four weeks.

"I want to see where we're at with the front line, how we attack the quarterback," Dominik said this week, speaking to WDAE620.

Dominik also said he's interested in the special teams. "How well we play special teams," Dominik said, is a key.

The GM also said you should notice "a bigger, more physical team." That's the direction this team has moved with its past two drafts. "I'm looking forward to seeing that in the preseason."

These preseason games should give everyone a good read on the readiness of Mason Foster, who is the starting Mike linebacker on the depth chart with Tyrone McKenzie a close second.

Another key will be the running backs. Who will step up to provide depth behind LeGarrette Blount?

Finally, you'll get a large dosh of Josh Johnson. The "lifetime backup" as Raheem Morris has called him, is in a contract year and wants to be a starter in the league. If that's the case, he'll have to go elsewhere, which means watch Rudy Carpenter closely, he could be the backup in 2012.

Of course there's plenty to keep an eye on, so without further ado, let's look at the Buccaneer preseason opponents.

The Kansas City Chiefs Will Test the Defensive Line

The Buccaneers open up on Friday night at Kansas City. They'll be leaving town Thursday so their preparation is just about done this week.

You will get to see the starters a bit longer than usual because of the lockout.

Raheem Morris is looking to get somewhere around 20 plays for his first unit, which could put them into the second quarter.

This game will be a good test for the defensive line and linebackers as they'll face a good KC offensive line and running game featuring Thomas Jones, the veteran, and Jamaal Charles.

It will also be everyone's first look at Michael Koenen, the Bucs main play in outside free agency.

This game will start providing answers to questions that have been floating for a long time.

Will the defense miss Barrett Ruud?

How will Adrian Clayborn look? Will Gerald McCoy see much playing time after a slight sprain to his shoulder?

How about the health of Arrelious Benn, Cody Grimm and other players coming off IR from last season.

Benn will dress but won't play. Da'Quan Bowers will get 12-15 snaps on defense. Brian Price won't play and it's not certain if McCoy will see any action.

Should be an interesting evening.

The New England Patriots Are Simply the Cream of the Crop

The New England Patriots come to Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night, August 18 at 7:30.

New England is simply the cream of the crop in the NFL.

It will be a treat to see some of the changes the Patriots have made. On offense, they've added the Clown Prince of the NFL, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who says he's going to live for three weeks with a New England fan.

Amazing.

The P-men also added Fat Albert Haynesworth to their roster, the guy who left Daniel Snyder about $36 million lighter in the wallet with no on-field performance to show for it. New England is moving more towards a 4-3 front on defense and it will be interesting to see how the Buc offense handles it.

Nice opponent for the first home preseason game.

Miami Dophins May Have More Question Marks Than the Bucs

A lot of Buccaneer fans were clamoring for Reggie Bush during free agency.

It simply wasn't going to happen. The Buccaneers like the team they have in camp.

The Dolphins added Bush to their roster and it will be interesting to see what role he will play for Miami. He's certainly not durable enough to be a feature back and you have to wonder if the Dolphins will use him primarily as a third down threat and will they risk him as a punter returner.

This third game will give everyone a pretty good idea of how the young Buccaneer rookies are performing.

It should answer questions about the special teams' effectiveness after the departure of Rich Bisaccia.

This will be the final game where you see much of the starters. This is the game where they get their final preparation for the season opener.

Washington Redskins Provide a Last Chance for Young Bucs

Washington owner Daniel Snyder has found out the hard way that you can't buy a championship in the NFL.

The Redskins have had a miserable go of it in the free agent market the past few years and now have a new starting quarterback for 2011 in Rex Grossman.

Grossman replaces Donovan McNabb, who struggled mightily last season.

The former Chicago quarterback, Grossman, has declared the Redskins a serious contender in the NFC East.

If that's the case, here's a great test for the young players trying to make the Tampa Bay roster. That's primarily what this final preseason game accomplishes. Decisions will be tough for the coaching staff this year when it comes down to final cuts for the roster.

Hopefully the Bucs will come into this game and come out of this game with no significant injuries.

After all, that is the primary goal of the preseason, isn't it?