Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Final Report Card

The mail truck slowly turns the corner, its creamy white scrap making its way to the empty mailbox.

The mailman smiles and tosses in a freshly-printed report card, one smothered in grades that Momma would ground me for.

As swiftly as I can, I grab the sealed envelope and tuck it away in my pocket, hoping I can hide it in time.

I turn back to the house, and Momma's just standing there, grinning a thin grin.

"Hand it over."

This season has been a major letdown for our young Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They might as well hang their heads in shame and hand it over.

I would try to hide my report card too if it looked as nasty as the Bucs' overall effort and results.

With the recent firing of head coach Raheem Morris and a roster packed with a rowdy bunch of football players, Mark Dominik and the Glazers will have their hands full in summer school this offseason.

Have fun, everyone.

Quarterback

This one solely goes out to Josh Freeman.

Final Grade: C+

The demise of the Bucs might as well be Josh's fault.

He threw 22 interceptions and fumbled the football five times. He managed to perfect the three-and-out and truly lacked the knack for making plays, something Freeman did incredibly well last season.

He has taken a major step back and should be able to work out the kinks this offseason. With a revamped coaching staff and some increased time in the film room, Freeman should be able to bounce back.

Josh Freeman also appeared to be overconfident, especially when he declared that he was a much better quarterback than last year.

Please.

With some much needed firepower, Freeman could put the Bucs in the playoffs along with a pit in Morris' stomach.

This was Morris' guy, and whoever becomes the new coach needs to accept that.

No. 5 is the future. 

Running Backs

With many leaps and bounds, this crew managed to be just average. 

Final Grade: D

At the end of the season, running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for 781 yards on 184 carries. He kept the Bucs at 30th in rushing, barely averaging 90 yards per game. Blount continued to sit on the sidelines when third downs came around and also coughed up the football five times. 

Despite big-play potential, Blount still has much to prove under this Buccaneer offense. However, his impressive runs are few and far between, while his touchdown input only came on five occasions this season.

Third-down man Kregg Lumpkin has nothing to bring to the table, lacking speed and overall athleticism.

If anything, Lumpkin limited Josh Freeman due to the fact that the quarterback threw to Lumpkin more than he should have. Mossis Madu, however, does attract some interest and was able to move the chains every now and then.

Look for the Bucs to either draft a big-play running back or third-down scat back to liven up the backfield.

If this offense hopes to be successful, they need Blount or someone else to make plays and put up points.

Wide Receivers

Wideout Mike Williams once said he was still looking for that rookie wall. He found it, alright.

Final Grade: F

This past season, Mike Williams snagged 65 balls for 771 yards, with only three touchdowns.

He struggled against double teams and wasn't a big-play contributor like he was last year. It might have been the poor play of Freeman not finding his main man, or maybe NFL defenses figured out the powerful duo.

One more thing appears to be evident. Arrelious Benn is not made to be a No. 1 or No. 2 wideout in the NFL.

Benn notched 441 yards, behind both TE Kellen Winslow and one of the NFL's top third-down targets in Preston Parker.

The Tampa Bay offense struggled to put the ball in the end zone this season, mostly in part to the weak play of their young wide receivers.

If the Glazers want to give Freeman some weapons, look for the Bucs to bring in players like Dwayne Bowe or Stevie Johnson in free agency. The presence of a No. 1 wide receiver will relieve some pressure for Freeman and will allow passing lanes to be opened for Williams and Parker.  

Offensive Line

Probably the only consistent piece to this Buccaneer football team.

Final Grade: B-

The Bucs offensive line only gave up 64 QB hits, which ranks in the Top 10, and also ranked 11th in sacks. The offensive line features stout players in LT Donald Penn and RG Davin Joseph, both Pro Bowlers during their time with Tampa Bay.

Mark Dominik and the Glazers continue to speak on leadership, and I believe that in future seasons the line will be the heart and soul of this team.

RT Jeremy Trueblood and C Jeff Faine are probably the most inconsistent of the line and could be replaced through the draft.

These are the guys that protect Freeman, and they ain't half bad. 

Defensive Line

The future is bright for a young defensive line in Tampa.

Final Grade: C

For the young defensive line in Tampa Bay, there is a ton of potential, and the bright spots shine through their two defensive ends, Clayborn and Bowers. The two young men accumulated only nine sacks on the year, but were able to apply consistent pressure.

If the middle of the defensive line can stay healthy in McCoy and Price, the Bucs could have a pretty dangerous up-and-coming line in the NFL.

However, the line struggled in stopping the run and helped this year's Bucs to be probably the worst in franchise history.

Simply put, give it time. Development and intuition will come.

Linebackers

With the hopeful departure in Geno Hayes, these linebackers might be able to prosper.

Final Grade: D

The only reason for the D is Mason Foster, the rookie MLB known as "young hype." Mason Foster ranks first in rookie tackles with 84, along with two sacks.

The Bucs linebackers have played horrendous football and truly deserve an F-. 

However, Mason Foster will continue to develop and learn. With a new defensive coordinator, the pieces and parts could be put in place to help Foster and young guns like Dekoda Watson to become intimidating forces.

If Dominik can pick up a few guys like Stephen Tulloch from Detroit or Curtis Lofton of Atlanta, the Bucs could put together a nice future for the middle of their defense.

Defensive Backs

When Ronde Barber is your best player, you have a real problem.

Final Grade: D

The Bucs' defensive backfield ranked 21st in pass defense, picked off the ball only 14 times, and batted 73 passes down (probably a bunch of drops). 

Opposing quarterbacks had no issues in throwing all over the Bucs, and big plays were always a commonality.

With Aqib Talib continuing to hamper the Bucs with off-the-field issues and E.J. Biggers continuing to play weak football, it appears that the Bucs have no players that can take over the helm at corner when Ronde leaves.

Sean Jones being a free agent couldn't be any sweeter. And with the return of Cody Grimm, the pass defense at safety has a much more solid option and may not have to worry as much.

With a full offseaon, safety Tanard Jackson will most likely return to prime time form, but can somebody please teach him how to tackle?

Even with glaring issues on offense, the Bucs may lean toward selecting LSU's Morris Claiborne with the No. 5 pick in this year's NFL draft. He is a shutdown corner that can play hot in the zone, yet also plays heavy man-D.

It could take a few years for the Bucs defense to regain its old form, but certain steps must be made in establishing a force.

I'd prefer not to watch "third-quarter preseason-type" scrubs attempt to play as starters on this Buccaneer defense. 

Special Teams

It's sad that Michael Koenen's free agent deal made sense in the long run.

Final Grade: A+

The only part of this Buc football team that actually performed at a high level was special teams. Well, you can exclude kick and punt returns, and specifically talk about kicking and punting.

Connor Barth made 26 field goals on the year, ranging in yardage from the 20s to 50s. I'm surprised he wasn't considered for the Pro Bowl.

Bucs punter Michael Koenen only punted three touchbacks, ranks No. 8 in net yardage and also plays the role of kickoff specialist.

When Pewter Report revealed that the entire coaching staff was trashed, I was ecstatic. To take that big of a fall is just embarrassing.

But the worst came when rumors stated that Bucs had no one qualified to take over as an interim.

So long, Greg Olson. Adios, Coach Van Pelt.

Sorry, Jimmy Lake. Raheem, you too. 

I'm just hoping next year can be a little better, and that the new teacher can get the job done.