Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The One Question Every Player Should Ask Themselves

Head coach Greg Schiano and his staff have spent the past eight months formulating schemes and developing principles that, if executed properly, will turn the Buccaneers into a more disciplined and well-rounded team.

Ask anyone who has been to one of their training camp practices over the past two weeks and they'll tell you how detail-oriented and structured the sessions have been, especially when compared to how the previous regime did things.

Schiano continues to stress the importance of how the little things can make a big difference, you know, how the devil is in the details, so to speak.

But for all that has been made about Schiano and the culture change that has occurred since his arrival in January, the willingness of the players to get with the program has been what is most encouraging.

That said, given all of the hyperbole and clichés that get tossed around with relative frequency by athletes and coaches alike, there is one burning question that every Buccaneer player should ask themselves.

"Am I better than I was yesterday?"

The question itself is simple enough to understand, but much like Schiano and his desire for specificity, there is a subtle message hidden beneath the surface.

If the Bucs are to rebound from an otherwise horrendous 2011 season, they are going to have to do a lot of things very differently.

Better form tackling or learning new angles to the ball carrier would be a good start. It could also be something as simple as gripping the ball differently in the open field or altering the follow through or arm angle on pass attempts.

And while all of those things (and then some) are unmistakeably important to improving on the field, the mental approach off of the field is equally as important.

Which brings us back to the question, "Am I better than I was yesterday?"

Yes, the Buccaneers were a bad team last year, there is little doubting that. But the processes that have been implemented by Coach Schiano can only help.

Does that mean that I am naive enough to think that policy changes and a positive outlook are the magic elixir to what ails the Bucs?

Absolutely not.

However, there is an adage that suggests the key to success is to, "Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection."

And considering the Bucs seemingly got worse as the weeks went on last season, that may not be such a bad thing to strive for, after all.

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