Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Biggest Takeaways from Bucs' 2014 Season
The 2014 season is now in the books for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the end couldn't have come soon enough, as the team limped to a 2-14 record in the worst performance the franchise has endured in recent memory.
After a complete house-cleaning of personnel executives and coaches to a completely overhauled roster, Tampa Bay was considered a dark-horse candidate to make a quick turnaround and contend for the playoffs.
But underachievement from key free agents, growing pains of dealing with new schemes and the unforeseen departure of its hand-picked offensive coordinator helped derail what looked to be a promising season.
But even in such a dismal turnout, there were a few silver linings for the 2014 Bucs, including a breakout star rookie on offense and a young defense that looks to be turning the corner.
What did we learn about the Bucs in 2014? Let's find out.
Preseason Expectations Mean Absolutely Nothing
1 of 6
The Bucs brought in a new general manager with a track record of success as a personnel executive for multiple franchises. They hired Lovie Smith, a familiar face with connections to the most successful run in franchise history as an assistant.
They gutted the roster of a 4-12 team, spent a healthy chunk of money in free agency yet again and had a seemingly talented young roster on the verge of taking the next step.
And it all fell flat.
The Bucs were a trendy pick to make a quick turnaround and perhaps even contend for a wild-card spot, much like the Chiefs did in Andy Reid's first year as their head coach.
Instead, the Bucs swung and missed hard on some of their biggest free-agent additions—Michael Johnson, Anthony Collins, Evan Dietrich-Smith and Josh McCown—and they lost their new offensive coordinator to medical issues before he ever called a regular-season play.
This season proved that impressive paper rosters, inspiring press conferences and a plethora of pundit predictions aren't worth one iota between the lines. Bucs fans found that out the hard way this year, and they will likely be harder to fool in 2015.
Offensive Line Overhaul Was a Failure
2 of 6
After a disappointing 4-12 campaign in 2013, a great deal of responsibility for the failures of last year's Bucs team rested on the shoulders of the offensive line, prompting the new regime to blow up the whole thing and start over.
Gone were longtime starters Donald Penn and Jeremy Zuttah, while Carl Nicks was forced to retire due to ongoing injury problems.
The new starting lineup would feature a savvy veteran in Evan Dietrich-Smith at center, an up-and-coming left tackle in Anthony Collins and a six-time Pro Bowler at left guard in Logan Mankins. Right tackle Demar Dotson was the only returning starter.
But even with all of these perceived improvements, Tampa Bay's play up front actually regressed in 2014, largely due to the underachievement of their biggest additions.
Collins played so poorly that he was eventually deactivated without an injury and replaced by moving Dotson over to left tackle. Dietrich-Smith's mental mistakes—penalties, bad snaps—were far too plenty, and Mankins proved to be a mere shell of his former self.
Now, as the Bucs head into the 2015 offseason, they're looking at the likelihood they'll have to make yet another serious overhaul to one of their most disappointing units. Dotson looks like he could stick at left tackle, but every other spot should be up for grabs yet again this coming year.
Mike Evans Is the Real Deal
3 of 6
Many people—fans and analysts alike—were skeptical of Mike Evans' ability to make an immediate impact at the NFL level. Would he be able to dominate NFL defensive backs like he had at the college level? Would he enjoy the same success without Johnny Manziel running his offense?
Oh, how naive we were.
Evans showed a few flashes in the early going, but he exploded over the latter two-thirds of the season, ending his rookie season with 68 receptions for 1,051 yards, setting a single-season franchise record with 12 touchdown catches.
Vincent Jackson was expected to eventually pass the torch down to Evans as the team's No. 1 receiver, but Evans snatched the torch in about Week 9 and never looked back.
He's already proven he can use his size, physicality and ball skills to beat NFL corners, and he put up incredible numbers despite missing one game due to injury and playing with a weak quarterback situation behind a porous offensive line.
Especially when you consider that Evans is just 21 years old, he's easily the brightest silver lining for the Bucs in an otherwise dark season.
.jpg?w=256 "Giants Bears Football")
Jeff Tedford's Absence Crippled the Offense
4 of 6
Lovie Smith and Jeff Tedford reportedly spent hours this offseason pouring over their philosophies—the plans they had for this 2014 Tampa Bay offense—per Jim Corbett of USA Today.
"Speed in space," Bucs fans were told.
The only space they'll remember seeing is the empty one where Tedford might have stood on the sidelines, replaced instead by quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, who did the best he could to hold the ship together despite his extreme lack of play-calling experience.
Tedford left the team due to a heart procedure, but despite claiming he was ready to return to coaching in October, he chose instead to walk away and eventually accept the head coaching job with the CFL's B.C. Lions.
The architect of what was supposed to be an exciting new Tampa Bay offense was gone before he ever called a play in the regular season, and it was painfully obvious on the field every week.
Tampa Bay trudged through the entire 2014 season without any semblance of offensive identity, leading to early-season blowouts and late-season disappointments when impressive efforts by an improving defense were wasted on a completely inept offense.
Bucs fans will be hoping their next offensive coordinator actually sticks around for the games that count in 2015 and beyond.
After Rough Start, Defense Has Turned the Corner
5 of 6
It couldn't have been uglier for the once-proud Tampa Bay defense than two early-season blowout losses to the Falcons and Ravens, giving up over 100 points between those two games alone.
But as the second half of the season wore on, the Bucs' retooled roster began to feel more and more comfortable and confident in the new Tampa 2 scheme, and it showed on the field.
Tampa Bay had a four-game stretch without allowing a 300-yard passer, picked off Drew Brees a total of six times this season and put together an admirable late-season performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, despite giving up over 300 yards due to Rodgers having too much time in the pocket.
Were there disappointments like Michael Johnson and—for much of the season—Alterraun Verner? Sure. But there's plenty for Bucs fans to be encouraged about when it comes to this unit.
Johnthan Banks established himself as the team's top cover man, leading the team with four interceptions in just his second NFL season, and showing the toughness in run support required of Cover 2 corners.
Both waiver-wire wonders, safety Bradley McDougald and defensive end Jacquies Smith look like stellar finds who should be full-time starters in 2015.
Combine those players with three-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, one of the league's best linebackers in Lavonte David and another offseason to help build depth, and this group should have plenty of promise in the years to come.
Josh McCown Experiment Failed Miserably
6 of 6
When they signed him to a two-year, $10 million free-agent deal this offseason and immediately named the starter, Josh McCown was billed as a savvy veteran who would take care of the ball, make smart decisions and safely manage games alongside a hopefully stingy defense.
Instead, McCown's 2014 season will be remembered for his Favre-esque attempts to make plays where there were none, back-breaking turnovers and a penchant for standing in the pocket far too long and taking too many costly sacks.
McCown made 11 starts this season, finishing with 14 interceptions to just 11 touchdowns, a 56.3 completion percentage, 10 fumbles—though he managed to only lose four of them—and a quarterback rating of 70.3.
Mike Glennon started Tampa Bay's other five games due to a McCown thumb injury, but the veteran returned once healthy to give the Bucs much of the same underwhelming play he showed early in the season.
It remains to be seen what the future of the quarterback position will look like in Tampa Bay, but if it includes any more starts from McCown, you'll be hard-pressed to find many Bucs fans who will be happy about it.
.jpg?w=480 "Giants Bears Football")
