2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Football Predictions

2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Predictions
Preview courtesy of Ted Sevransky, An award-winning professional football handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are interested in football betting this season, be sure to buy Ted Sevransky’s football picks at Touthouse.com

Overview:
Of the 32 teams in the NFL, no squad made more offseason changes than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Super bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden and GM Bruce Allen were shown the door, while former secondary coach Raheem Morris became the youngest head coach in the league at 32 years of age. Former Packers QB coach and Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodinski was brought in as the new offensive coordinator, while Tampa selected Josh Freeman as their quarterback of the future in the first round of the draft.

On the defensive side, the changes are every bit as dramatic. Longtime coordinator Monte Kiffin left to join his son at Tennessee, replaced by Jim Bates. Meanwhile, veterans like Derrick Brooks, Cato June, Jovan Haye and Philip Buchanon were sent packing. Expect five or more new starters on the defensive side of the ball to go along with Bates new schemes. Clearly, this is a team in transition entering the 2009 campaign.

Offense:
Jagodinski’s playbook has been roundly lauded in early training camp, a breath of fresh air for a largely dormant offense in recent years. The quarterback position, however, is very much a work in progress. Expect veteran Luke McCown or Byron Leftwich to begin the season as the starting quarterback, with Freeman lurking in the background, waiting for his opportunity. Whoever wins the QB job will benefit tremendously from the strength of the offensive line, with pro bowl caliber center Jeff Faine and pro bowl alternate guard Davin Joseph leading the way.

Fantasy players aren’t overwhelmed with the talent level at the skill positions. Battering ram running back Earnest Graham appears to be fully recovered from the ankle injury that ended his season in November last year. Free agent acquisition Derrick Ward provides a nice pass catching threat out of the backfield, to go along with his ‘change of pace’ duties. Wide receiver Antonio Bryant came out of nowhere to catch 83 passes for more than 1200 yards last year, and the acquisition of Kellen Winslow Jr. gives Tampa their best pass catching weapon at tight end in the history of the franchise. As long as the Bucs go with one of their veteran quarterbacks, don’t be surprised if this offense vastly exceeds the pundits prognostications.

Defense:
Monte Kiffin’s defense overachieved once again last year, as the Bucs finished #9 in the NFL in total defense and #4 against the pass. Like Kiffin, Jim Bates runs a 4-3 defense, playing a lot of quarters coverage in the secondary. Unlike Kiffin, Bates likes to blitz early and often, far more aggressive in that aspect than his predecessor. The secondary remains the strength of the ‘D’, but depth at cornerback is a major concern if Aquib Talib or Ronde Barber go down with an injury. Linebackers Jermaine Phillips and Barrett Ruud along with defensive end Gaines Adams and defensive tackle Chris Hovan are the key returning components on a suspect front seven. The Bucs allowed only 20 points per game last year, a number that should rise (potentially significantly) in the upcoming campaign.

Schedule:
The Bucs feasted on the week last year, facing a schedule that included easy wins against the likes of bottom feeders like Detroit, Seattle, Green Bay, and Kansas City. But an ugly four game season ending losing streak turned a 9-3 start into a 9-7 finish, and the Bucs missed out on the playoffs due to tiebreakers. This year, Tampa’s schedule can only be described as ‘brutal’; much tougher than that of a season ago.

The Bucs face all four juggernauts from the NFC East in the first five weeks of the season. Tampa loses a home game to play the Patriots in London. In December, the Bucs play another brutal stretch of four road games in a five week span, including road tilts at all three of their divisional rivals. Money has poured in on the Bucs Under their season win total, and the prevailing number has declined from 6.5 to 6. Don’t expect much money coming back the other way on the new, reduced total – wiseguy Tampa Bay supporters are few and far between heading into the preseason.