Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Why Bucs Fans Should Not Get Excited Too Quickly for 2011

The Buccaneers were one of the many surprise success stories in the NFL this season. In 2009, they were one of the worst teams in the league, struggling to a 3-13 record. In 2010, they went 10-6 on the back of a strong sophomore season from Freeman and a favorable season.

Already, the Young Bucs are being labeled as the best team in the NFC by their faithful fans, and I do believe that they will be a dominant side in the years to come. However, they have a wee ways still to go.

The first problem is their pass rush. The defensive line was anaemic at best, the notable failure being that of Gerald McCoy. Although he did not play badly, he failed to record many sacks, and seems overpowered on the tape I have seen.

Brian Price was injured all season, but also seems too small to complement McCoy as an anchor. Terrence Cody seemed like a better pick at the time.

Unless these two defensive tackles have a sophomore revival, the defensive line in Tampa will be a weak link again. What's more, the bunch of no-name defensive ends at the Bay fail to force opposing quarterbacks to step up into the pocket.

While it is their most pressing need, from their position at 20th in the draft, they are likely to miss out on the best prospects such as Da'quan Bowers, Aldon Smith, Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan and Justin Houston. This means the Buccaneers will either trade up or take a worse prospect like Allen Bailey or Cameron Heyward.

The Bucs also have a lot of players with character issues. LeGarrette Blount is one of the best young running backs in the league, but is prone to rash, stupid decisions. In the days of Roger Goodell, this will equate to serious time on the sidelines if he lets himself slip into his old habits.

Aqib Talib and Mike Williams are two more very important players who carry a character risk. If they were to mess things up, then the passing game or the secondary would step back a long way.

Tanard Jackson is the final troubled character. He is returning from an enforced suspension, which could be the fate of a few more vital contributors.

Then there is the upcoming free agency. It could see the parting of ways of Barrett Ruud and the Bucs, as Ruud thinks that he will be paid more elsewhere, and that Tampa Bay is refusing to give him his due. This would be a terrible loss for the leadership and run defense of the team, since Ruud is a leader on defense and its top tackler.

Finally, and most problematic, the Buccaneers made the majority of their 10 wins against weak opposition. They beat the Carolina Panthers twice, the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals, the St. Louis Rams, the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Washington Redskins, the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. Of these 10 teams, the Saints are the only ones who would be considered good.

Meanwhile, they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Saints, the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons twice and the Detroit Lions when they needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt. This to me says that the team either is not good enough to beat quality opposition, or believes that it cannot.

Both suggest that the Bucs will not succeed in the NFL playoffs, where, with the exception of the Seahawks, every team is elite, and will even struggle next year when their schedule includes the NFC North and AFC South, two tough divisions.

In conclusion, although I do like the Bucs, I think that the hype being placed upon them is unrealistic, and will be to the detriment of this young side. Tampa Bay's time will come, but we will have to wait a few more years for it.