Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2011 Schedule: Buccaneers Face Rugged 2011 NFL Schedule

It won't be easy.

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope to improve on last season's 10-6 record, they better be ready for a stronger, tougher list of opponents.

The NFL schedules were released Tuesday night and the Buccaneers will face, among others, the Indianapolis Colts, the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, just for starters.

The schedule for your consumption:

9-11:    Detroit

9-18:    at Minnesota

9-25:    Atlanta

10-3:    Indianapolis (8:30 p.m. ESPN)

10-9:    at San Francisco

10:16:  New Orleans

10-23:  Chicago (in London)

10-30:  BYE

11-6:   at New Orleans

11-13:  Houston

11-20:  at Green Bay

11-27:  at Tennessee

12-4:    Carolina

12-11:  at Jacksonville

12-17:  Dallas (8:20 p.m. NFL Network)

12-24:  at Carolina

1-1:     at Atlanta

So get out those crystal balls, get out the pencils (with erasers) and start filling in your pre-pre-pre-preseason Ws and Ls.

We'll take some time to dwell on this one.