An offseason progress report

You've probably been wondering where we've been around here. Well, when you cover the NFL 24/7, you have to take a break at those precious few times when things slow down. When you start sleeping with a BlackBerry under your pillow, you're really overdue for some time off.

But I digress. Let's talk football.

We are pretty much done with free agency, for all intents and purposes. The draft also is in the books. So, now seems like a good time to ask: where did the Bucs improve most this offseason?

They addressed several areas of the team, notably the defensive line, running back (Warrick Dunn), tight end, offensive line and receiver (sort of). There's no obvious answer because what the Bucs did this offseason was more tweaking than overhauling. But it's still worth considering.

I would argue the Bucs did their best work on the offensive line, where they scooped up the top free-agent center, Jeff Faine, and added what I think could be a very valuable third-round draft pick, do-it-all Jeremy Zuttah of Rutgers. Faine should be a substantial upgrade over former center John Wade and don't be surprised if Zuttah sees the field a lot this fall. Hard to say where because he plays all over the place, but he's learning center and is quite adept at playing guard and tackle, too.

While all that is very nice, it probably doesn't excite you a whole lot. I'm with you. But I can't make a case that the Bucs are a whole lot better at tight end because Ben Troupe is a couple years removed from a half-decent season and, well, what do we really know about John Gilmore?

I would try to argue the running back corps is substantially better with the addition of Dunn, but the jury is still out, if you ask me. Dunn is at a stage of his career where the potential for a dropoff is huge. Plus, he'll be best utilized in small doses, which might limit his overall impact.

On the defensive line, the Bucs obviously felt they needed to upgrade, thus their interest in defensive end Jared Allen, who was traded from Kansas City to Minnesota. What they did was cut Greg Spires, bring back Kevin Carter, signed Marques Douglas and Jimmy Wilkerson and drafted fourth-rounder Dre Moore. I'm certainly not ready to proclaim that a better lineup than last year, though I suspect it'll be something of an upgrade.

And then we come to receiver, where we must reserve judgment until the season starts. There are too many questions. The newcomers are the embattled Antonio Bryant and second-round pick Dexter Jackson. Bryant has to keep his nose clean and return to form after a year off while Jackson must prove he can have an impact beyond special teams. Plus, the Bucs are relying somewhat heavily on Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall having bounce-back seasons, which is a bit of a risky proposition.

As a side note, I think we can all agree that the secondary is better with the addition of first-round pick Aqib Talib. It's just that no one was losing sleep over that area of the team to begin with. I did, however, think it was a good pick, even if it didn't address an immediate need.

So, the Bucs clearly have tightened some screws this offseason, which probably makes them a better team. How much better? That's up for debate.

Comments

[Vince]

I agree that the D-line changes were not huge, but we may all feel better if the Bucs acquire a healthy Coleman. The Bucs D-line lacked interior push last year. If the Bucs add Coleman to Moore (who should be good), Haye, Peterson, and Sims -- we could have a much improved rush.

[mkurbo]

Wow ! A fairly decent article from Holder without too much negative content - is the earth still spinning ?

In the 4-3 Douglas will be a surprising impact for Bucs fans.

With Faine and the young guys improving, the O-line should be better which will have a ripple effect on Garcia and the offense.

We did not procure a No. 2 receiever and that was a huge mistake. Joey goes down and defenses will have nothing to fear...

[Jay]

Mkurbo,

Chris Henry is available and can be had for cheap. Do you REALLY want a #2 receiver that bad?

As for the upgrades, I see the defensive secondary as being the biggest impact with Wilson, Talib and the return of Sabby from injury. TJax and Flip had a great season last year, and I expect nothing less the significant improvement from there. Seriously, this will be one of, if not the absolute best secondary in all of the NFL, and I'm excited about it.

[DR]

There is no legit answer to this question. We can all speculate, but it all comes down to the field. Look at Clayton his rookie season. Nobody expected that he wouldn't produce anything worthy the next few years. We don't know what decisions Gruden is going to make as far as personnel. He might try to rush broke down Caddy back and put EG back on the pine. If you look at the progression of injured RBs in the past, I think the Bucs would be stupid to give Caddy any kind of work load the first half of the season. There is no reason to rush him back into it. It's a fact that with any knee surgery, the player is not the same the following season. Better players with less severe injuries have proven that.

[Noel (Bahamas)]

I, like all BUCS fans wanted some firepower on offense. Did we get it....I am with Stephen...the jury is out. I saw Dexter Jackson play against Coastal Carolina and he was great....obviously the transition to the NFL is a different story....as a receiver....I think it would be hard pressed to see if he gets much time other than on KR duty. Antonio Bryant could be a difference maker.....IF he makes the team. Clayton...by all definitions...he is a bust. I wish that he was not.

I would say that our defense...which was ranked #2 last year....should be better. The Patriots....whose defense was #1.....should be worse. I think we are back to the days of domineering defense and our defense winning games. I for one would like to the see the offense continue to improve.

[Matt]

I feel like its time to part ways with Ike Hillard. Not because Ike wouldn't be good enough to make the team, I feel we need 70-80 balls thrown to Clayton, Warren and Stovall each this year to see if any of them can actually earn their keep.

The upgrade to the O-Line should give Garcia enough time to go through his progressions to find the 2nd & 3rd Receivers.

If we throw the ball to them enough

[Sean]

Problem with Coleman is he isn't healthy. Otherwise other teams would have been more interested in him already.

[JR]

I agree 100% with what matt is saying. the problem with clayton is that he couldnt beat out the proven ike hilliard in camp and that put him at the #3 Wr which doesnt get much attention in our offense. After galloway went down and towards the end of the season when we were resting players clayton had some solid games with like 4 catches which shows he is still capable.

[RICH]

We do need for Stovall and Clayton to step it up for sure or go down the road already. This has to be Clayton`s last chance. He`ll be gone if he has a sub-par year again. And that keeps us from going after other WR`s waiting for others to get better.

[Mitch]

Don't forget about Parris Warren coming back at WR

[Tony]

Dont want to sound bitter but, I checked the roster and a ROOKIE FB Carl Stewart has #47. I dont want to see ANY other BUC in that jersey but Lynch. I think this is a BIG issue to a lot of fans.

[Jay]

I'm with you, Tony. The Bucs need to retire some jerseys, and it's insulting that the fans have supported this team throughout all the dark and painful times, only to have the pleasant memories washed away without any recognition. We always talk about a Ring of Honor, but the truth is that the Glazers need to step up in a HUGE way and start making some steps to pay homage to the great players that have been on this team.

John Lynch #47
Warren Sapp #99
Derrick Brooks #55
Ronde Barber #20
Mike Alstott #40
Hardy Nickerson #56
Doug Williams #12
Lee Roy Selmon #63

[Stephen Blackehart]

Dude, those are temporary, tryout camp numbers. You might have also noticed a guy in the #99 jersey, and even Amarri Jackson wearing Stovall's #85. They get different numbers if and when they make it to training camp, and possibly yet another number if they make the team.

That said, the team hasn't ever said anything about honoring any former players by retiring their numbers or, say, initiating some sort of 'ring of honor' type deal.

Would it be nice? Sure. Will it happen? No telling, though I for one believe that if fans made it an issue, the team's hand would be forced. They could even spread it out and just do one per year until we reach the right balance. My votes:

Lee Roy Selmon
Doug Williams
Hardy Nickerson *
Warren Sapp
John Lynch
Derrick Brooks
Mike Alstott

* - That vote might seem strange, but Hardy truly taught the defense how to be pros, and was almost as important as Monte Kiffin in our rise to prominence.

[Scott]

It's not quite accurate to say the team has never had a 'ring of honor' type display.

They did, at one time, have the Krewe of honor which was in the old stadium. I know Lee Roy and Ricky Bell were in it and three other players, but I can't remember which ones. I guess it was forgotten when the Sombrero was leveled.

Also I like the list but James Wilder belongs on any list of Bucs greats as well.

[DR]

You can't not give a player #47 right now. Lynch still plays in the league for another team. I agree, they should retire his number, but not until he retires.

[shane]

joel the number one defense last year was the Pittsburgh steelers and DR i'm sure that you know this as well as i do that you can't retire a number until a player retires. And about the comment on Chris Henry, seriously if the bucs are considering him and now that it seems that Bruce is making the decisions it would be a hard knock on Allen's personnel decisions after having an above average draft and a decent free agency period. Also, if the Bucs do sign Henry would he be on the same length of leash that David Boston was on last year

[shane]

sorry about that comment DR i din't read your comment all the way through i'm used to hearing dumb comments(see part one of mine) on bucs beat and it goes from there

[JR]

i'm going with the belief that the glazers would cosinder retiring numbers of players that have played under their new regime. With that being said all of the greats under them are still playing or just retired, Alstott and Sapp(exception of hardy nickerson). I think that if the glazers had the moment of victory display made they would consider doing a ring of honor/retiring jerseys.

[Tony G.]

Lynch made the decision to go elsewhere, he is now a Denver Bronco. Idiots will blame Gruden, Allen and the poolboy, bottom line is that Lynch made his own decision. Need facts? Find Lynch's ESPN interview where he admitted that he had no idea if he would be able to play again, his revelation came at the same time he was trying to secure his starting role here in Tampa. Let him retire first, acclaim his allegiance to the Bucs 2nd, then maybe retire his jersey number.

[George C. Costanza]

The Glazer family's soccer team is losing money, news reports say. Could this affect the Bucs?

[Oliver]

The Glazer's soccer team (Manchester United) just won the league title and are in the European cup final - they are a much more successful club than the Buccaneers.

[Noel (Bahamas)]

Oh yeah....my bad...our defense was 2nd to Steelers......anyhow....our unit is young and we can only get better.

[wizdomheard]

I agree with the retiring of jerseys. Because the tampa bay buccaneers have have quite a few players worthy of having the NFL jersey retired. I'm surprised Doug Williams and Warren Sapp's jersey hasn't been retired yet.

[Jon Gruden]

what about my offense winning championships? these guys got a lot of JUICE

I'm an offensive GENIUS ... just check and see how many times my offense has finished in the top 10 in Tampa Bay!

[Skylar]

Does anyone ever recall Gruden calling himself an offensive genius? Hmmm. Anyway, a ring of honor needs enough players to actually complete the ring. We've only got 3 lock-down HOF's (Selmon, Brooks & Sapp.) Lynch, Barber and Alstott are possibles and also worthy of ring distinction. So, 63-55-99-47-20-40 would be enough to complete the ring I suppose, that is, once three of those guys retire. But remember, you open pandora's box when you start something like this. Consider other worthy notables in: Wilder, Nickerson, Bell, Pear, Cotney, Gruber, Abraham, Batman Wood, Giles, House, Rice, Williams, Beckles, Brantley, Carrier, Reynolds, Grimes, Logan, Mayberry, Moore, Quarles, Taylor, C Brown & last but certainly not least, H Green...all great players.

[Skylar]

In other words, why not just put the names in the ring without retiring the numbers? One day we may run out!

[George C. Costanza]

Oliver, Man U may be more succesful on the field than the Bucs, but that's not what my question addressed. I was talking about the massive debt the Glazer family owes on the soccer club. Read the UK papers if you're interested.

[Bob]

Oliver, George is right, Manchester United announced a $113.4 million loss for last fiscal year despite revenue of $409 million, largely because of the 14.25 percent interest rate Glazer is paying on $296 million he borrowed in order to buy the team. That is higher interest than I pay on my CC. As Fox sports said about this transaction.

"If you've got the scratch to take a controlling interest of a business this large, shouldn't you have met someone somewhere along the way who could have fronted the money at a rate that couldn't be confused for C.C. Sabathia's ERA?"

[Cecil Brooks]

YE THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HERE. I JUS WANT TO SAY IVE BEEN A BUC FAN FOR YEARS N I BELIEVE IN THEM N KNO THAT WE ARE A GOOD TEAM. WE HAVE ALOT OF TALENT ON THE FIELD. ITS JUS THAT GRUDEN DOESN'T CALL THE RIGHT PLAYS AT THE RIGHT TIME OR HE NEVER USES PLAYERS THAT HE ACQUIRES UNTIL 3 OR 4 YEARS LATER N THEY BECOME OUTSTANDING ONCE THEY GET ON THE FIELD, LIKE FO INSTANCE PARIS WARREN N EARNEST GRAHAM. BUT WE ARE A GOOD TEAM N I CAN SEE US WINNING ANOTHER DIVSION THIS YEAR(08). WE JUS HAVE TO HAVE FAITH N BELIEVE IN THEM.