Camp countdown: Solid draft should boost rebuilding Buccaneers
Article By Unknown on 2nd July, 2010
Roy Cummings, Sporting News correspondent
This is the 24th in a series of team breakdowns to be published before the start of training camp.
Reporting date: July 30
The Buccaneers are coming off a 3-13 season and are still in the middle phase of a major rebuilding project. Their goals are pretty modest this season. Sure, they'd like to get into the playoff hunt in 2010, but that's more of a dream than a reality—and they know it.
The Bucs' objective is to improve on last year's disturbing finish, and there's reason to believe they can do it. Unlike last fall, when then-rookie coach Raheem Morris wasn't sure what kind of offense or defense his team was going to run, the Bucs enter this season with an identity established on both sides of the ball.
Still, the Bucs are going with a younger lineup than they fielded in 2009. So expect some growing pains. If all goes as planned, however, they'll make a little progress, too.
The Buccaneers hope the ground game will open up the long ball for Josh Freeman. What's new Offense: Second-year quarterback Josh Freeman is the centerpiece of the offense, but the Bucs won't make him the focal point of their attack. The hope is that by serving up a steady diet of Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham, the Bucs can lure an eighth defender into the box and create opportunities for Freeman downfield.
The new wizard behind the curtain is Greg Olson, who really isn't new at all. He spent all of 2009 running the offense after Jeff Jagodzinski was fired 10 days before the start of the season. Because he got such a late start, though, Olson never got to implement his own scheme. Now that he has his own game plan in place, look for the Bucs to lean on a power rushing attack as well as Freeman's ability to strike deep.
To take advantage of Freeman's big arm, the team could need rookie w...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
Reporting date: July 30
The Buccaneers are coming off a 3-13 season and are still in the middle phase of a major rebuilding project. Their goals are pretty modest this season. Sure, they'd like to get into the playoff hunt in 2010, but that's more of a dream than a reality—and they know it.
The Bucs' objective is to improve on last year's disturbing finish, and there's reason to believe they can do it. Unlike last fall, when then-rookie coach Raheem Morris wasn't sure what kind of offense or defense his team was going to run, the Bucs enter this season with an identity established on both sides of the ball.
Still, the Bucs are going with a younger lineup than they fielded in 2009. So expect some growing pains. If all goes as planned, however, they'll make a little progress, too.
The Buccaneers hope the ground game will open up the long ball for Josh Freeman. What's new Offense: Second-year quarterback Josh Freeman is the centerpiece of the offense, but the Bucs won't make him the focal point of their attack. The hope is that by serving up a steady diet of Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham, the Bucs can lure an eighth defender into the box and create opportunities for Freeman downfield.
The new wizard behind the curtain is Greg Olson, who really isn't new at all. He spent all of 2009 running the offense after Jeff Jagodzinski was fired 10 days before the start of the season. Because he got such a late start, though, Olson never got to implement his own scheme. Now that he has his own game plan in place, look for the Bucs to lean on a power rushing attack as well as Freeman's ability to strike deep.
To take advantage of Freeman's big arm, the team could need rookie w...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for NFL
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