Stroughter Finds Comfort Zone

Sammie Stroughter is back in the groove.

The 2009 7th round pick out of Oregon State arrived at One Buccaneer Place last year and has never looked back.  Stroughter went right to the active roster and became the breakout story of the year, catching 31 passes for 334 yards (10.8 average) with a touchdown.  And he shows no signs of the foot injury which placed him on Injured Reserve after the Seattle win last year (two games missed).

He also shows no signs of slowing down.

This season, Stroughter emerged from training camp as one of the few wideouts on the roster with any NFL experience.  The team named him a starting wideout, across from 2010 Rookie Mike Williams.  Running head up with a corner, Stroughter stuggled a bit (by his terms). Then, after the by week (Week 4),  Stroughter was moved back to the slot, where there is more space and assorted defensive matchups to deal with.  Here are his stats before and after the move:

As Flanker

Against	Targeted	Receptions	Yards	Average	Longest	Touchdowns
Cleveland	5	2	32	16.0	18	0
Carolina	1	0	0	0.0	0	0
Pittsburgh	6	4	17	4.3	5	0
Total	12	6	49

As Slot

Against	Targeted	Receptions	Yards	Average	Longest	Touchdowns
Cincinnati	3	3	39	13.0	19	0
New Orleans	9	3	51	17.0	27	0
Saint Louis	3	3	38	12.7	18	0
Total	15	9	128

Clearly, Stroughter's game has picked up since the move.  Across the board his statistics took a step up with the change back to his original position.

This move makes Stroughter a more potent weapon, which should help the Buccaneers loosen the eight man fronts they have been dealing with.  If it gets the running game working, the chances of the Buccaneers reaching the playoffs will go up dramatically!