Buccaneer wideouts ready for breakout

With the drafting of Josh Freeman in 2009, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers embarked on a complete renovation of the ball handlers on offense.  The first target was the wide receivers group, starting with Sammie Stroughter a few rounds later.  In 2010, WRs Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn were drafted.  Those three have taken more than the lions share of starts at wideout for the past two seasons.  Add in Preston Parker (2010 undrafted free agent) and Dezmon Briscoe (plundered from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad in 2010) and you have a set of highly productive pass-catchers.  However, injury and youth have conspired to keep this group from reaching their potential.

The most productive pass-catcher in 2011 (and 2010) was TE Kellen Winslow, now departed in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Enter Vincent Jackson, free agent from San Diego and one of the most coveted players in the 2012 free agent pool.  Winslow caught 75 passes for 763 yards in 2011; Jackson caught 60 passes for 1,106 yards.  Winslow produced 2 touchdowns in 2011; Jackson scored 9 touchdowns in 2011.

Based on statistics, the Winslow and Jackson moves appear to shift the emphasis from the Tight End position out to the Wide Receivers for 2012.  This does not imply the Tampa Bay Tight End squad will not be productive, it just means the proven playmakers are now on the edge. In theory, this should force opposing defenses to play from the inside out instead of from the outside to the middle. There is no doubt the Buccaneers will be looking for a new, younger TE to emerge in 2012 (a story for another day), but that person will not be option #1 for Josh Freeman down after down after down.

When going to training camp on July 29th, the Buccaneer's Wide Reciever group will bring the following 2011 production (sorted by Receiving Yards):

Wideout	Ht	Wt	Games	Starts	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Notes
Jackson, Vincent	6'5"	230	16	16	60	1106	18.4	58	9	FA (SD)
Williams, Mike	6'2"	212	16	15	65	771	11.9	42	3
Parker, Preston	6'0"	200	16	0	40	554	13.9	51	3
Benn, Arrelious	6'2"	220	14	14	30	441	14.7	65T	3
Briscoe, Dezmon	6'2"	210	16	2	35	387	11.1	46	6
Stroughter, Sammie	5'10"	189	6	0	4	52	13	29	0
Underwood, Tiquan	6'1"	183	6	0	3	30	10	13	0	FA (NE)
Wright, Wallace	6'1"	197	16	0	2	21	10.5	14	0	FA (NYJ)
Gant, Ed	6'3"	200	4*	0	5	164	32.8	96	1	* All Preseason
Ellingson, Greg	6'3"	197	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2012 College FA
Lewis, Armahd	5'8"	171	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2012 College FA

Williams and Benn have been on the field for a great majority of snaps in each of their two seasons in the NFL.  Parker and Briscoe broke out last season to demonstrate they can be productive players.  Stroughter was slowed by injury in 2011.  Gant wowed during the 2011 preseason with a 96 yard touchdown catch and his NFL size.

If I had to build a depth chart today, it would probably shake out this way:

Right side WR (Freeman's Right Hand, Primary Receiver)
Vincent Jackson - The big paycheck means make him #1
Mike Williams - Won't learn anything from Jackson if he's learning some other position

Left Side WR (Freeman's Back, Secondary Receiver)
Arrelious Benn - Can be a deep threat
Dezmon Briscoe - Extremely productive in the red zone last season

Slot
Preston Parker - Slot is a 3rd down position; Parker is Mr. Third Down
Sammie Stroughter - He may also have some kick/punt return duties

Of those six, Stroughter is the player most in jeopardy to be replaced by one of the free agents, but his punt returning skills are hard to ignore.  Gant and Ellingson have the physical size to play into the interior from the slot.  Armahd is a burner, and Underwood and Wright bring experience from playoff-caliber teams.

How good could this group be?  Here are the best seasons of the players in this group with NFL game experience:

Wideout	Ht	Wt	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Year
Jackson, Vincent	6'5"	230	68	1167	17.2	55	9	2009
Williams, Mike	6'2"	212	65	964	14.8	58T	11	2010
Parker, Preston	6'0"	200	40	554	13.9	51	3	2011
Benn, Arrelious	6'2"	220	30	441	14.7	65T	3	2011
Briscoe, Dezmon	6'2"	210	35	387	11.1	46	6	2011
Stroughter, Sammie	5'10"	189	31	334	10.8	35	1	2009
Underwood, Tiquan	6'1"	183	8	111	13.9	22	0	2010
Wright, Wallace	6'1"	197	6	87	14.5	36	0	2007

It is a very solid group when playing to their potential.  A running game which opposing teams have to respect can only make this group more productive.

It is entirely possible for the Buccaneers to open the season with more than six WRs on the roster.  New offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan will make that call. In any case, this looks like one of the more polished groups on the pre-camp roster.  Look for a breakout year!

Buccaneers Enter Bye Week at 4-3

I bet it was a long plane ride back from London.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to Florida at 4-3 for a well earned weekend off.  The team has shown it's youth this season with wildly inconsistent results, the latest being 24-18 loss to the Chicago Bears at Wembly Stadium in London, after beating the New Orleans Saints, and two weeks since the San Francisco game.

They did all they could to prevent a repeat of the 35-7 loss to New England in London just two years ago.  The team went to London early, they acclimated and adjusted.  At times, they played well.  But it just did not go well enough.

It didn't help when Micheal Koenen, a stalwart performer this season, sent the opening kickoff out-of-bounds.

The inactive list for the game was much last last weekend with lots of talent on the sidelines: DT Gerald McCoy, RB LeGarrette Blount, WR Sammie Stroughter, C Jeff Faine, T James Lee, and TE Zack Pianalto.  Unfortunately, those players had company quickly.

The Buccaneers three-and-outed the Bears after the Koenen miscue, but were unable to to make much progress themselves.  The Bears got the ball back, then drove the field and scored first to take the early lead 7-0, then three-and-outed the Buccaneers to get the ball back again.  Bears QB Jay Cutler was victimized by Tanard Jackson, who made his second interception in as many weeks, who returned the pick to the Chicago 12 yard line.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman was then intercepted on the next play at the two yard line.

The defense rose to the occasion on the next play when DT Brian Price stopping the initial surge by Chicago, forcing Bears RB Matt Forte to veer left into the waiting tackle of CB Ronde Barber for a safety, bringing the score to a strange 7-2 mark.

Tampa Bay took over after the safety kick at their own 40 yard line.  However, after an initial first down, the offense imploded with three penalties on the next five plays.  The drive included such unmanageable situations as 2nd and 21, 2nd and 26, and 3rd and 21, before the Buccaneers were forced to punt on 4th and 12.  The Bears got one play in the books before the first quarter ended.

Although behind on the scoreboard by only five points, Tampa Bay lost the services of both RB Earnest Graham and FB Erik Lorig in the first quarter, leaving RB Kregg Lumpkin as the lone healthy running back for the Buccaneers.

Chicago opened the second quarter with the ball, but was forced to punt.  After one carry by Kregg Lumpkin, who lost a yard, Tampa Bay passed twice then punted for a three-and-out by the Bears.  Chicago then went on a 7 play, 79 yard touchdown drive to push their lead to 14-2.

Tampa Bay got the ball back on their own 20, threw three times, then punted the ball away.

The Bears then drove to the Tampa Bay 36 yard line before they stalled and punted.

Starting from their own 7 yard line, Tampa Bay ran once and threw eight times before the clock caught up with them, resulting in a 33-yard field goal by Connor Barth, resulting in a 14-5 halftime score.

The Bears opened the second half by three-and-outing the Buccaneers, then putting together another seven play scoring drive, this time covering 55 yards and a lead of 21-5.  It would be the only points scored in the third quarter.

Tampa Bay finally broke through after S Corey Lynch intercepted a pass at the Chicago 35-yard line, returning it to the 21.  Four plays later, the Buccaneers scored on a Freeman to TE Kellen Winslow pass of two yards.  The 2-point conversion failed, but Tampa Bay had closed the gap to 21-11.

After a Chicago three-and-out, the Buccaneers then called six straight pass plays, the final one being a 24-yard touchdown to WR Dezmon Briscoe, tightening the score to 21-18 with 7 minutes, 25 seconds left in the game.

The Bears took the resulting kick and drove to the Buccaneer 4-yard line.  The defense held steady for two plays, then Ronde Barber broke through and sacked Jay Culter for a six yard loss with 3:44 to go in the game.  The Bears would have been forced to attempt a field goal and give the Buccaneers the ball back, but CB Aqib Talib got into a tussle with Bears WR Roy Williams, resulting in a personal foul penalty on Talib and new life for Chicago.  Although the Buccaneer defense then rose to the occasion a second time, forcing the Bears to settle for a field goal, the Bears had run 12 plays and drained the game clock to the two minute warning with the score at 24-18.

The Buccaneers took the resulting kickoff and, from their own 28-yard line, marched quickly to the Bears 39 yard line before Josh Freeman was intercepted for a fourth time, ending the game at 24-18.

During the game, Tampa Bay also saw LB Mason Foster and DE Da'Quan Bowers leave the game with injuries.

The bye week could not have come at a better time.

Bye Week Analysis: Practice Squad

There has been a lot going on in the front office of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since the season started, not the least of which was stabilizing the practice squad.

Even this week, changes continued as the Buccaneers worked their own 2010 7th round pick Erik Lorig back off the practice squad and onto the active roster.  Lorig gets promoted because of the loss of Tanard Jackson, which left a vacancy on the practice squad.  That empty spot was filled with the addition of JD Folsom, a linebacker from Weber State, earlier this week.

If last year was any indication, these types of transactions will happen all season long.  Last year a large number of defensive backs came through the practice squad as the Buccaneers continued to look for upgrades.  Apparently none of those players made a serious impact so the Buccaneers drafted Myron Lewis (CB) and Cody Grimm (S).  Keeping an eye on the practice squad may give some clues as to what General Manager Mark Dominik is looking to improve on his roster.

The current practice squad, as of this moment, this day (School link is a Bio; draft link has review/career information):

Brandon Carter (G), 6'7" 344 lbs (and an attitude), Texas Tech, 2010 Undrafted

Derek Hardman (T), 6'6" 300 lbs, Eastern Kentucky, 2010 Undrafted

Dezmon Briscoe (WR), 6'3" 200 lbs, Kansas, 2010 6th Round (Bengals)

Will Barker (T), 6'7" 320, Virginia, 2010 Undrafted

Ryan Purvis (TE), 6'4" 260, Boston College, 2009 Undrafted, spent 2009 on the Tampa Bay practice squad

George Johnson (DE), 6'4" 265, Rutgers, 2009 Undrafted, first signed by Tampa Bay in August 2010

Vince Anderson (CB), 6'2" 205, Webber International (NAIA), 2009 Undrafted, NY Giants practice squad 2009

JD Folsom (LB), 6'3" 230, Weber State, 2009 7th Round (Dolphins), 2009 Chicago Bears practice squad 

So far, this has been a pretty stable group, with only the Buccaneers 2010 draft pick Brent Bowden (P) and practice squad journeyman (Denver, Arizona, Tampa Bay) Lee Robinson (LB) having passed through.

Mesh the first five in this group into the Young Core Offense and you see where this could be going.  In fact, you really hope these guys can stay with the Buccaneers and add key depth to the roster!