What Went Right: New Arrivals
Bucs general manager
Mark Domenik made some brilliant decisions this past offseason, bringing in big
time free agents and landing on of the best draft classes in recent memory. Everyone
is aware of his move to land top free agents Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks,
both of whom earned their big contracts with their play this year. Nicks helped
open up big holes for another new arrival, Doug Martin, while Jackson led the
team with over 1500 receiving yards. He also added Dallas Clark in a shrewd
one-year contract and Clark quickly became Josh Freeman’s security blanket. Martin,
one of three big time rookies on the Bucs this year, finished the season with
over 1400 yards rushing, good for fifth in the NFL and established himself as
one of the offensive keys for years to come. Defensively, Lavonte David and
Mark Barron make a big impact in run defense, ranking first and third
respectively on the tea in tackles. With this core of young players in place,
the Bucs look like a team on the upswing in the coming years.
What Went Wrong: Turnovers
It seems odd to
say this was the major problem considering that the Bucs finished with a
turnover margin of +3, but it really was the problem. In the last six games,
the Bucs went 1-5 and the biggest reason for that was quarterback Josh Freeman
throwing too many interceptions. Over the last six games, Freeman threw ten
interceptions against only six touchdowns. Those turnovers directly led to some
of the losses they suffered which ousted them from the playoffs. The main
reason I’m not just bashing on Freeman is the simple fact that before that stretch,
Freeman’s touchdown to interception ratio was 21-7 through the first ten games.
This is really a situation where you take the bad with the good. He needs to
become more judicious with the football over the course of the offseason.
Player of the Year: Doug Martin
This was pretty
easy. As I noted before, Martin finished fifth in the NFL in rushing. He also scored 12 total touchdowns and finished
third on the team with 49 receptions. I think those numbers speak for themselves.
Keeper: Ronde Barber
This is assuming
Barber doesn’t retire, but I really think that the Bucs really need to keep
him. I know he’ll be 38 going into next season and that the Bucs have younger
players that are becoming free agents, but I think there is something to be
said for experience and how that affects a team. While he might not have the speed
to keep up with the best slot receivers in the league anymore, he’s as well
studied as any player in the NFL and he used that study to easily transition
from corner to free safety. He led the team in interceptions again and doesn’t seem
to have lost a step in zone coverage. At his age, there will probably be
limited interest so they could get him from a relatively small contract so there’s
no reason not to bring him back.
Goner: Eric Wright
This is purely
a matter of numbers. I like Eric Wright and think he’s a good cornerback. However,
the Bucs finished the season dead last in pass defense and Wright missed a lot of
time with lingering injuries. He got a big contract last year that really begins
to become prohibitive this year. He only counted about 1 million against the cap
this past year, but that number jumps to about 8 million next year. I think
they should keep him, but they could do with reducing that number a bit.
Should Draft: Cornerback
I never agreed
with the Bucs decision to trade Aqib Talib and I think their pass defense
suffered more because of that trade ad lack of pass rush than it did because of
lack of talent. E.J. Biggers is far more suited for the slot role than he is a
starter and while rookie Leonard Johnson played pretty well, I think they could
use with another big time corner. Jonathan Banks is the guy I look at when I look
at corners in this draft, but I’m not sure if he would be a reach here or not. They
could add another pass rusher, but if they bring back Michael Bennett and are getting
Adrian Clayborn back from injury, I think it might be overstocking the
position.
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