For the first time in 10 years, the Buccaneers will begin a season without All-Pro tackle Warren Sapp in the mix. His departure to the Raiders allows Tampa Bay to move Anthony McFarland from nose tackle to the under tackle where he will see a lot less double teams and will spend more time trying to split gaps. Darrell Russell was released in July after violating the league’s substance abuse policy yet again, so nose tackle will most likely be filled by a rotation of Ellis Wyms and Chartric Darby.
Simeon Rice should continue to be one of the league’s best at pressuring the quarterback. He‘ll start on the right side with the steady Greg Spires lining up on the opposite side. Spires is a solid veteran who holds up well against the run and has the strength to bull-rush his way past defenders. Last year’s second-round pick Dwayne White will be worked into a rotation with Spires at left end, and could potentially take the job away from him.
Linebackers
Derrick Brooks, who will continue to start on the weak side, is probably the biggest impact outside linebacker in the NFL. He has great range, outstanding coverage ability, and he’s the leader of this defense. Ian Gold was brought in during the off-season to compete with Ryan Nece on the strong side, and he should be the favorite to win the job if he proves to be completely recovered from a knee injury he suffered last season .
Firmly entrenched as the starter in the middle again this year is Shelton Quarles, who may be a bit undersized, but he‘s quick and he gets off his blocks nicely. Depth is a bit of a concern with most of the rest of the bench being little more than special teamers.
Secondary
The Buccaneers possess solid starting corners in Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly, and the acquisition of Mario Edwards should solidify the nickel, but after that, the Buccaneers are light on talent and teams may try to take advantage of it by spreading the field with multiple-receiver sets. And if one of the starters were to be lost for a significant period of time, this unit would likely suffer tremendously.
The team lost one of its defensive leaders when safety John Lynch was released earlier in the year. Jermaine Phillips, who is entering his third season takes over for the popular veteran at strong safety, and he may give up a lot in the experience department, but he provides better speed and coverage ability than his predecessor. Dwight Smith will play the free safety slot and this year’s fourth-round draft pick Will Allen will push John Howell to be the third guy off the bench.
Tampa Bays special teams left a lot to be desired in 2003. Martin Gramatica converted just 10-of-26 field goals, but he was dinged up most of the season and the Bucs hope he regains his old form this year. Former Packer Josh Bidwell was brought in to handle the punting duties and the return duties appear to be up in the air at this time.
Overview
A lot of the pieces are still in place in Tampa Bay from their Super Bowl run two years ago, but there are some serious issues that need to be addressed. A completely rebuilt offensive line has got to learn to play together, and an injury at offensive tackle or cornerback could spell trouble. Brad Johnson is a cagey veteran, but his play slipped over the second half of the ’03 season, and it‘s not likely either of the other guys on the bench are ready to take over this offense.
On a positive note, the running game should be more consistent with some added versatility. Even with the loss of Sapp, the front seven on defense is still strong and should keep the Bucs in a lot of games. Tampa Bay has the talent to improve on their 7-9 record from last season and compete for the playoffs, but they are in a tough division and picking up just a one or two-game improvement could be asking a lot.
Most likely they will be fighting to reach .500 and battling for second or third place in the division.
