32 in 31: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013

Tampa Bay does not get mentioned when people talk about 'big spending teams' but the Buccaneers spent a good amount of money in an attempt to rebuild this team. They had a 10 win season in 2010, but that was not good enough to get to the playoffs, a place they have not been since 2007. Tampa Bay is looking to get back to the playoffs and prominence, but they will definitely need a couple things to click in the right direction in order for that to happen.

OFFENSE
This is a make-or-break year for Josh Freeman. After a successful sophomore campaign, Freeman struggled in the last two season. They drafted NC State's Mike Glennon to apply some pressure on him. How will Freeman respond with a little bit of heat on him?  That's a complete unknown. Some players excel in that situation and others crumble like a cookie. The biggest problem is the interceptions. In his best year, Freeman only had six interceptions and in the other three, he has had at least 17 picked off.  He has all the tools to be a solid quarterback, Freeman just needs to put it together.

Doug Martin and his offensive line should be a band. The Muscle Hamster and the Power Lifters maybe? Martin benefits from having one of the best offensive lines in the game.  Carl Nicks and Davin Joesph are probably the best guard duo in the NFL.  Donald Penn as the left tackle is not shabby either. As for Martin, I do not see a sophomore slump with an offensive line like this one. I expect some teams to get a 'book' on him and start knowing his tendencies better, but Martin seems like he can elevate his way past that. Oh yeah, did I mention his line is very good too?

DEFENSE
The Buccaneers secondary immediately got better when they traded for Darrelle Revis.  The last big name cornerback to move teams struggled mightily (First name Nnamdi), but Revis seems to be a different breed. He might miss a little time to begin the year, but Revis should be able to handle all the big receivers in the NFC South. Also the combination of Mark Barron and him is legitimately terrifying to think about for opposing teams plus add free agent Dashon Goldson and they will probably lead the league in fines. The rest of their defense has some pieces, but they are lacking the full starpower to be one of the best defenses in the league.

One of those bright spots is Lavonte David, a rookie last year playing the weakside linebacker position. He was a dynamic force having multiple games where he had 10 or more tackles. David is a player to watch this season and could really emerge as one of the better linebackers in the NFC.  He does not not have a lot around him. They added Jonathan Casillias from New Orleans, but he is nothing special. Mason Foster also does nothing for me personally.The defensive line has a ton of big names if you are familiar with college football, but none of them have played like their college football self. Gerald McCoy is the biggest fish being drafted fourth in 2010 and played his first full season in 2012. McCoy needs to keep himself healthy against this year for the Bucs to be successful because the man can play football, we just have not seen the consistency.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Buccaneers had a kicking competition with Lawrence Tynes and Connor Barth, but Tynes along with other Buccaneer players caught MRSA, a very dangerous bacterial infection. Tynes and the Buccaneers are having an apparent falling out about the treatment.

KEY ADDITIONS
CB Darrelle Revis, LB Jonathan Casillias, S Dashon Goldson, TE Zach Miller, WR Kevin Olgetree, DE George Selvie, RB Jeff Demps - Miller might not have much in the tank, but he could provide another option for Freeman.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
DE Michael Bennett, CB Ronde Barber, CB E.J. Biggers, TE Dallas Clark, RB LaGarrette Blount, DT Roy Miller, WR Roscoe Parrish

BUCS DRAFT PICKS
CB Jonathan Banks, QB Mike Glennon, DT Akeem Spence, DE William Gholston, DE/LB Steven Meens, RB Mike James - Gholston had some major attitude issues, but he is a first-round talent when he's playing at the highest level. Don't sleep on him.

GAME TO WATCH
Sunday December 15th vs. San Francisco 12 pm - They welcome the Niners for a cross-country journey at the end of the year. This game should matter to both teams, and it should be a fun one.

WIN TOTAL 
8-9 - Tough team to read honestly because if Freeman gets his shit together, the Bucs will be putting points up on a lot of people but their defense has a ton of questions past Revis and David.

Charlie.

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Fantasy RB Rankings Reaction

Earlier in the offseason, I posted my 2013 Fantasy Football Ranks, so that everyone could get prepared for the fantasy football season. If you missed those rankings, they are posted here.I asked for a lot of feedback, so I knew how to look more in depth at each individual. I won’t be writing about each individual player, instead I will look to spend more time on players that might represent more points for discussion. Charlie and Mitch were more than happy to toss some thoughts about my ranks on the August 14 Tapping the Keg Podcast, if you missed that, the link is here.I’ll use some of the players they mentioned, some players SnoTap contributor Bryan Reynolds mentioned, and players I think are points of discussion this offseason. If you there is anyone you disagree with my rankings on, as always send them to SnoTap12@gmail.com, and I’ll make sure to address it in the next column.

TE Rankings Reaction QB Rankings Reaction WR Rankings Reaction

#2 Marshawn Lynch- Lynch’s ranking says as much about all the other running backs this year than it does about him. I view Lynch as the safest among the players that are in contention for the number 2 slot (Foster, Rice, Charles, Martin, Spiller). Yes Lynch is getting slightly older, and there is some chance for some younger guys to steal a few carries, but Lynch is vital to what Seattle does on offense, and despite their acquisition of Percy Harvin in the offseason, the Seahawks will have to center their offense around the rushing attack again. If I’m picking for upside, Lynch slides down the list, but if I’m picking someone I want to make sure doesn’t fall out of the top 10, Lynch holds the number 2 slot.

#4 Ray Rice- I’m nowhere near as concerned about Ray Rice as everyone else seems to be. A lot of people are talking that Rice will have a down year due to being worked too much the previous seasons and the emergence of Bernard Pierce. While I do like Pierce as a value later in drafts, I see him having value independent of taking value away from Rice. The Ravens have gone through a lot of change in the offseason, and while Joe Flacco just got paid, I believe Ray Rice might be their best player. When a team has to adjust its identity, they’ll make sure to focus on their best players. I think Rice will get a good, but not overwhelming amount of carries this season, but more importantly will catch the ball out of the backfield a lot, as Flacco’s new security blanket on passing plays.

#6 Doug Martin- One of two things is going to happen to Doug Martin this year: he is going to be a top-4 back, that allows many to win their league for taking a chance on him, or he will not produce up to expectations and be the focus of many negative fantasy articles throughout the season. (Remember this sentence, it’ll look familiar soon). I’m a big fan of Martin this year, I’ve gone out of my way to trade for him in my important keeper league, but he’s definitely still a risk. I’ve seen people want him as their second best running back, behind only Adrian Peterson, but that’s a bit too high for me. I still have my concerns. Martin could easily fall victim to injuries, a sophomore jinx, or a slightly overrated end of season ranking, based too much on his monstrous performance against the Oakland Raiders.

#7 CJ Spiller- One of two things is going to happen to CJ Spiller this year: he is going to be a top-4 back, that allows many to win their league for taking a chance on him, or he will not produce up to expectations and be the focus of many negative fantasy articles throughout the season.  Much like Martin, I’ve gone out of my way to trade for in my important keeper league, but he’s definitely also a risk. Much has been made about Spiller getting all the carries and touches now in the Buffalo offense, but I’m not sure that’s the best use of Spiller. Spiller was able to dominate the fantasy world mostly by focusing on his big play ability, similar to how Jamaal Charles began his career. I’m not sure that an increase in offensive touches impacts him as much as it would for other players. If Spiller lives up to expectations, he will dominate, but there are still concerns such as injuries, that make me somewhat cautious.

Young RBs- I’m generally someone who is okay waiting a year or two for a running back to prove themselves before having them land on my team, especially when the player in question has a lot of hype surrounding them. While David Wilson, Lamar Miller, Montee Ball, and Le’Veon Bell are all being called “sleepers,” the popularity of fantasy football has left enough people informed that it will be tough to get a good value on these players. For guys that could easily lose carries to other running backs on their team, it’s tough to count on them for a high draft pick. Would you rather spend a fourth/fifth round pick on these guys, or wait a few rounds and draft Ronnie Hillman, Andre Brown, or Isaac Redman, and still get a higher end wide receiver?  Young running backs are certainly helpful to a team; just make sure you are finding the right guys at the right value.

New Orleans Saints RBs- Darren Sproles is clearly the running back to own of this group, but if either Pierre Thomas or Mark Ingram gets injured, make sure to pick up the other. The Saints running game has been notoriously difficult to predict, since they carried four players on the roster that were worthy of carries. Now that Chris Ivory is in New York, there is some clarity to the position. Sproles will play a lot, and get a lot of catches out of the backfield, but now the majority of the rushing attempts will split between two potentially productive players, both also have injury concerns, which could make the other worth owning.

Backfields to Avoid-

Arizona Cardinals-Unless Rashard Mendenhall or Ryan Williams can separate themselves, this will be a frustrating team.

Indianapolis Colts- Ahmad Bradshaw is the better player, but will be injured at times leading him and Vick Ballard to be frustrating to own.

Carolina Panthers- This has been obvious from the last few seasons, tough to predict with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathon Stewart, Mike Tolbert, and Cam Newton all getting rushing attempts. 

Sometime next week, we'll look into some guys that won't get drafted in most leagues that should be watched closely, for when they eventually break out this year.

Adam

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