Buccaneers 2008 Outlook
(September 6, 2008)
Buccaneers 2008 Outlook
(September 6, 2008)
When you look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers off season moves, you have to wonder if they did enough to repeat as division champions. However, when you look at the other NFC South Division teams, you realize that the Bucs could be the favorites to become the division's first ever repeat champion.
Carolina and New Orleans do have the potential to end the Buccaneers short reign. The Saints are very talented, but do have questions on defense. The Panthers automatically become a challenger if quarterback Jack Delhomme returns to form. Few expect Atlanta to challenge for anything except possibly the 1976 Bucs 0-14 record.
It has been an interesting training camp for Tampa Bay. There was the flirtation with Brett Favre. Key players saw very limited preseason action. The Chris Simms saga finally came to an end with his release. There seems to be more questions than answers right now.
| Date | Opponent | Site |
| Sun Sep 7 | New Orleans | New Orleans |
| Sun Sep 14 | Atlanta | Tampa |
| Sun Sep 21 | Chicago | Chicago |
| Sun Sep 28 | Green Bay | Tampa |
| Sun Oct 5 | Denver | Denver |
| Sun Oct 12 | Carolina | Tampa |
| Sun Oct 19 | Seattle | Tampa |
| Sun Oct 26 | Dallas | Irving |
| Sun Nov 2 | Kansas City | Kansas City |
| Sun Nov 16 | Minnesota | Tampa |
| Sun Nov 23 | Detroit | Detroit |
| Sun Nov 30 | New Orleans | Tampa |
| Mon Dec 8 | Carolina | Charlotte |
| Sun Dec 14 | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| Sun Dec 21 | San Diego | Tampa |
| Sun Dec 28 | Oakland | Tampa |
Jeff Garcia has been hampered by an ankle injury and looked shaky in one preseason appearance, but both Brian Griese and Luke McCown had strong camps. Receivers Michael Clayton, Ike Hilliard and Maurice Stovall return, however, Joey Galloway barely practiced. Antonio Bryant may be a wild card and speedy rookie Dexter Jackson will get his shot returning punts for now. Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn had very limited preseason carries, but Michael Bennett has impressed. Center Jeff Faine should help the young offensive line.
Many of the same names return from one of the league's top defenses and the newcomers played well. Free agent Jimmy Wilkerson had a good camp and will add depth to the defensive line. First round pick Aqib Talib will strengthen the secondary. The fact that the team released Ryan Nece says something about the quality of the linebacking corps. Not sure if it is a concern yet, but Matt Bryant missed more field goals attempts then he made during the team's preseason games.
If the Buccaneers can stay healthy, and there are some aging veterans playing key roles, the team should be in the hunt for a division title. The defense should keep them in every game, but how far the team goes will depend on the offense. The Bucs open with back-to-back division games and could get a jump on the competition.
The 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely a little bit better than your average NFL team, so something like last year's 9-7 record would be a reasonable prediction. While a division crown is a possibility, everything would have to break right for the Bucs to play in the Super Bowl this February at Raymond James Stadium.
What does Jon Gruden think? “I think we have a great work ethic," begins the head coach. "It was a good preseason and good practices. I’ve seen a lot of guys perform pretty consistently. We’ve got to put it all together and see how we stack up. We’ve got some talent and we’ve got some guys that need the experience of game day. The football team is not the same as it was last year on opening day, and they need to have the experience of game day together. That’s what’s always exciting about opening day to me. I love opening day."