Gästebuch » The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers believe they accomplished their major goals of upgrading the defensive line and a porous secondary through the draft after going 5-11 and missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.The Buccaneers added more defensive pieces Saturday http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-justin-evans-jersey , taking Pitt safety Jordan Whitehead in the fourth round and Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy during the sixth."Thirty-one teams passed up (taking me) so I've got a chip on my shoulder coming in already," Whitehead said.Cichy didn't play in 2017 because of a knee injury that occurred in preseason camp."I feel great," he said. "I'm real close to 100 percent. I think by the time I get down there for minicamp and OTAs I'll be 100 percent."Tampa Bay used its first-round pick Thursday to take Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea 12th overall. He will be plugged into a revamped defensive line anchored by six-time Pro Bowl tackle Gerald McCoy and bolstered by last month's trade for pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul and the signing of Beau Allen, Vinny Curry and Mitch Unrein in free agency.Tampa Bay ranked last in the NFL with 23 sacks a year ago.The Buccaneers used a pair of second-round selections Friday to take cornerbacks M.J. Stewart from North Carolina and Auburn's Carlton Davis."We feel great," Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said. "There's more of a better vibe, not that it was ever bad, more high-fives and more positive energy with all the coaches and scouts this year than I can remember."LEARNING CURVEBucs coach Dirk Koetter knows that 6-foot-6, 304-pound guard Alex Cappa, taken in the third round from Division II Humboldt State, will be facing a major step-up in competition. "That's a different level of football," Koetter said. "Right when his season was over, he goes down to Phoenix and works out at an O-line place with a bunch of NFL guys. He's the right kind of guy but there's definitely a transition."Tampa Bay has had previous drafting success with small-school offensive lineman, taking starting guard Ali Marpet from Division III Hobart College in the second round of the 2015 draft.FAMILY AFFAIRFormer Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis is Whitehead's cousin."He gave me a lot of advice going through this process," Whitehead said. "Stay humble, anything can happen throughout this weekend."FASTER THAN YOU MIGHT THINKSecond-round selection Ronald Jones II from USC is an explosive runner who the Buccaneers feel is faster than generally known."He's got track times Lee Roy Selmon Jersey , the ran guy 10.3-something 100-meters and multiple 10.5's," Koetter said. "He runs hard. He's going to bring something."HIGH GRADESThe Buccaneers took Penn wide receiver Justin Watson in the fifth round. He will graduate after taking his last final Wednesday at Penn's Wharton School."I didn't have a lot of I-A offers, in fact the only two offers I had at the I-A level were Buffalo and Akron out of the MAC," Watson said. "For me, Penn was just the best fit for both football and academics."STILL NEEDTampa Bay could look to add depth at safety and the offensive line before the start of training camp. Fitzmagic has taken the league by storm. Ryan Fitzpatrick followed up his insane week one performance versus the New Orleans Saints with another tremendous performance against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. But he’s not the only quarterback who is off to a hot start. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is also lighting up the league. But in Tampa Bay Fitzpatrick’s stunning play has raised debates and important questions alike. Should Fitzpatrick keep the starting quarterback job? For how long? How long can he keep up this play? Is there any historical precedent for this? If so, can that tell us anything about how Fitzpatrick might play going forward? Can a hot start lead to a good season, or is it just a fluke?It’s a question Football Outsiders and Justis Mosqueda of Optimum Scouting both asked, and they both approached the problem in a similar manner and came out with similar results - by taking defense-adjusted yards above replacement (DYAR) (Fitz has 478) and adjusted yards per attempt (AY/A) (Fitz is at 15.3). Football Outsiders (FBO) states that only Tom Brady in 2011 has ever gotten off to a hotter start. Of the 18 players that made the list that started somewhat similarly, most are in the Hall of Fame, or will be. It includes Brady, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers Warren Sapp Jersey , and guys like Drew Bledsoe and Donovan McNabb. But it’s important to note that most of these seasons by these guys don’t even come close to what Fitzpatrick has done.Mosqueda had this to say:But what do these numbers tell us about how Fitzpatrick might play the rest of season? FBO says:So there doesn’t seem to be a great analog for Fitzpatrick, as the only real journeyman to ever do anything similar to what he’s doing is...Brad Johnson, who did it with Washington in 1999. This Bucs defense is not that. Despite that, Mosqueda writes:Fitzpatrick’s career average AY/A is 6.16, and has only one other season above 7 AY/A, with Houston in 2014. Despite his averages, Fitzpatrick has placed himself well in continuing to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league this season. It’s also important to remember that it’s not just Fitzpatrick and Mahomes lighting it up. The whole league is having success passing, though of course to a smaller degree:So what can we take away from all this? First, that Fitzpatrick is doing something truly unprecedented for the type of player he is, and is standing out even in a bonkers passing environment. Even if it’s impossible for him to sustain this level of play, he is still more likely to play better than he ever has before, and that bodes extremely well for Tampa Bay’s playoff chances. The NFC is loaded though, so the Bucs will probably have to win 9 of their remaining 14 games to finish 11-5 to feel comfortable making the playoffs.