There are some feelings that the new Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Doug Martin will be a third down complimentary back; dont sell him to that position just yet! Doug Martin is a first round draft pick; for some perspective, Warrick Dunn was selected in the 2nd round. 
Martin is an every down back who can catch the ball and can pass block; two things LeGarrette Blount cannot do. What Blount does do is provide toughness and a serious change of pace back that teams must now plan for. The offense got a whole lot better in one swift stroke of the pen.

Martin ran the ball for 1299 yards last season and a 4.9 ypg avg, down from 6.3 in 2010. The real double threat is his receiving capabilities; 28 catches for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 338 yards catching the year before. He has a 71 and 79 yard TD catch, one in each of the last two seasons, as well as an 84 and 65 yard rushing TD during the same period.

 

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The Bucs will try to rebound with new Head Coach Greg Schiano by taking on what was always the toughest division in football for 3 of the first 4 games. But the kicker? The Bucs will get some 4pm national games, including the season opener at home vs the Carolina Panthers at 4:15 PM! Finally a cool one for the Bucs faithful!
Then road games vs the NY Giants and Dallas Cowboys, preceed the next 4:15 game, home vs the Washington Redskins. then the Bucs get their bye week.

Next the Bucs are on CBS (if they sell out) VS KC Chiefs, and home again, the third home game in a row, vs the Saints.

The Bucs WILL NOT be in England this year, but they will play on NFL Network on October 25th, a mere 4 days after playing the saints to take on the Minnesota VIkings AT Minnesota. BRUTAL!!

Bucs are on the road again for yet another 4:05 game at the Oakland Raiders which starts a series of home and away games the rest of the season.

The last nine games are home and away each game.
1pm vs Chargers on CBS (if they sell out)
1PM at Carolina
1PM vs Atlanta
4:05 at Denver Broncos, as the Bucs will take on Peyton Manning?
The Bucs vs Eagles rivalry is renewed, as the Dec 9 1PM game is home.
1pm at New Orleans
1pm vs St. louis Rams
and last but not least, just like last year (but with hopefully a better result, 1pm At Atlanta.

So there you have it. The Bye is week 5.  

STREAKS
Not too many streaks here..
9 games of alternating one home one away
3 out of 4 games on the road from week 8 at minnesota to week 11 at Carolina with only the Chargers at home.
3 straight home games, weeks 4, 6, 7, Skins, Chiefs, Saints.

Best of luck Bucs it can be done! 

The search for a veteran signal caller to help with Josh Freeman's development has come to an end. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have also dramatically solved the issue of reconnecting with their first ever Signal caller who has been estranged lately.

Despite being 56 and becoming the oldest active player on a roster in the league, Doug Williams signing a 1 year tender for the NFL League minimum repairs the rift in relationships between Doug and the Bucs that went back to the separation following the 2010 season. Williams will wear jersey number 15, the number in between his 12 with the Bucs and 17 with the Redskins. Special permission was given by Tampa Bay Bucs QB Eric Zeier whos No. 15 was retired by the Bucs two years ago for his amazing performance against Detroit on Monday Night Football in 1998.

Williams passed a physical, and reportedly threw tight spirals from the 20 yard line throught the other end zones goal posts. He will be 2nd string, and will provide Josh Freeman with veteran leadership that will help him. NO previous QB won as a rookie than Doug Williams and Josh Freeman.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Bucs have proven to us the fans, that they really ARE going to spend the money.
On Day one they picked up one of the premier Wide Receivers in the NFL...Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers.

Goodbye cheap talk, because the Glazers are guaranteeing 26 million dollars of this money, a five year deal worth 55.5 million dollars.

Jackson is in his prime as a WR at the age of 29.
Josh Freeman has a legit target now.
 

Apologies for taking a month off, but it was well needed R&R, and what the heck, the Bucs took 3/4s of a season off without telling us too! 

But its back to basics and back to Bucs football here on Bucstop.com, and Today is the day we find out if the Glazers are serious about spending money and earning back the fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This team has been so young now for years, and the fans have made it clear, they are dis-associating from the team. There are more Rays fans that Bucs fans right now, but only by a tiniest of margins. Still, in 2007 is was a joke to think there could be 1/10th as many Rays fans. Why?

The Rays win...and the rays dont do stupid things.
They dont run out of ice.
They dont promse 10% off for season ticket holders on food, and not deliver. Their Credit card machines didnt work at times, and fans lined up for 30 minutes for beer.

But thats nothing...having the lowest payroll in the NFL for years on end? thats got fans sitting at home waiting to be invited back in. Today is the day to send out the invitations.

Pick up a big named free agent, or two! Youll see fans interested again.

We'll keep track of the pickups here on Bucstop.com 

Brand New Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan had a press conference today, and he seemed to be really impressed with the fact the Tampa Bay media all spoke english.

And we know how to count too Bill.

In the middle of his PC, Bill was asked whether or not the Bucs would run a 4-3 or 3-4. He first replied "Good Question" and proceeded to tell Tampa Bay media who have covered Tony Dungy, Monte Kiffin, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and more all their careers. We know what a 4-3.

The best came with the next question, when Bill was asked if it would be a one gap defense, he was floored that little old Tampa Bay knew what a One Gap defense was.

Bill, we only had THE PREMIER ONE GAP DEFENSIVE TACKLE in all of football, a sure first round hall of famer, Warren Sapp!

Of course we cant knock Sheridan, he hasnt really had the time to get to know the area, Im sure once he starts reading the papers / blogs in the area, he will see this is an educated football town. New York is big, but Tampa Bay is Florida Gator, Tampa Bay Buccaneer Country. We live and breathe football on Saturdays and Sundays.

Im personally not impressed with the hire, but I will be the first person to say he is wrong. He let his Giants team give up 40 plus points all year long, and blamed it on injuries and having to get guys off the street. Not impressed with excuses....

The proof will be in the 2012 pudding. Can you get the Bucs out of the bottom third of defensive rankings? Then we'll believe.

We dont care if you run the 46. As long as Sean Jones isnt wearing 46. 

New defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan has a Super Bowl ring for his NY Giants defense in 2007, but he was the linebackers coach. As defensive coordinator, he was run out of town after his Giants Defense lost 8 of last 11 games, giving up 40 points or more 5 times in one year. 

Is this the track record we're looking for to be the next Monte Kiffin? Understand that Kiffin wasnt the Monte we came to know and love before comeing here. He was the DC for New Orleans, and Minnesota, so its entirely possible that Sheridan will bloom into the roll here, and its not like hes without help.

Butch Davis will be here, as is Schiano himself....will it be enough? Only time will tell. It may be interesting to see what coaching moves the Bucs make after year one.

The talk of the town is new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano and even newer offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan. And as well it should be; Schiano has a history of turning around a small college program known for losing, and Sullivan was the QB coach for none othere than NY Giants QB Eli Manning. Problem is, while these two hires offer a lot of optimism, its the Glazers that hold the real key towards the short and long term success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And it wont take long to find out if the Glazers are serious about winning. Free Agency starts within a month, and the Bucs need at least a  couple big time big name free agents, and the Glazers are going to be the ones that have to spend on them. 

The Bucs need a linebacker, Running back, safety, corner back, and a speedster at Wide  Reciever, and thats the top of the line guys. There are about 4 more players needed on a secondary level. 

If the Glazers spend money, like they said they would, things will be alright. We'll know within a month if the Bucs ownership is serious about winning. 

Ive heard some people quote Butch Davis' record lately, and at North Carolina, another football starved program similar to Rutgers, Davis made the program respectable. But more importnant than that for the Bucs, Butch Davis knows how to spot talent. 

Take a look at how NFL teams are drafting his North Carolina players!

Robert Quinn was DE taken in first round of 2011 NFL draft, while linebacker Bruce Carter and DT Marvin Austin were taken in the 2nd round.
University of Miami had one defensive player taken in the second round, NONE from the first. When NC sends defensive players to the NFL in high rounds and THE U doesnt, what does that tell you?

It tells me Butch Davis knows talent.

2009 draft, Hakeem Nicks is taken in the first round, 5 players overall in 2009 went to the NFL, only 1 players drafted in 2009 could say they were a Hurricane.

Butch Davis has an extensive resume involving defense, 4-3 defenses that pressure the QB with quick defensive lines. He was Defensive Line coach for the Hurricanes from 1984 to 88 during the teams dynasty years, then took the job by traveling with Jimmy Johnson to the Dallas Cowboys. In 1993 Davis became the Defensive coordinator for the Cowboys until in 1995 he went back to the University of Miami (FL) to resurrect that beleagured program, succumbed to issues that plagued the U in the mid 90s when suspensions and academic violations were being reported against Miami. Davis straightened up the program, worked with what he had, which was a team void of several scholarships each year, and then in 1999 got Miami playing a final game of the season against a national championship hopeful UCLA, and upset them. In 2000, the Canes had returned, upsetting FSU and the Gators in a major bowl game. In 2001 Miami would no be denied, in a program built by Davis won the championship again.

Expect a man who knows how to spot a good player, and it will be interesting to see his own personal evaluation of Bucs defenders like Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Tanard Jackson and Aqib Talib for starters. Then E.J. Biggers and Myron Lewis. Davis, like most of the Bucs coaches, have their work cut out for them.