Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting – Bucs Have The Tools They Need to Compete in NFC South
People started betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season because the Bucs started winning. As the online casino websites patiently await the end of the lockout, fans should also be getting ready to bet even more on the Buccaneers in 2011. The Buccaneers are a year older, a year wiser and a few players better than they were last year. The sportsbook promo advantage that the Bucs have for 2011 is that they have one of the up and coming quarterbacks in the league in Josh Freeman as well.
- Head Coach: Raheem Morris
- Offensive Coordinator: Greg Olson
- Defensive Coordinator: Raheem Morris
- Owner: Malcolm Glazer
- Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
- Capacity: 65,857
- Super Bowl Wins: 1
Offense
The Tampa Bay offense revolves entirely around quarterback Josh Freeman, and that may be the one thing holding the Buccaneers back. Freeman is an up and coming star, but he has not yet learned how to command an NFL offense. The Bucs lack a running game and, to this point, they have done nothing to address that issue. Last year, the brunt of the rushing attach was LeGarrette Blount and his 1,007 rushing yards. Veteran Cadillac Williams threw in 437 yards, but Williams has been a disappointment since his second year when he started a long stretch of years where he missed the 1,000 yard rushing mark.
But the Bucs have a promising corps of young wide receivers and an offensive line that is still developing. Freeman has the tools he needs to make things happen, he just needs some help from the running game to take pressure off. But the Bucs’ offense looks ready to move to the next level and start competing against some of the better defenses in the NFC.
Grade: C+
Defense
What do you do when your defense is seventh against the pass but 28th against the run? You draft defensive linemen and linebackers, and that is exactly what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in the 2011 entry draft. First round pick, defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn, will be an impact player immediately for Tampa. Second round pick, defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, was a gamble. Bowers is having serious injury problems, and he may not last very long in the NFL. But if his body can hold out, the Bowers and Clayborn together will be a very strong defensive front.
In the third round of the 2011 draft, the Buccaneers took linebacker Mason Foster. Foster is a project for the coaching staff, and that presents a problem when there is a lockout and the coaching staff cannot work with Foster. But Foster is one part of a young Bucs defense that can only get better with time.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
No one really talks about the Tampa Bay kickers, but they should. Place kicker Connor Barth went 23 for 28 in field goals last year for an 82 percent accuracy rating. His longest field goal was a 53-yarder, and he was perfect on extra points. The one weak spot in Barth’s game is the fact that he allowed 75 kickoff returns in 2010 and only had one touchback.
Punter Robert Malone was new to the Bucs in 2010, but he is a very accurate punter. He put 17 punts inside the 20 and did not have a single punt returned for a touchdown. His net average was 36.5, which means the kid gets some serious hang time.
Grade: B
Prediction
The Atlanta Falcons are running away with the NFC South in 2011. But there is still room for the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to compete for a wild card spot. The Saints have their own set of problems and will probably find it difficult to string wins together in 2011. But the Buccaneers are ready for their climb. Tampa is not quite there yet when it comes to being a true playoff threat. But they have all of the tools they need to launch themselves into the playoff discussion in 2011, and develop into a contender for the next few years. Look for the Bucs to finish second in the NFC South and either grab a playoff spot, or just miss the post-season.
2011 Schedule
- Week 1 – vs. Detroit (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 2 – at Minnesota (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 3 – vs. Atlanta (4:15 PM ET)
- Week 4 – vs. Indianapolis (Monday, 8:30 PM ET)
- Week 5 – at San Francisco (4:05 PM ET)
- Week 6 – vs. New Orleans (4:15 PM ET)
- Week 7 – vs. Chicago (Wembley Stadium, 1:00 PM ET)
- Week 8 – Bye
- Week 9 – at New Orleans (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 10 – vs. Houston (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 11 – at Green Bay (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 12 – at Tennessee (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 13 – vs. Carolina (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 14 – at Jacksonville (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 15 – vs. Dallas (Saturday, 8:20 PM ET)
- Week 16 – at Carolina (1:00 PM ET)
- Week 17 – at Atlanta (1:00 PM ET)
