Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds - Buccaneers in search of identity without Gruden, Kiffin
All online betting handicappers who follow football know that a team can go from outhouse to penthouse overnight - but there is always a team on the opposite end of that equation. Judging by the way the Buccaneers odds looked in 2008, they are clearly one of those teams that will slide in 2009.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers odds: +5000 to win Super Bowl XLIV
- Bucs will try journeyman Byron Lefwich, rookie Josh Freeman at quarterback
- Defense will have to recover after losing coordinator Monte Kiffin
- New head coach, Raheem Morris, will have to provide direction because Bucs clearly lack it
After firing head coach Jon Gruden in the offseason, losing defense boss Monte Kiffin to the college ranks and cutting ties with starting quarterback Jeff Garcia, the Bucs are clearly doing renovations. Raheem Morris takes over the reigns as the team’s head coach, but the Buccaneers betting community isn’t sure what to make of him. The 33-year-old head coach and former Bucs defensive backs coach takes over a team in flux.
For starters, the Buccaneers odds at the sportsbook are so low because they lack a starting quarterback. The Bucs will take a kick at the can with free agent Byron Leftwich along with drafted quarterback Josh Freeman, who is a project. The Buccaneers odds don’t look good regardless of who their quarterback is because their offensive line is just mediocre. With a mobile quarterback like Jeff Garcia, the Bucs were able to mask a lot of their deficiencies, but now that they have a statue in Leftwich, they could be in some trouble.
Yet the NFL betting community is excited about the addition of free agent running back Derrick Ward, who should improve the team’s running game. Ward may be 28 years old but he has very little wear on his tires, and he’s averaged nearly five yards per carry over the last two seasons. Combined with the addition of Kellen Winslow Jr. and the breakout season from Antonio Bryant last year, and the Buccaneers betting community knows that there are weapons around. The question is will the trigger man in the huddle be able to keep everyone happy.
On defense, the Buccaneers odds will take a big hit because long time defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has moved to coach at the University of Tennessee. Kiffin helped this unit overachieve time and time again, leading them to finish in the Top 10 almost every season he was around. While a lot of good players remain, the Buccaneers odds will decline because we’ll find out which players are actually talented and which players Kiffin coached up. Considering the way the Bucs defense finished up the 2008 season - allowing nearly 31 points per game in December - Buccaneers odds bettors are concerned that both the talent and the coaching have departed. While that may be speculation, it looks like a best bet at this point.
The Buccaneers are in flux right now and they lack a direction. Before, their foundation was their defense. Now they don’t even have that anymore. Morris is a young head coach, but he’s got his work cut out for him. The Buccaneers odds to win Super Bowl XLIV are impossible and the Buccaneers odds to finish as the worst team in the league are actually quite realistic.
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Stan Simmons first tasted football through the college game, but his football handicapping has strictly focused on the professional sport. Not many people devote as much time to the NFL as Simmons. For six days a week he works, labors and handicaps the sport, and on the seventh he rests as the games play out. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
