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Faine talks about Bucs youth

Posted Jan 4, 2012 by Ira Kaufman

Updated Jan 4, 2012 at 11:18 AM

By IRA KAUFMAN

TAMPA—You can’t stay young forever.

That’s the message veteran center Jeff Faine has for teammates after the Buccaneers finished off a 4-12 season with 10 consecutive losses, leading to the dismissal of head coach Raheem Morris and his entire staff.

Tampa Bay has fielded the NFL’s youngest roster the past few seasons. The Bucs began the year with only three players 30 or older—Faine, running back Earnest Graham and cornerback Ronde Barber, who just completed his 15th NFL season.

“A lot of these young guys have to realize they’re not so young anymore,’’ Faine said. “We’re going into our third year with a lot of these guys, and that’s almost the length of the average NFL career. It’s not a young team anymore. That excuse is over from now on and a lot of people around here have to grow up.’‘

The Bucs led the league with 40 giveaways and Faine singled out turnovers as a major culprit in Tampa Bay’s last-place finish in the NFC South. But he also pointed to another area of lingering concern.

“There’s a lot of individual talent on this team, but we’re not where we need to be on big-picture concepts,’’ he said. “That’s guys realizing what makes the whole play go, not just their individual job. In terms of the big picture, the play has to be executed in a certain way. It’s very easy to look at it on paper, but you’ve got to be able to execute it on the field. That comes with repetition, and there’s got to be 100 percent commitment to get this thing right.’‘

Faine spent the 2011 season crouched in front of 23-year-old quarterback Josh Freeman, who struggled through a disappointing year. Freeman’s interception total soared from six to 22 and his passer rating plunged to a pedestrian 74.6 mark in his second full year as a starter.

“Getting Josh back on track is paramount for this franchise,’’ Faine said, “but it’s the people around him as well. You only go as far as your quarterback, but at the same time, you’ve got to put a good product around Josh Freeman.’‘