It’s a navigable road ahead for the Bucs

Posted Mar 22, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Mar 21, 2010 at 11:46 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2010 season is still down the line a bit, but it is time to think of the year ahead and what these Bucs may achieve. Most who do will come to the conclusion that extraordinary deeds seem unlikely.

Got a young head coach named Raheem Morris starting his second season with reasonably new general manager Mark Dominik, but the same ownership with the Malcolm Glazer family. The Glazers have once again pledged to be attentive and ready to take the Bucs to the level of their other signal sports franchise, Manchester United, who just won in the U. K. Like over there the Glazers are owners of a franchise whose boosters are hungry for a championship. And like there, the Glazers are struggling to convince their partisans that they will produce.

They did in the case of Manchester and now they have reaffirmed they will try and produce fine products with the Buccaneers. We all take them at their word because in their past deeds they purchased all of the property where the Bucs work and made it a model for the National Football League. They have kept their promises.

The Glazers want the Bucs to be champions, as do their fans. Many were skeptical when they bought this team but not really anymore. Since they came here, they jumped into community efforts as well as the football future. They have been as good as their word and I think they will continue to be. Their coach and general manager are new in their roles but are hard at work in their building efforts.

A trouble is that if you read a Buccaneer roster, so far, it is not a showstopper. It is not unlike the first Buccaneer roster all of those years ago, except that then-owner Hugh Culverhouse responded to the urging of his fans and drafted Steve Spurrier as the original quarterback. He named the team the Buccaneers in honor of this area’s history and hired a big-time coach, John McKay.

So here we go again. This is pretty much a makeover season, though it was begun toward the end of last year under Raheem Morris. Check this current Buc roster, and see how many names stop you. Probably the first is at an unlikely position, for in truth Ronde Barber is a safety, with 14 years experience including many of stellar play.

Perhaps the second is Earnest Graham, with a Florida Gator background. Rising to potential stardom — he has the opportunity - is Josh Freeman, quarterback, he with the tools. He is 6-6, 240, can throw the ball a mile, and was decent when he played last year.

Now Morris does have a safety named Sabby Piscitelli, and two tight ends named Jerramy Stevens and Kellen Winslow, who can play and will play again. But as it was with the first Buccaneer team, when Spurrier and number one pick Lee Roy Selmon were on the roster, that’s about it in name recognition on this team coming up.

Now, Coach Morris and his staff, have the number three overall pick in the draft and two other high ones. Those choices will be key, but still this is a wait-and-see Bucs team again.

It is a great season for fans. No, the games aren’t sold out and won’t be because we don’t have the prospects of other years and the world knows that. Advance publications and newsmen are picking the Bucs to finish last again in their division, which includes toughies New Orleans, Atlanta and Carolina, each of whom the Bucs will play twice. 

As in other years, the Glazer family has said they will do all they can to provide Morris and his staff with strong pickup players and choice selections in the draft. Early reports are that their first pick will go for the biggest, baddest, quickest lineman in the country; not a very sexy choice, but a necessary one.

I hate to say this, but the Bucs and the Glazers once more have an uphill battle because the strength of their division and because of some past decisions.

Morris and Dominik have had their lights on late at One Buc Place trying to produce some stars to rebuild their team to its Super Bowl glory when Coach Jon Gruden had that miracle season and beat Oakland (and Al Davis). Gosh, we were there and gosh, was it great.