Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense
Call them prisoners of the moment, but the Bucs went after Josh McCown after his career-best year under Marc Trestman in Chicago last season. McCown has been a career journeyman, but thrived under a great offensive mind. First-year Bucs coach Lovie Smith bought into the hype and designed his offense around what the Bears had done.
It remains to be seen whether McCown has really turned a page in his career, but he does have three larger-than-life targets to work with in Vincent Jackson, first-round pick Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Doug Martin is also healthy, but has a suspect offensive line to run behind.
Defense
Smith always trots out of terrific defenses, and Tampa Bay has a chance to fit that bill. Gerald McCoy is one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles and often flies under the radar. Lavonte David is an elite weak-side linebacker, and free-agent corner Alterraun Verner rounds out what should be an exceptional secondary.
What remains to be seen is how quickly these players can adjust to the Tampa 2. Often, it takes players a year to get comfortable in the system. Twice a year the Bucs will see high-flying passing attacks in Atlanta and New Orleans, so they’re sure to be tested right away.
Outlook
The NFC South is typically unpredictable, so it wouldn’t surprise anybody to see the Buccaneers ascend in the standings right away. The defense should be much improved, but there remains some doubt about whether McCown can truly engineer this offense.
The Bucs should be team hovering at or maybe above .500. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to see Mike Glennon to take over for McCown midway through the year. If that’s the case, the team is still a year away from competing for a division title.
