Coming Together

It appears this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team has come 180 degrees from the team that took the field in Week #1 vs the New Orleans Saints. The offense is clicking and Jeff Garcia is playing at a level I didn't think was possible at the beginning of the season. The Garcia I expected didn't disappoint vs Saints when he put up a miserable 58.5 completion percentage, along with 1 interception and displayed a serious lack of drive sustaining prowess that resulted in a paltry 1 offensive touchdown.

Since being re-inserted as the lead Buccaneer signal caller by Head coach Jon Gruden, Jeff has shown the ability to make plays down field with his arm, something this team has lacked for a number of seasons. He's also been able to help keep drives alive with his feet with a couple key 3rd down scrambles when wide receivers had been covered by opposing defenses and the pocket began to collapse. While Jeff was awarded a Pro Bowl bid during the 2007 season his play was far from spectacular. It's way too early to say, but you have to wonder if Jeff can continue to play the way he has against the Carolina Panthers in Week #6 and the Seattle Seahawks in Week #7, another trip to Hawaii may be in order. The jury is still out as far as this Buccs fan is concerned, but I have to admit I have nothing to complain about with Jeff's last 8 quarters of football.

The Buccs Offensive line has played at a high level the last 2+ games also, allowing only 1 quarterback take down over a span of 10 quarters of football. After allowing 3 sacks of Brian Griese in the first half of their Week #5 match-up vs the Broncos, the Offensive line has stiffened and protected their QB. They have also shown an effortless burst in the run game at times this season, although facing a tough run defense vs Seattle Seahawks, had mediocre outing. One bright spot concerning the O-line has been the play of Rookie Jeremy Zuttah filling in for for Davin Joseph to start off the season, then spelling Aaron sears after a minor knee injury. This kid looks like a keeper, and has a promising career ahead of him.

What else can be said for the defense? Since the second half of the 1996 season, it has become expected that the Tampa Bay Buccaneer defense will perform at a high level, and they sure as hell aren't disappointing this season. While the offense got off to a slow start to the season, the defense lent a hand scoring a few TD's themselves to pitch in to the point scoring effort. The Buccs defense has been downright stifling the last 2 games, and show no signs of letting up.

The special teams have been lending a hand also. The kick and punt coverage teams for the most part have been playing well. There have been on a few occasion, long returns made by opposing teams, but this hasn't shown to be a consistent problem. Matt Bryant's kicking has been solid all season, and Josh Bidwell has been doing his part with some consistent punting. The only and glaring weakness on special teams has been the play of Rookie Dexter Jackson who was drafted in round 2 not for his receiving abilities, but to give the Buccaneers their very own version of Devin Hester. So far the only thing they have in common are the 2 letters "WR" next to their name in the program guides.

While they don't appear to be a SuperBowl contender yet, they look a lot closer to a strong post season team than they did 5 weeks ago. Continued championship play by the defense, more big plays downfield by the offense, more aggressive play calling in the second half of games where the Buccs have the lead, and better returns out of Dexter Jackson could have this team looking like a legit SuperBowl contender. For now though, the team is making progress and coming together slowly. This team is exceeding my expectations, and could really prove to the rest of the League that they are for real when they bang heads with the Dallas Cowboys in week #8. Adding a "W" next week would set them up great for the bye week with a walk in the park on November 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Going into the Bye with a 7-2 record could prove to be a huge advantage in post season seeding with 4 of the Buccs remaining 7 games being played in the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium.

For now though, this Buccs fan will remain cautiously optimistic until after the Cowboys game. The koolaid is in the fridge, but I just can't bring myself to pouring a glass until after a win against the Boys.
...ABuccsFan/JJC