Tavon Austin

[Detrimental]

Austin is going be a stud. He is a carbon copy of DeSean Jackson coming out. Austin can play RB as well if needed too. With that said, he is small and would wait to get him in the 2nd rather than trade up.

[BucBalla85]

I dont think we should be adapting our team to the NFL of today because our team isnt good enough on offense to play with the best on offense. Freeman is way too inconsistent to make this about the offense. They need to make the defense respectable again or this team is going nowhere with Freeman at QB. Not with the crappy pass defense they have had.

Finishing 9th in total offense, our highest finish in franchise history is not very good?  Or 13th in points per game once again our highest finish in franchise history.  I think this offense went flat when our slot receiver Tiquan Underwood got blown up in the Carolina Game and seemed to be dropping a ton of passes after that.  Was Freeman inconsistent  yes...yes he was...did we have a mashed up o-line all year...yep and we still set franchise records on offense.

 I would love Tavon Austin not just for the slot but his return ability I think I saw one kick off return and one punt return that even looked like they had a chance to go for 6 points and the kick off return barley got past the 50 yard line. 

Sean Smith is a good man corner who is now asked to play a lot of zone in Miami, lets sign him in FA and draft the BPA with our first round pick or trade down.  If we trade down Austin could be a very real option we went through a lot guys to start looking for a returner and slot player.

I just feel Freeman needs a solid defense so that he can play a little more relaxed out there. So that he doesnt feel the need to score every drive. Hes not good enough to do that. Not many are. We really need to solidify that defense if we want to go anywhere special. Offense wasnt the biggest problem last year. It had its issues but its a team game. When one area sucks its affects another directly.

Fans dont usually see this. They just assume the QB should be able to overcome all of the teams flaws. It doesnt work that way and we have seen it the other way as well. A great defense shouldnt have to over come of bad offense. ITS A TEAM GAME. When we won it all it was because our defense and offense played well together. Of course our defense was amazing but our offense did what they needed to do. Right now theres more talent on offense obviously but if the defense were improved THE TEAM WOULD BE IMPROVED!! So thats why I focus a lot on the defense.

[BucBalla85]

I like him but I feel we really need to focus on the d this offseason. If we do a lot of that in FA then Id agree it go get him or at TE. I think if we solve a lot of our problems on defense then the team will be in a very solid position to make playoffs.

I like the idea of a TE who could block for Martin and also have an impact as a receiver. Dotson could use some help in pass protection too. If we can't get the best CB in the draft at 13, I'd be fine with the best TE. A second year in the system and a healthy OL should lend to a much more efficient offense, running AND passing. Health and familiarity will improve the defense but there has to be an upgrade in talent for the DBs. I just can't see drafting a second round talent in the first round. The value has to be there. I'm confident we will do well with roster additions and at least grab a WC spot next season.

That I do agree we need to upgrade the Oline a bit. Im not sure about Joseph as a guard either. We may need to draft or sign one. We get a healthy Nicks back too. TE is a must to upgrade. FA or draft I dont care. Upgrade that position.

[chace1986]

Lol at the people who use the "set franchise records" retort. It's a passing league. Every team every year is setting some sort of franchise record. As for our particular franchise records...pffft. It's a joke. It's not like the Bucs have had offensive juggernauts putting up ungodly numbesr since the late 70's. Quite the opposite actually. The Bucs offense setting franchise records means zilch. The lets try and compare this offense to teams of today...cause that is who they are playing against...the 82' Bucs aren't on the schedule...so the "best offense in franchise history" stuff is irrelevant.

[BucBalla85]

I disagree that its irrelevant becuase it took this long to beat the record?? The luck this franchise has had with its QB wouldnt surprise me if it took another 30 years to break Freemans TD record.

[Biggs3535]

I like Austin, but I'm not sure if he's worth our second rounder yet.  The combine will be big for him.

[lyronmewis]

Lol at the people who use the "set franchise records" retort. It's a passing league. Every team every year is setting some sort of franchise record. As for our particular franchise records...pffft. It's a joke. It's not like the Bucs have had offensive juggernauts putting up ungodly numbesr since the late 70's. Quite the opposite actually. The Bucs offense setting franchise records means zilch. The lets try and compare this offense to teams of today...cause that is who they are playing against...the 82' Bucs aren't on the schedule...so the "best offense in franchise history" stuff is irrelevant.

25 teams fhrew for less TDs than Freeman, so it's still a pretty decent accomplishment

rules have been relaxing since 2004, and we've never even come close to a season like last one

we still need more talent on offense though so that anyone can step in and automatically be top 10 in passing yards and TDs, and a good QB could threaten to lead the league in those areas

[germcanbuc]

Ive been a fan of this kid for weeks. Somebody pimped him and I checked him out. The 2nd video I watched was him torching Oklahoma for something like 350 yards on the ground, another 80 through the air, and 150 in the return game. Dude ended up with almost 600 all purpose yards in that game. The more I watch of him, the more I like......Hold up, let me find that video......

[Foedus]

Lol at the people who use the "set franchise records" retort. It's a passing league. Every team every year is setting some sort of franchise record. As for our particular franchise records...pffft. It's a joke. It's not like the Bucs have had offensive juggernauts putting up ungodly numbesr since the late 70's. Quite the opposite actually. The Bucs offense setting franchise records means zilch. The lets try and compare this offense to teams of today...cause that is who they are playing against...the 82' Bucs aren't on the schedule...so the "best offense in franchise history" stuff is irrelevant.

I think being ranked 9th in total offense in 2012  and 13th in points scored is comparing them to teams today.  No?  And those happen to be franchise records. 

[BucBalla85]

I doubt he makes it to the second round. Dude is a dynamic playmaker. I could see the Pats taking a chance on him.

[chace1986]

Lol at the people who use the "set franchise records" retort. It's a passing league. Every team every year is setting some sort of franchise record. As for our particular franchise records...pffft. It's a joke. It's not like the Bucs have had offensive juggernauts putting up ungodly numbesr since the late 70's. Quite the opposite actually. The Bucs offense setting franchise records means zilch. The lets try and compare this offense to teams of today...cause that is who they are playing against...the 82' Bucs aren't on the schedule...so the "best offense in franchise history" stuff is irrelevant.

I think being ranked 9th in total offense in 2012  and 13th in points scored is comparing them to teams today.  No?  And those happen to be franchise records.

The ranking of 2012 season. Yup, relevant. The fact that they were franchise records, irrelevant.

As far as the 9th in total yardage. Total yardage doesn't always tell the whole story, neither does PPG. Yardage is situational, points is sometimes that way as well. I'll make my point this way. While the Bucs may have had impressive offensive numbers for a good portion of the year....saying that this team had a top 10-15 offense, does not properly represent that unit that we saw take the field for much of the final 6 weeks. I'm not necessarily ragging on the offense, or saying that they were at fault for losses, but the ranking of 9th or 13th hardly tells the whole story. With some upgrades, and consistent QB play, this offense could be one of the top offenses in the league...but lets not pretend that it's already there.

[chace1986]

I disagree that its irrelevant becuase it took this long to beat the record?? The luck this franchise has had with its QB wouldnt surprise me if it took another 30 years to break Freemans TD record.

The franchise records mean nothing when the team is sitting at home when the playoff are happening. In all likelihood if the Packers, Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers, 9er, etc. teams were breaking the same offensive franchise records, then we would see those teams in the postseason no matter what and they would be favorites to win...that's not true with this team because the offensive history has been bad. It's irrelevant...and btw..this isn't anything against the offensive performance, or blaming them that we didn't make the playoffs. The only point I'm making is the irrelevance of the Bucs franchise records when talking about how good this offense is facing the teams of today.

[1sparkybuc]

Point differential in games determines the winner. Point differential over the course of a season indicates strengths and weaknesses of the team and is a point of comparison to the division, the conference, and the league. The offense scored more points than any other team in franchise history, despite new coaches, a new system, and key losses on the OL. They did that with a QB was inconsistent, erratic, and amazing, all in the same season. It's not unreasonable to expect an improvement in production in year two. They set franchise records in Schiano's first year and we have "fans" saying he should be replaced because he has only been a HC at Rutgers. Idiots, and the same goes for those who want Freeman cut or traded.

We went from worst to first in run defense, but our pass defense stunk for 15 games. The Bucs are a playoff team this season with a pass defense a little worse than average. They gave up the points worse than 31 other teams against the pass. Point differential is what killed us, and most of it is on the defense. We had injuries and suspensions on the defense. We had a lot of inexperienced players thrown into the fire. They now will make better backups or make new friends on other teams or new careers. We will upgrade the talent and move on. Points are important, either scoring them or preventing them. The Bucs have proven they can score. They have some work to do at preventing the score. I'm not at all worried about Freeman. I'm a little anxious about the players we are about to sign or draft. Schiano will get it done.

[BucBalla85]

Point differential in games determines the winner. Point differential over the course of a season indicates strengths and weaknesses of the team and is a point of comparison to the division, the conference, and the league. The offense scored more points than any other team in franchise history, despite new coaches, a new system, and key losses on the OL. They did that with a QB was inconsistent, erratic, and amazing, all in the same season. It's not unreasonable to expect an improvement in production in year two. They set franchise records in Schiano's first year and we have "fans" saying he should be replaced because he has only been a HC at Rutgers. Idiots, and the same goes for those who want Freeman cut or traded.

We went from worst to first in run defense, but our pass defense stunk for 15 games. The Bucs are a playoff team this season with a pass defense a little worse than average. They gave up the points worse than 31 other teams against the pass. Point differential is what killed us, and most of it is on the defense. We had injuries and suspensions on the defense. We had a lot of inexperienced players thrown into the fire. They now will make better backups or make new friends on other teams or new careers. We will upgrade the talent and move on. Points are important, either scoring them or preventing them. The Bucs have proven they can score. They have some work to do at preventing the score. I'm not at all worried about Freeman. I'm a little anxious about the players we are about to sign or draft. Schiano will get it done.

I agree with this.

[BucBalla85]

I disagree that its irrelevant becuase it took this long to beat the record?? The luck this franchise has had with its QB wouldnt surprise me if it took another 30 years to break Freemans TD record.

The franchise records mean nothing when the team is sitting at home when the playoff are happening. In all likelihood if the Packers, Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers, 9er, etc. teams were breaking the same offensive franchise records, then we would see those teams in the postseason no matter what and they would be favorites to win...that's not true with this team because the offensive history has been bad. It's irrelevant...and btw..this isn't anything against the offensive performance, or blaming them that we didn't make the playoffs. The only point I'm making is the irrelevance of the Bucs franchise records when talking about how good this offense is facing the teams of today.

I know what your saying.

Our offense doesn't stack up with the best in the league but it was still better than average. That's why we need to focus a lot of our attention in defense. That and it doesn't matter how good your offense is if your defense can't stop the pass and get to the QB.