Are we a couple of players away....

[BucfanNC12]

And why is everyone harping over defensive end? Our 4th string DE going into next year had 4 sacks this year. Bennett was top 5 in pressures. Bowers and Clayborne will be healthy to start the year. Defensive end should be the least of our priorities.

Pass defense and sacks is a two-way street. When the QB drops back and immediately has a receiver come open, no time for the DLINE to get there. Re-sign Miller and Bennett, draft a linebacker who has some pass rush ability to blitz with and for the love of god, find corners who can keep a receiver from getting wide ass open.

I also hated our "line up in press, then don't press" coverage.

Its a trend. Many fans think DL performance is only based sacks.

[dalbuc]

Pass defense and sacks is a two-way street. When the QB drops back and immediately has a receiver come open, no time for the DLINE to get there. Re-sign Miller and Bennett, draft a linebacker who has some pass rush ability to blitz with and for the love of god, find corners who can keep a receiver from getting wide ass open.

...by the same token we weren't just giving up a lot of short stuff. QB's had time to sit back and throw the ball long. The NetYards Per Attempt against us (that is your usual YPA stat with sacks tossed in) was #2 in the league (behind NOLA) and we were one of only 4 teams at + 7.0 nypa for the year so teams had time to hold onto the ball as well. We don't get good pressure consistently.

[1sparkybuc]

Sacks are nice but pressures cause bad throws. More games are lost by bad throws than sacks. An interception or forcing a punt is much better than a sack.

[dalbuc]

Sacks are nice but pressures cause bad throws. More games are lost by bad throws than sacks. An interception or forcing a punt is much better than a sack.

...but unless you have a very odd year sacks are some smaller % of QB hits which is a smaller % of QB pressures so sacks aren't an end all be all of stats but they are an indicator that you are or aren't getting pressure.

Plus, pressures are the result of getting close to the QB but if a QB is willing to hold the ball long enough then almost anyone will get close enough but that isn't effective pressure. What you really want, and there are site that measure this, is QUICK pressures. That is what causes bad throws and mental breakdowns.

[ryan24]

Are there quality DLs listed at that bottom of the sacks board every year? Sacks are not the end all but they do mean something and anyone who thinks the Bucs were getting appropriate pressure no matter 3, 5, or 7 step drops is out of their mind.

[DeadmenTNT]

The answer is yes. Aaron Rogers and JJ Watt and we're good to go.

[Dolorous Jason]

Yea if we could get double teams off Gmac and had somebody else who could pass rush next to him, Gmac would get more pressure and as would the DEs.

in theory it sounds great, i agree.  but what teams use 2 pressuring, penetrating DT's?

Only the Lions , and they suck last I checked.

[JDouble]

You don't need your NT to be amazing if you have an outstanding UT. Sapp made guys like Booger and Culpepper look great. I think we do need something more than Roy Miller though.

[spurzo]

In year one of a new regime with 3 rookie starters, season ending injuries to 3 of our top 10 starters, Freeman in the first year of a new offence and our worst starting CB's in over a decade... we managed to beat the NFC's top seed once and should've beat them the first time, if only our usually awesome kicker could've hit a long field goal.  I'd say it's not a stretch to say we're close to being a playoff team.

[captainjimbo]

I agree but we need more than a couple of players.  We are closer than we've been in a long time.  If we keep moving in the right direction for a couple more off seasons I really think we could be contenders in a couple years.  It would help if #5 comes around.

[Ms Elam]

A couple players away from being decent but the NFC turned into a gauntlet over night. 49ers, GB, Seahawks, bears, redskins, falcons, saints, could all be 10 win teams next year. Then you have other teams who are also"a couple players away" like the Vikings, lions, rams, panthers, and then the teams who already have good rosters but just had down years like the eagles, cowboys, saints and the giants. The bucs need...... Jesus

[1sparkybuc]

A couple players away from being decent but the NFC turned into a gauntlet over night. 49ers, GB, Seahawks, bears, redskins, falcons, saints, could all be 10 win teams next year. Then you have other teams who are also"a couple players away" like the Vikings, lions, rams, panthers, and then the teams who already have good rosters but just had down years like the eagles, cowboys, saints and the giants. The bucs need...... Jesus

Nicks and Joseph on offense, Bowers and Clayborn on defense, and the Bucs are decent. Schiano is not aiming for decent. He's aiming for superior. If he can come anywhere close to what he did last offseason, the Bucs will be superior. The Bucs tied for 10th in the league in TDs scored. Odds are, they will score even more next season.They ranked 22nd in points allowed. Odds are, they will allow fewer than that next season. Decent is achievable by just getting players back healthy. I don't see any free agent with the impact of VJax or Nicks, but it should be easy to nab a couple of starters to upgrade certain positions. Our first three picks last year started 16 games for us. It's not unreasonable to believe our first two picks could duplicate that. Personnel upgrades obviously will help, but Schiano isn't dealing with a pig in a poke this year. He knows his players and he knows his coaches. He knows what needs to be corrected. He culled out the potential starters last year that didn't meet his standards. There are no players left with character issues. Now it's just a matter of evaluating talent and ability, and we have plenty. We have a young and talented team that is gaining experience and is on the rise. Most still have the majority of their career ahead of them. They respect and trust their HC to lead them where they need to go (not out clubbing). I'm confident the Bucs will be at least a 10 win team in 2013. I'm also confident some of the teams you listed won't.

[captainjimbo]

We picked up 5 legit starters last off season.  If we can come close to doing this year what we did last we are so on our way to having a really good team.  But I'm not buying the couple of players away. 

[PassThePigSkin]

The play was good at times but not consistent.

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

We picked up 5 legit starters last off season.  If we can come close to doing this year what we did last we are so on our way to having a really good team.  But I'm not buying the couple of players away.

Its fairly safe to say we won't have as successful of an offseason this year.