Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said after the draft that he wants Tampa Bay to be known as a "bad-ass team." This weekend helped his cause.
Tight end O.J. Howard should transform the Bucs' offense. As an in-line tight end who can block when asked, Howard is going to make the Bucs more difficult to matchup with. Pity the defense that gets caught with the wrong defenders on the field when the Bucs go into a hurry up with Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Howard out there at the same time.
Jameis Winston's dream offseason continued when the Bucs selected wide receiver Chris Godwin (Round 3) and Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols (Round 5). Godwin is known for his route-running, and McNichols is a great pass catcher in the mold of his new teammate and fellow Boise State alum Doug Martin.
The Bucs' defense remains a concern and could really use safety Justin Evans (Round 2) and inside linebacker Kendell Beckwith (Round 3) to contribute right away. At best, this Bucs defense can be average. General manager Jason Licht is taking a similar approach to his old boss Bill Belichick: Load up on offense, support your franchise quarterback with weapons and figure out a way to make the defense good enough.
Get ready to see plenty of this bad ass team on "Hard Knocks" and then during a run to the playoffs.
