In the last season of the Chucky regime, the Bucs collapsed down the stretch with an old, worn out defense. Still, the Bucs were in the hunt for a playoff berth to the bitter end.

Then came Raheem Morris and the Bucs mired through a three-win season, only to bounce back and lose a playoff tiebreaker to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Packers in 2010.

In 2011, the Bucs may have put together one of the ugliest seasons in recent NFL campaigns, capped by a grotesque 10-game losing streak and the jettisoning of Morris.

So with a new coach and new players, highlighted by Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks, could the Bucs win 10 games? It’s not out of the question, writes Joe Fortenbaugh of the NationalFootballPost.com.

The interesting thing to take away from Tampa’s three-year roller coaster ride is that we should have seen it coming. What happened to the Buccaneers wasn’t an anomaly. It’s actually a common trend that has taken place around the league more than you might expect.

Over the last ten years there have been 29 instances in which an NFL team went 7-9 or worse and then came back the following year to win at least ten games.

And in 26 of those instances, teams followed up that impressive 10-win campaign with a record of 9-7 or worse. What does that tell us? Since 2002, there’s an 89.6% chance that a team who bounces back from a losing season to post ten or more wins the following fall is headed for a step in the wrong direction come year three.

Now can the Bucs make a run at the playoffs this season? Well, Joe will not go that far, though the NFC South is notorious for up-and-down seasons.

Joe does believe the Bucs will be better. How could they not? Joe just has a hunch that the Bucs new coaching staff knows the value of running the ball and won’t waste talent by using a Chucky-and-duck, pass-first mentality.

It’s not the first time Warren Sapp was skeptical on NFL Network of the Bucs moving Ronde Barber to safety.

Barber is a “gambler,” Sapp bellows in this latest NFL.com video, and Sapp doubts whether Barber’s DNA suits the safety position.

“There’s something I know about Ronde Barber, one of the best players in Bucs history, he’s a gambler. You can not gamble at safety” Sapp said. “You must protect the middle of the field, and the last line of defense. And that will be the biggest thing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get back to Buc Ball. Because when you’re giving up 6.3 yards per play [in 2011], it’s not going to be very pretty in this league.”

Those who watch the video (linked above) will notice Sapp seems to forget about Mark Barron when talking about how he believes the Bucs’ biggest question marks are up the gut of the defense.

Perhaps Sapp was just flummoxed by the realization of the Bucs giving up 6.3 yards per play last season.

Regardless, Joe loves Barber as much as the next guy, but Joe’s not so confident in Barber’s transition either. The Raheem-Dominik regime opened with Jermaine Phillips moving to linebacker to replace Derrick Brooks, and that got squashed after a couple of preseason games. Surely Barber’s transition has better odds and will be easier given the position and his experience, but that doesn’t mean it will be successful.

The Bucs have a lot of areas to turn around in order for the team to cleanse itself of the grotesque 10-game losing streak to end the 2011 season.

One could point to the absence of Gerald McCoy that resulted in the tailspin of the Bucs season. The Bucs were 4-2 with GMC in the starting lineup at defensive tackle, winless without him in 2011.

Now healthy again, Woody Cummings, writing for SportingNews.com, points to GMC as this season’s break out player.

McCoy’s attempts to live up to his billing as the third overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft were derailed each of his first two years by biceps tears, one to each arm. McCoy regained his health after going through yet another stringent rehab regimen. He seems more motivated than ever to finish the season.

McCoy has a good group of young, yet capable, pass rushers around him and he says the injuries should help him meet his team’s high expectations.

“They’ll make me play harder,’’ McCoy said. “People get injured when they slow down, but if you are going full speed you don’t usually get hurt. So to prevent injuries you have to go harder, and that’s what I’m going to do. For me, it’s full steam ahead. That’s all I am doing. Whatever is behind me is behind me, all I can see is the future.’’

Now Joe watched closely when GMC was playing and while he may not have racked up sacks, GMC got penetration, which blew up opponents’ plays in the backfield.

If the Bucs defense is to make a turnaround from the sloppy, matador defense of last season, GMC must be a part of that turnaround, and even he will admit he must stay on the field for the full season.

Until today Joe doesn’t recall hearing Greg Schiano comment directly on the Bucs’ lack of effort last season since his extensive winter interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that called out questionable cornerback play.

Sure, Joe had heard Schiano dance around the subject and talk about where he wants to see improvement in terms of physicality and swarming to the football on defense, but Joe didn’t remember Schiano addressing questionable effort on the field in 2011.

But today Joe listened to an interview Schiano did with NFL 32 on BSPN in late May. And the leader of the New Schiano Order had strong words about effort in 2011 and 2012.

“I still haven’t found that replacement for hard work,” Schiano said. “At times, we did not play with great, consistent effort. And when you watch that on tape, that can’t be. The effort can’t be something that we’re spending a lot of time coaching, otherwise it’s going to be a long season.”

Joe wonders whether all the Bucs lacking “great consistent effort” have been purged from the roster. Serial loafer Sean Jones is gone, and clearly he was a major offender. But Joe’s not privvy to all that fancy coaches film from 2011 to see every offense when it comes to effort.

Joe doubts whether guys with effort issues in the past can just flick a switch and right themselves. So hopefully they’ve all left the building.

Yesterday, when the Bucs learned that felony DUI charges were dropped on cornerback Eric Wright, the collective sigh of relief heard originating from within the walls of One Buc Palace could be heard in southern Illinois.

Because of Wright’s exoneration by Los Angeles authorities, the Bucs may have avoided a dire problem at cornerback, at ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas sort of hinted at in a recent NFC South chat.

Weaz (Bay City)

Is Talib looking at a suspension this season? If so, how many games would be your guess?

Pat Yasinskas

Haven’t heard much either way. Sounds like Talib and Bucs are planning on business as usual. But we’ll see if NFL does anything.

Had Wright been found guilty of a felony DUI, he too would have also had to face the long arm of the law known as NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.

There is still no word on whether Goodell will pursue a suspension on Talib, which would be a multiple-game suspension since he would be a repeat offender.

Now Joe doesn’t believe Talib should be suspended because charges were dropped; just like in Wright’s case. But Goodell doesn’t think like Joe.

Had Wright’s charges not been dropped, the Bucs could have been facing the very real possibility of starting the regular season with E.J. Biggers and Myron Lewis as a starting cornerback tandem.

Couch-potato Bucs fans can rejoice

Joe realizes cynical Bucs fans might say Team Glazer should have bought up every unsold ticket the past two seasons, like they did in 2009, so the Tampa Bay community could watch the Bucs home games on Sundays.

That didn’t happen, and if it had, it surely wouldn’t have been the wisest business move.

However, Team Glazer has been working to end blackouts the old fashioned way, slashing ticket prices, offering 10-month, no-interest payment plans and offering concessions and parking deals. But now the Bucs have moved all-in to seize the chance to get every home game on TV.

Today, the Bucs announced they will take full advantage of the NFL’s new rule to allow as few as 85 percent of non-premium tickets in Raymond James Stadium to be sold in order to get a home game televised. ProFootballTalk.com had previously reported that NFL teams had a deadline of this weekend to pick their new blackout threshold, as low as 85 percent. Teams like the Colts and Chargers and others hinted or outright said they wouldn’t budge to help curb blackouts, but the Bucs aren’t in that camp.

The penalty for selling more than the 85 percent or a team’s chosen threshold, per ProFootballTalk.com, is anything sold above that mark would require the home team to pay an additional 16 percent surcharge, per ticket face value, to the visiting team.

Joe’s glad that Team Glazer has adopted this fan-first opportunity. About 15,000 seats at home games are “premium” tickets, meaning club seats or luxury boxes. So given the new 85-percent mark for non-premium tickets and last year’s sales figures, Joe would be somewhat surprised if anything other than Bucs preseason games are blacked out.

Joe’s not sure what to say if you haven’t yet been to Tilted Kilt at the corner of Drew Street and U.S. 19 in Clearwater. You are simply missing out on the famous Tilted Kilt girls and fabulous food.

But now you can’t pass on a visit to Tilted Kilt. This awesome coupon below gets you Tilted Kilt’s delicious, giant burger for only $2. That will save you six bucks off the regular price! Just bring in the coupon below in July. Print this page, or click below or here for a printer-friendly version.

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Yes, last year the Bucs were dismal, awful, putrid, embarrassing. The grotesque 10-game losing streak said it all.

But amid the morass, there was a glimmer of hope. That, for Joe, was the play of rookie Adrian Clayborn. The beast from Iowa didn’t take long to make opponents feel his presence, just ask Matty Ice.

Once upon a time, the NFC South was loaded with defensive stars, many wearing the Bucs’ pewter and red. So ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas decided to put fingers to a keyboard and type out what he believes could be the next defensive stars of the division, and Clayborn made his list.

Adrian Clayborn, defensive end, Buccaneers. In a rookie year in which everything around him went wrong, Clayborn put together a nice season in 2011. He had 7.5 sacks and forced three fumbles. If he was able to do that amid chaos, he should be able to do much more in Schiano’s new world. Of course, it would help if Gerald McCoy and Brian Price could stay healthy and provide some help at defensive tackle.

Joe totally is in the same mindset as Yasinskas regarding Clayborn, who should be a terror for Bucs foes for years to come.

Now Yasinskas also cited Bucs safety Mark Barron as a future star. But before Joe anoints Barron a stud, he must do two things: play a snap in the NFL and, more importantly, sign a frigging contract.

And just like that Eric Wright’s arrest for felony drunk driving has disappeared.

ProFootballTalk.com has a statement from Wright’s attorney that says the District Attorney in Los Angeles has reviewed the facts of last week’s arrest and dismissed the case.

“On July 1, my client Eric Wright was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles and was arrested for suspicion of DUI,” lawyer Jeremy I. Lessem said in a statement released Friday by the team. “Today, I am pleased to announce that the Los Angeles County District Attorney has reviewed the facts and decided not to file any charges. Therefore, no charges at all will be filed against Eric. Eric is glad this is behind him and is eager to begin training camp at the end of the month.”

What sweet music for the Bucs and Bucs fans.

Joe’s damn glad former Bucs defensive end Steve White got the itch to put his fingers on the keyboard again. The guy’s written work is nothing short of a gift to Bucs fans.

This time, White has heard enough of the LeGarrette Blount bashing and doubting and sets out to dive deep into many factors — Xs and Os  included — as to why he expects serious improvement from Blount, as well as Doug Martin having a monumental task to become the Bucs’ No. 1 back.

Here’s a small snippet to his much larger story:

Second of all if Blount plays in the preseason behind this new Buccaneer offensive line bolstered by the signing of Carl Nicks he is likely to put on a show. Especially with the way the Bucs at least appear to be committing to smash mouth football and downhill runs its going to be hard to stop Blount from shining if they give him the rock. And its one thing I learned after 1999, the one year I was a starter in the NFL, and was eventually supplanted by my teammate Marcus Jones the next season. No matter how well you play in the preseason you can not control how much better than you your teammate might play.

“But Steve what if he doesn’t start and has to play with the second team Offensive Line?”

Thing is he would also be playing against the other team’s second team defense in that scenario and that could possibly give him an even better opportunity to dominate.

Thirdly, and maybe most important, Blount is going to be coached by Earnest Byner this year. Quick, no Googling allowed, who coached running backs for the Bucs last year?

I know you probably cheated anyway but it was Steve Logan, a guy who according to Wikipedia (yes I know, not the best source) last coached running backs in… 1998, before getting the Bucs running backs coaching job in 2009.

Doesn’t mean Logan was a bad coach, per se. But in Byner you have a guy that coached Clinton Portis in 2007 to 6th in the NFL in rushing yards, who coached Johnson and LenDale White to almost a combined 2000 yards rushing in 2008, who coached Johnson to his 2006 yard rushing season in 2009, who coached Jones-Drew to a combined 2,900 rushing yards over the last two seasons and the rushing title last year.

In short, I’m pretty sure he’s an upgrade over Logan.

And while he is likely to make a positive impression on Martin as well, again I haven’t actually seen what Martin can do yet on this level. With the last two seasons as a baseline I can imagine what Blount can be if he is improved this year. And those visions are scary for opposing defenses.

So for me I think if Blount improves this year the way most running backs do with a full offseason in an offense I think Martin would have to have an unreal preseason to unseat him.

Joe suggests you pull up a sandwich and click above to read White’s entire take.

Loyal readers of Joe know that Joe has firmly been in the camp that Blount was poorly used, poorly coached and has senselessly become a punching bag for fans who are quick to assume other players will have bounce-back seasons but not Blount. White takes on these issues and much more.

Regardless, Joe can’t wait to see Blount and Martin slug it out. Yeah, they’ll both be used a lot this season, but their will be one guy carrying more of the load and, perhaps, Greg Schiano might find his coveted bell cow.

Joe posts all things Bucs on this here corner of the interwebs. Yes, that means “all things” Bucs-related. So Joe posts this TMZ ambush video interview with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman without comment.

Joe hates to get all wordy, but it’s kind of hard to be quiet and brash at the same time, but apparently Preston Parker pulls that off, so says Ronde Barber.

Bucs beat scribe Woody Cummings has penned a story about Parker’s maturation process, which includes high praise for the wide receiver from the Bucs’ iconic cornerback safety.

Still, it’s a little unusual to see a player so new to the league play with Parker’s fearlessness. He has earned some fans in the locker room as a result.

“He carries a little quiet brashness to him, which we as football players always appreciate, especially when that guy is on your team,” Bucs veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said. “That’s one of the reasons he’s done such a good job as the slot receiver. But we’ve all known what Preston could do for a while now.”

Parker was one of the lone bright spots last season with 40 catches for 554 yards, and plenty of those yards were earned with pure grit. While Parker is not a good returner, the Bucs would be served well if they had everybody playing as hard as Parker does at the receiver position.

Perhaps being denied barbecue sauce at KFC toughened Parker up, though more likely it was hitting rock bottom at Florida State and appreciating the chance the Bucs gave him as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

Josh Freeman talked about a variety of subjects on NFL Network last night

Sporting a faux hawk and seeming a bit nervous, Josh Freeman sat down for a one-on-one with lovely Lindsay Soto of the Man Channel, NFL Network, last night.

Freeman raved about the addition of Vincent Jackson and said his presence is far superior to the impact Michael Clayton had on the Bucs’ young receivers during the 2010 offseason and preseason.

Among other takes, Freeman said he forced things too much last season and said he didn’t play “within the system” and within himself consistently.

Freeman said applying what he’s learned from 2010 success and 2011 failure will be the biggest difference for him this season. No. 5 also said he’s “working out from a footwork fundamental standpoint” this offseason and can feel the improvement.

On the human armoire, new Bucs guard Carl Nicks, “I’ve never seen a physical specimen like Carl,” Freeman said.

Soto opened the door for Freeman to take a shot at the lack of discipline under Raheem Morris, but Freeman wouldn’t throw his old coach under the bus and said different coaching styles are out there but all that matters is wins.

It was a wise take from Freeman. Raheem was heralded as a new-wave genius in 2010, before being reduced to buffoon status in 2011. A similar record-based fate no doubt awaits Greg Schiano.

Does QB play in the NFC South benefit from second-rate pass rushes in the division?

Here’s a new theory: NFC South quarterbacks are so successful, in part, because the division is short on pass rushers.

In this NFL Network video, Steve Wyche and Mark Kriegel make this case. Among other takes, Kriegel points out that no NFC South rusher had double-digit sacks last season and ancient John Abraham may be its best rusher.

Wyche suggests things in the division could change this season. Not because the Bucs have loads of young talent on their defensive line, but because new Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will find a way to dial up pressure on quarterbacks, Wyche said.

It’s an interesting overall premise about the division. Though Joe’s hardly all-in with it, the Bucs have been dreadful at sacking quarterbacks and teams have certainly enjoyed padding their stats against Tampa Bay since the December collapse of 2008.

The video also includes analysis of the alleged next wave of elite pass rushers in the NFL. Adrian Clayborn is not mentioned, nor any other Buccaneer.

Like many Bucs fans, iconic Double Nickel, Mr. Derrick Brooks, isn’t expecting miracles from the 2012 Bucs defense. In fact, Brooks isn’t sure if the Bucs can climb to the ranks of a middle-of-the-pack NFL defense this season.

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles, an ex-teammate of Brooks, hit Brooks with a hardball question on the potential of the Bucs’ defense during the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday. Based on his response, Brooks doesn’t seem moved by the addition of Eric Wright, Mark Barron and Lavonte David, the return of Ronde Barber, and guys like Gerald McCoy, Cody Grimm and Michael Bennett coming into the season 100 percent healthy.

Ian Beckles: Did we do enough in the offseason to think that we’re going to be at least an average defense this year?

Derrick Brooks: That’s yet to be seen. You know, I wasn’t expecting much to be done up front because of the drafts that we’ve had the last couple of years. It’s time to see where these young [defensive linemen] are and see if they’re the answer, or do you need to be more active in free agency. …  That’s a tough question that I asked myself looking at their defense based on how they performed last year. How much was it personnel? You know, how much was it with the defense itself and the players alone and the system they played in, you know, the details of it? So we’ll get a chance to see going in with Coach Sheridan what Head Coach Schiano was able to put together. But the answer may not be in the free agents. It may just be in stability of what you’re bringing to the orgainization and the stability of what you’re bringing on the defense. That may be enough to get some improvement. How much? Only time will tell.

Joe has no crystal ball, and can only hope/assume the Bucs will return to respectability on defense. Joe would be happy to simply not see the team get gutted and gashed up the gut repatedly and, you know, tackle.

Joe’s confident the Bucs will improve defensively, though unsure it will be enough — or fast enough — to successfully defend the Panthers, Giants and Cowboys in the season’s first three games. 

There were so many pointed fingers, and areas for the Bucs to improve on, after the grotesque 10-game losing streak last season that Joe doesn’t know where to start.

Of course, Josh Freeman’s 25 interceptions sure didn’t help matters. And because Freeman is trying to rebound from such a hole, Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange believes Freeman could very well be the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year provided the Bucs play well.

No doubt, it’s still very much a quarterback league, and the Bucs play in one of the most quarterback-driven divisions in the NFL, with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton around. But the Bucs, who slumped from 10 wins in 2010 to a dozen losses last season, ran the ball fewer times than any team (346 attempts) in ’11. That might help explain their No. 30 statistical rating in rushing offense, and the paucity of runs could be explained in part by early deficits in most games, but a trickle-down effect as the, well, trickle down of Freeman’s performance.

Regarded as one of the NFL’s rising stars, and with some Tampa Bay officials privately insisting only a year ago that they would not trade Freeman for any player in the league, his touchdown passes fell from 25 to 16 and his interceptions rose from six to 22. Freeman posted a better completion percentage than the previous season, and had more passing yards, but his quarterback rating fell by more than 20 points. One of the league’s biggest quarterbacks from a physical dimension standpoint, Freeman was also one of the biggest flops in the NFL in 2011.

But if the Bucs are to compete for an unlikely playoff spot, they desperately need Freeman to rebound. And Freeman, who won’t turn 25 until a week after the regular seasons ends, needs some help, which the new Bucs’ staff apparently plans to give their talented quarterback.

Joe finds it interesting that Pasquarelli hinted former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson Pearl Harbored Freeman’s season because Olson — for reasons Joe simply cannot comprehend — refused to feed the ball to a guy who averaged over four-plus yards a carry, LeGarrette Blount.

As revolting as the Bucs defense played in December last year, so too was it equally nauseating to see Blount get five carries in the season-opening chain-whipping at the hands of the Lions — FIVE!

Sam Monson of ProFootballFocus.com has doubts about whether Ronde Barber can be a solid safety

The spreadsheeters over at FootballFocus.com have been keeping busy during the dog days of the football dead period scouring tape of the last three years NFL seasons to determine the best tacklers in the league.

This piece, typed by Sam Monson, seemed to wag a finger at the Bucs, and not in a good way. Monson writes about how, when executed with sound fundamentals, the Tampa-two defense is a good defense, which left Monson wondering about former Bucs coach Raheem Morris.

Most of the time referring to the Tampa-2 conjures up images of discipline, sound fundamentals, and quality play to force mistakes from the opposition, but not on this occasion. The Tampa Two to which I am referring are Ronde Barber and Tanard Jackson, who lead the pack with more missed tackles than any other defensive backs over the past three seasons. Barber has racked up a massive half-century of misses, but what is even more staggering is the 43 that Jackson has managed to total on fewer than half of Barber’s snaps.

You have to wonder exactly what the Buccaneers were practicing over the past few seasons, because it certainly wasn’t sound fundamentals and the basics, those fell to pieces under Raheem Morris.

Monson then claims that, per his charts, Barber and Jackson, were among the worst culprits in the NFL for tackling efficiency for defensive backs.

Monson also goes on to write that he believes Barber, unless he improves his tackling efficiency, will not be a solid safety because the position calls for sure tacklers.

This took Joe aback because in Joe’s eyes, there are few better tacklers at corner than Barber. Shoot, he made so many plays inside in 2010, it was as if Barber was a fourth linebacker.

NFL.com analyst and former NFL receiver Bucky Brooks has pored over game film and determined that Vincent Jackson is a better receiver than Brandon Marshall, a guy many Bucs fans yearned for in free agency a couple of years ago.

Marshall is now on Chicago’s roster, as he and Jackson are two big-name wideouts with new homes for 2012. Brooks offers an interesting audio and video breakdown here, and you can read the written version.

Route running

Big-bodied receivers typically struggle running routes due to the difficulty of dropping their weight on cuts and re-generating speed. However, Jackson and Marshall have become solid route runners over the course of their respective careers. Jackson excels at running the vertical portion of the route tree. From the “Bang-8” (skinny post) to the post-corner, he has developed into an indefensible threat in isolated situations with his speed and athleticism. In an offensive system that emphasizes the vertical passing game, he is a nightmare to defend.

It’s going to be darn interesting to watch how Mike Sullivan decides to use Jackson. Joe suspects we’ll see more of Jackson over the middle of the field than ever before.

And Joe’s very eager to see how well Josh Freeman can throw the homerun ball, something he did painfully little of last year. If the Bucs stay healthy, Freeman has every possible toy he needs to be wildly successful. He’s got to deliver.

Joe loves the idea of the Bucs and Greg Schiano resurrecting the offensive philosophy of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins. Those guys had two 1,000-yard rushers in a 14-game season and successfully picked their spots to throw the ball deep. Smashmouth, run-first football.

But the NFL has changed, and there are those who believe the pass-happy NFL is that way because it’s a winning formula.

NFL Films guru Greg Cosell, one of the game’s more astute analysts, makes a case against building a run-first offense in his latest breakdown for NFL.com. If you read Cosell’s entire take, it’s easy to walk away believing the New Schiano Order is starting on the wrong foot.

Teams that feature the run as their foundation generally don’t score as many points. They tend to play closely contested games that are within one score in the fourth quarter. Those kinds of games can be decided by one play. In fact, too often better teams lose to less-talented teams simply because the game is close and that single play becomes magnified. That’s a tough way to play every week. But that’s the profile when you’re a running team built around a great back. Your margin for error as a team is very small, which is exactly why you have to be extremely good in all phases, like the 2011 49ers. That’s very difficult in today’s NFL.

In fact, I strongly believe most organizations recognize that kind of team-building is not truly viable in the salary-cap era. That’s not the best approach to compete for championships. You will not consistently beat the top quarterbacks and the top offenses by playing conservative football, with the emphasis on shortening the game, and as a result, limiting the opposing offense’s snaps. I always debated this with coaches as it pertained to Peyton Manning. For years, the Indianapolis Colts had the fewest overall possessions in the NFL, usually eight or nine per game. That’s great as an abstract number. But they would score touchdowns on three, four or five of them. If your offense controlled the ball, and the clock, but did not score touchdowns, as was often the case, then all you’ve accomplished is shortening the game for yourself. You get fewer opportunities to score and you’re not built to aggressively attack with the passing game. It’s a catch-22 that ultimately fails.

Of course, Joe hopes Cosell is off the mark and the Bucs with Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount can break new ground as they revive what worked in the past.

Regardless, Joe is not concerned about the Bucs’ offense outside of having a newbie playcaller. It’s the heinous defense that must at least become close to average for the Bucs to have a chance at competing in 2012.