biggest key to success

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears were a consistent contender because they played strong defense. Tampa Bay Buccaneers The coach will try to get the same result with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the ingredients are there for that to happen. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  Smith inherited some special talent in defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Both are just reaching their prime. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Smith has compared McCoy to Warren Sapp and David to Derrick Brooks. Sapp and Brooks were the keys to the defense during Tampa Bay’s glory days. Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Bucs believe McCoy and David can fill the same roles in the new generation and that a strong defense will help make the franchise relevant again.  McCoy and David are going to be good for years to come and they form a strong foundation. But the Bucs will need some complementary players to come through for this defense to be really good. Defensive end Michael Johnson was brought in as a free agent because the Bucs believe he can bring pressure from the outside. If he does, that’s only going to help McCoy and Clinton McDonald in the middle.  A strong pass rush will only help a secondary that has good potential, Tampa Bay Buccaneers but hasn’t hit it yet. Alterraun Verner was brought in to be the No. 1 cornerback, but the Bucs need Johnthan Banksand Mike Jenkins to step up as the other cornerback and nickelback. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Safeties Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron have talent and can form a nice tandem. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  Middle linebacker Mason Foster is going to get a chance to play a more significant role than he has in the past. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foster will call the defensive plays and be asked to drop into coverage more than he did in his first three seasons. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  This defense will be the key factor in determining if Smith’s regime will succeed. Tampa Bay Buccaneers The offense can be average, but the defense has to be special, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Buccaneers Mark Barron to stop Jimmy Graham

Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron drafted Mark Barron to stop Jimmy Graham The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron specifically to stop Jimmy Graham, according to Butch Davis. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron The former Schiano assistant testified at Jimmy Graham's franchise-tag grievance hearing and delivered remarks to that effect, according to Pro Football Talk. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron Butch Davis was some kind assistant to Greg Schiano at the time, Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron though no one ever really figured out what it is he actually did for the team. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron Other than collect a paycheck from both the Buccaneers and his former employers at the University of North Carolina, that is. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron When the Bucs picked Barron they did so after trading down two spots and passing up the opportunity to draft Morris Claiborne, which seems like a good decision now. They also passed up drafting Luke Kuechly, who has turned into an outstanding player for the Carolina Panthers but wouldn't really have filled a need for the Bucs at the time. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron Instead, they took a long-armed safety out of Alabama who had rarely been projected to go in the top 10. Still, Barron's been a solid performer in his career so far and has the makings of a future Pro Bowler, so it's a little harsh to call this a bad selection. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron While Pro Football Talk claims drafting Barron to stop Graham didn't exactly work because the Saints are 4-0 in games against Mark Barron, that's not completely accurate. Mark Baron and Jimmy Graham only faced each other twice, with Barron missing last year's week 17 contest, while Graham missed the game in Tampa the year before. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron Graham was certainly productive in those two games, catching an agonizing total of 15 passes for 248 yards and the 2013 matchup between Barron and Goldson specifically was very educational. Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron In that game, the Bucs had Goldson covering Graham in man coverage for most of the first half as the tight end racked up 156 yards on eight catches. In the second half, the Bucs largely covered him with Mark Barron. Once they made that switch, Drew Brees completed just two of five passes in Graham's direction for 23 yards and a pick-six. Of course, it's slightly odd that you'd draft a player specifically to stop Jimmy Graham, and then wouldn't use him like that once you started actually game-planning, Buccaneers drafted Mark Barron.