Bucs Season Looks Uphill From Here

I miss Mike Alstott! And I miss Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Simeon Rice.
Whatever happened to the days of the dominant defense at Raymond James?

The Bucs season is shaping up much like every every one in the past - with weak prospects. The defense last season left us wanting and the inability to find a solid quarterback made offensive development difficult at best.
So far, this season isn't looking to much different.

Signing Jeff Garcia after his strong 2006 season with the Eagles had eyebrows raised across the country. Garcia looked great in the preseason, but one week to regular season and coach Jon Gruden still could not commit to him as his starting QB. There are currently two other QB's fighting for that spot. Gruden is still flirting with the idea of putting the ball in the slippery hands of Chris Simms (spleen). He should some play time this weekend. Bruce Gradkowski, last years surprise rookie performer has been solid throughout the preseason. Frankly, any of these guys will do, but Gruden needs to make up his mind already. The team has got to have time to adjust to the leadership of their quarterback and going into the first game without a settled starter is never a good sign.

Receivers are unreliable based on the past performances. Word on the street is that the Bucs are shopping WR Michael Clayton. So that leaves Joey Galloway.

Galloway has been consistent over the past three seasons with the Bucs - last year he gained more than a thousand yards, averaging 17 per reception. For a team without a quarterback, that's not bad. But Galloway is 35-years old and not getting any younger. The question will be if he has what it takes to lead this offense.

The Bucs lost their long-time offensive anchor in full-back Mike Alstott when he announced his retirement on Aug. 9. And just this week Gruden cut problem child Michael Pittman. As a running team, the Bucs might be in trouble. But, who knows, maybe there is a surprise up Gruden's sleeve. Somehow they are currently ranked 3rd in the league in preseason rushing yards. Rookie Rb Ken Darby out of Alabama can take credit for that, and there is also the powerhouse Cadillac Williams. Though Williams charged out of the gate strong with a huge first season in 2005, he did not quite meet expectations last year rushing for less than 800 yards. The Bucs need him to step up this year.

Defense is a scary place to be for the Bucs. After winning the 2003 Superbowl, key players like Warren Sapp left, Tony Dungy's defense was dismantled and Jon Gruden has been trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again ever since.

There has been a lot of chatter about LB Jeremiah Trotter working out with the Bucs this past week after being released from the Eagles last Tuesday. But Trot was allegedly released from Philadelphia due to his weight and lack of mobility. Though his experience and leadership might be just what the Bucs defense needs, he may have a hard time adjusting to the high-speed cover-2 defense in Tampa.

Ronde Barber is always a influential presence on the field, but he's getting old over at Corner.
Julian Jenkins is solid, but his isn't the dominating force of Simeon Rice. And, Jermain Phillips may have come up with 2 picks last season back at strong safety, but the Bucs haven't been able to recover from the loss of leader-safety John Lynch.

There is still work to do on the defense, and the shape up of the D-Line will make or break this teams season.