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Lovie Smith, since his hiring, has
made it fairly clear what type of defense will be run employed by the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers this upcoming season: the coach plans on using a Tampa 2 scheme with
a four-man front, utilizing speed on defense. On the other hand, the offense
has remained a mystery, with one of the only implications being Jeff Tedford’s
comments about “speed in space.” With that said, there have been some
indications of Tedford implementing a versatile, multi-faceted offense with
looks similar to those seen in other teams across the league.
Running Game
So far, the overwhelming assumption
has been that the running game will feature a zone-blocking scheme. Although
it’s just conjecture, it derives from what seems to be an emphasis placed on
athleticism in the team’s offseason approach to the offensive line,
particularly the acquisitions of versatile players Anthony Collins and Evan Dietrich-Smith.
With Demar Dotson manning the right tackle spot, three of the five positions
are locked up by relatively athletic players. Dietrich-Smith, among many, was
more well-known for being stomped on by Ndamukong Suh, but proved to be an
asset to the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line in his time there. This
article shows the impact of his play (and injury) on the Packers in the 2013
season.
This season Dietrich-Smith’s
performance will be pivotal to the success of the Buccaneers’ offense,
especially considering the state of the guard positions right now. In Green
Bay, Dietrich-Smith was bookended by very good guards. In Tampa, that
position’s outlook is very different. The leading candidates to be starters are
a late-round rookie draft pick in Kadeem Edwards, a second-year player plucked
from a practice squad in Patrick Omameh and two underwhelming veterans in Jamon
Meredith and Oniel Cousins. So far in camp, the starting duo has been switched
fairly often, but Omameh and Edwards are young players who have been said to be
good in motion, a necessary attribute for a guard in a zone-blocking scheme. Their
development is crucial to the team’s success in 2014 as well as its draft
strategy for 2015.
Behind the offensive line, weapons
like Doug Martin and Charles Sims will be featured, with the third running back
spot still to be determined. The downhill running styles of both players, along
with their cutting ability, can flourish in a zone-blocking scheme. If the
guards develop well, the Bucs could feature a dangerous running game with a
talented stable of running backs.
Passing Game
The passing game is a little more
difficult to project. The Buccaneers feature weapons whose skillsets are
similar to players on other rosters, and Jeff
Tedford is rumored to be an innovative coach who adjusts, implements
different schemes and looks, with different personnel groups. Taking a look at
the Buccaneers receivers shows a very talented group that Tedford is in charge
of molding into a formidable unit.
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Wide
Receivers
The wide receiver unit for the Buccaneers has widely been compared to
that of the Chicago Bears because of the size of the starting receivers’
skillsets and size. Like Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson is a No. 1 receiver
whose ability to line up all around the formation makes him a nightmare for
defenses to deal with. The trend of using primary receivers in the slot has
become more prominent recently, creating mismatches for those receivers and the
defenders responsible for covering them. Jackson has been part of the trend, being
a headache to deal with as an outside receiver, while also seeing great success
when he lines up in the slot. On the other side of Jackson, rookie Mike Evans
will look to make a big impact on the offense. Not the fastest player at the
position, Evans made a name for himself in college by using his 6’5” frame and
jumping ability to come down with contested passes, similarly to what Alshon
Jeffery consistently did in his second year in the league. Evans has shown
deceptive speed as a long-strider and does has great hands, even while catching
in traffic. Those two alone may be enough to give defensive coordinators fits,
but there other talented players who will compete for time as third and fourth
receivers, like 6’4” Louis Murphy, Chris Owusu and last year’s biggest
surprise, tight end Tim Wright.
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Tight End
Speaking
of Tim Wright, the second year man joins rookie Austin Seferian- Jenkins and
Brandon Myers to make a group of tight ends comparable to that of New England
several years ago, post-Aaron Hernandez murder investigation. Seferian-Jenkins’
combination of size and speed, along with his ability to be a difference maker
in both the running and passing game, reminds scouts and football enthusiasts
of what Rob Gronkowski showed on his way to becoming one of top tight ends in
the league before injuries shortened his past two seasons. That skillset will
likely earn Seferian-Jenkins a starting role sooner rather than later, but his
second-year teammate Wright will still be given looks in two-tight end sets. So
far, Tedford has given both Seferian-Jenkins and Wright looks out wide in
practices, but it seems that Wright has seen used that way more often. More
recently, Wright has been put into motion and lined up as a fullback during
some practices, with Seferian-Jenkins getting more reps as a traditional tight
end. Although it’s not set in stone and these are just practices, it would seem
that Tedford is intending to use two-tight end sets similarly to how Bill
Belicheck & Co., used the Gronkowski-Hernandez duo. After all, Tedford did seek
advice from Belicheck on how to better use the Cal tight ends. If Tedford
is going to use his tight ends to the best of their abilities in the upcoming
season, their roles may similar to the New England duo, with Wright serving in
the Hernandez role. Chris Rich gave a great analysis of the duo in this
article.
Conclusion:
The Tedford-led offense should be
exciting to watch. The wide receivers will present matchup problems for any
defensive backfield in the league, while the tight ends have the speed and
athleticism to cause trouble for linebackers and safeties. The Buccaneers have a dangerous combination
of size and speed at their skill positions, but are depending on journeyman
Josh McCown to turn in an outstanding season after playing well for injured Jay
Cutler last season. Although many laughed when McCown was handed the starting
job, he’s looked good in practice (by many accounts) and has shown leadership
that the Buccaneers have missed at the position.
Tight ends Tim Wright and Austin
Seferian-Jenkins have the physical skills to be big-time playmakers and will be
coached by Jon Embree, who has gotten great production from some notable
players at the position. Making the
statement “I came here to dominate. I didn’t come here to just be good,” shows
Seferian-Jenkins hunger to be great. With Embree pushing them, there is no
reason that he and Wright cannot become a great tandem, especially while the
defense has to give great attention to the pair of 6’5” receivers on the
outside.
Tedford will likely show many
looks, as he has the personnel to do so. A talented stable of running backs, along
with tight ends and wide receivers with imposing combinations of size and speed
to be threats in the short and long passing game. With a strong running game,
the offense could be potent once it gets over its bumps and bruises.
