Worst to First for Tampa Bay?

Tampa Bay’s recent transactions have seen the Buccaneers bring in an influx of talent. The free agency period saw the team bring in key players in Michael Johnson, Clinton McDonald and Alterraun Verner, along with expected starter Josh McCown, and the 2014 draft came and went without a defensive player being called while Mike Evans and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins highlighted the annual event.

Even with talented players being added to both sides of the ball, no addition has been more important than that of head coach Lovie Smith. Since Jon Gruden’s departure, the Buccaneers have seen two mediocre coaches “lead” the team to victories in 35 percent of their games— Raheem Morris won 17 of 48 games in three seasons, while Greg Schiano won 11 of 32 games in his two seasons as coach. Now that Smith is in charge, there have been several predictions that the Buccaneers will win the NFC South.

With a new scheme, new players and a new coach, winning the division seems far-fetched to many, but optimism comes with a winning coach—something that the organization has gotten away from in recent years. To many, the hiring of Lovie Smith has brought credibility back to the Buccaneers. Smith’s proven ability to build strong defenses and get the most out of defensive personnel has Buccaneer fans excited for a possible return to prominence. For that to come to fruition, several things need to happen.

The Defense Must Be Outstanding

As was stated before, Lovie Smith has proven that he can develop very good defenses. According to this article, Smith has coached for a top 10 defense in 14 of his 17 years in the NFL. Of those 14 seasons of top 10 defenses, 2 seasons resulted in the No. 1 overall defense, and the defense ranked top 5 overall on 7 occasions. During his tenure with the Bears, Smith had talented defensive rosters, but one could argue that this current Buccaneers’ roster rivals them all in overall talent.

Smith’s time as head coach of the Bears saw fierce pass rushes that, often, were led by contributions from depth rather than one dominant pass rusher. In 8 of Smith’s 9 seasons as head coach of the Bears, the team surpassed 30 sacks in the season. Of those 8 seasons, 4 of them resulted in the team reaching 40 sacks—three of those four teams (2005, 2006 and 2012) were led by double-digit sack players. Not many of those depth charts were as talented along the defensive line as what Smith has inherited and built on this past offseason. If the defensive line can consistently create pressure, opportunities for turnovers will come and turnovers, much like they were in the Buccaneers’ glory days, are emphasized as a major part of the success of the defense. For Tampa to win the NFC South, Smith and Frazier will have to work magic with the defense, molding it into a force so that the team can stand a chance of taking the division.

Jeff Tedford Must Be > Previous Two Offensive Coordinators

Terrible offensive coordinators have plagued the Buccaneers. Since the 2002 season, Tampa Bay has only had an offense that ranked in the top half of the league (in YPG) on three occasions—in 2003, the team finished with the 10^th ranked offense; 2008 saw the team finish as the 14^th- best offense and the 2012 squad finished ranked 9^th in the league. Under Greg Schiano, offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan was responsible for the 9^th-ranked offense of 2012; however, after leading an exciting offense for six weeks (Weeks 6-11 of 2012), Sullivan looked overmatched for the rest of the 2012 season—a trend that seemed to carry over into the 2013 season and, when combined with key injuries, resulted in the league’s worst offense.

Sullivan’s predecessor, Greg Olson, was regularly criticized for his inability to make a competent and consistent offense. Olson’s offenses showed predictability and lack of creativity and were unable to mask players’ weaknesses. Although Oakland Raiders’ players were praising Olson before the 2013 season, he was more well-known for the “Benn’d-Around” than offensive success by the time he left Tampa Bay.

Before Olson came to town, the offense was under the control of head coach John Gruden, who was viewed as an offensive guru because of the success he brought to the Raiders’ organization. While Gruden’s presence was able to push the team to a win over the Raiders in the 2002 Super Bowl, his “offensive genius” only pushed the Buccaneers into the top half of the league twice in his seven years as HC/OC.

Although there’s been much secrecy about the type of offense that will be employed in the upcoming season, Tedford has been seen as an innovative mind not like any that the Buccaneers have seen. Fans are hoping that his long history of developing college quarterbacks can transition into the NFL and that he can create some magic with the current quarterbacks, recreating Josh McCown’s success from the 2013 season and molding Mike Glennon into the “quarterback of the future” that he’s been labeled as.

Schematically, there is much mystery about Tedford’s offense as well. Other than the “speed in space” moniker that has been repeated by Tedford, not much about the offense has been revealed—and even “speed in space” has become unclear to some after the drafting of 6’5” Mike Evans. There has been speculation that the running game will be based on a zone-blocking scheme, but there has not been much information given on the passing game, other than assumptions that the offense will attempt to imitate that of Mark Trestman’s Bears offense, while also featuring some two-TE sets similar to the New England Patriots. However the offense looks, it must be effective. Not many are expecting the Buccaneers to challenge the Saints or Broncos in terms of offensive productivity, but an effective attack that can take pressure off of the defense and rank somewhere in the middle of the pack could be what the team needs to finally return to the playoffs.

Following The Trend Must Work in the Glazers’ Favor This Time  

In the last five years, the Glazers have seemingly followed the popular trend of the NFL. When young coordinator Josh McDaniels was an up-and-coming head coach candidate, the Buccaneers pounced on the opportunity to secure the services of their own “rising star” in Raheem Morris. Similarly to McDaniels’ tenure as head coach with the Denver Broncos, the experiment with Morris as head coach was a failure. Morris’ teams lacked talent at key positions, at times employing starters who were clearly promoted beyond their level of competence (*cough* Sabby Piscitelli). In a sense, the team became a macrocosm of their head coach himself—incompetent and often unprepared—which led to Morris being fired after 10 straight losses and a 17-31 overall record during the 3-year span.

After Morris was fired, the Glazers went in the opposite direction by hiring Greg Schiano, following the trend of NFL teams hiring college coaches. Unfortunately, Schiano’s hiring did not bring the organization the same success that Pete Carroll brought to the Seattle Seahawks. Schiano restored discipline to a team that was lacking it after three years under Morris; however, Schiano’s “tough guy” act wore thin with the players when success didn’t follow. It’s even been said that Schiano and his coordinators ignored the suggestions of their players, including All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, instead attempting to fit players into a defensive scheme that wasn’t working. After his firing, even more has come out about the players’ problems with him.

This time around, the Glazers went with a proven winner as their head coach. After being fired by the Bears (after a 10-6 season), Smith took a year off before being hired to lead the Buccaneers. In 9 seasons as head coach of the Bears, Smith amassed an 81-63 record, which includes 5 winning seasons and 3 division championships. It can be assumed that the Glazers, along with Buccaneer fans, are hoping for a turnaround similar to what Andy Reid provided the Kansas City Chiefs, who finished second in the AFC West after going 2-14 in 2012.

Smith has the tools to make the Buccaneers into a contender. Players both old and new have enjoyed playing for Smith, who treats the players with respect and dignity. The current Buccaneers roster is arguably the most talented that Smith has coached in his career. With a proven defensive coordinator in Leslie Frazier, along with Smith’s experience building strong defenses and an innovative mind leading the offense, the Buccaneers have a chance of surprising many this year.

Taking the Next Step: Rashaan Melvin

The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fielded a good pass defense, Raheem Morris was still a key member of the defensive staff. From then until now, the Buccaneers have spent high picks on secondary players and given out some big contracts to veterans, hoping to re-create the 2007 pass defense that led the Bucs to their last playoff appearance.

Although a big part of the problem with repeating the success of the 2007 pass defense has been the pass rush—last year (2013) was the first season since 2007 in which the Buccaneers topped 30 sacks—another problem has been the lack of depth in the secondary. For years, the Buccaneers have pinned their hopes on the potential of players with behavioral issues, like Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson and depended on great performances from veterans like Eric Wright and Darrelle Revis , but the results have been dismal. Just a year ago, the Buccaneers drafted Johnthan Banks, traded for Revis and signed Dashon Goldson to improve a secondary that fell just a handful of yards short from allowing the most yards through the air than any team in NFL history. The two Pro Bowl defensive backs and Jim Thorpe award winning cornerback improved the Buccaneers pass defense to 17^th in the league—still in the bottom half of the league, statistically.

In Mark Dominik’s tenure as general manager, roster depth was a constant weakness. With the new regime taking over, depth has become a strength at certain positions. Transactions to bring in quality veterans, along with the improvement of some lesser known, younger players, has put the Bucs’ fans in an unfamiliar position: a position in which they’re genuinely unsure about certain players being retained and/or released (at certain positions) because of the talent levelx of even third-stringers. The two oft-discussed position battles for Tampa Bay are at left defensive end and running back; however, another battle is happening at cornerback and at the center of it is second-year man Rashaan Melvin, and his continued development could make him eligible for major playing time in 2014.

Age of the Tall Cornerback

The recent success of big wide receivers has forced teams to counter with tall, physical defensive backs. The success of players like Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman has given more reason for teams to seek out size in their cornerbacks. According to this MMQB article, the average NFL defensive back stands 5’11”, with the average receiver going 6’1”. Lovie Smith has previously spoken about how bigger receivers are making tall cornerbacks into more of a necessity. At 6’2” with a 38-inch vertical, Melvin fits the mold.

“Melvin Island”

Back in his days at Northern Illinois University (NIU), Melvin was viewed as a shutdown cornerback. Quarterbacks regularly avoided his side of the field and when they did decide to test him, they were often unsuccessful; hence, “Melvin’s Island” was born. Although he only recorded 1 interception in his senior year, Melvin set a NIU single-season record with 17 pass breakups to go along with 55 tackles. His best statistical year came in 2011, when he recorded 78 tackles, 3 interceptions and 9 pass deflections.

Tampa-2 Corner?

Several scouting reports on Melvin during his final year at Northern Illinois state that he is a physical cornerback who excels in zone coverage and has the ability stay in a receiver’s hip pocket in coverage. These are great attributes for a Tampa-2 corner and, with his size, Melvin will also be able to jam most receivers at the line of scrimmage, which has been practiced regularly in Lovie Smith’s practices this offseason.

In this scouting report on Bleeding Green Nation, Melvin is attributed with stickiness and physicality, with the ability to stay in a receiver’s hip pocket. Although he’s had an up and down performance in minicamps this offseason, the evidence of Melvin’s stickiness is there. On the second day of minicamp, Melvin turned a drop by Vincent Jackson into an interception and also ripped the ball out of speedster Chris Owusu’s hands for another pick. Although the receiver did get his hands on the ball in both instances, the fact that Melvin was in good enough position to make plays is a good sign.

The same scouting report complimented Melvin’s tackling ability with the following statements:

·      Tough, sometimes violent hitter who's not reckless

·      Solid tackler who exhibits proper form and is able to wrestle ball carrier down individually

·      Playmaker mentality as tackler/hitter: sets under control, squares, leans forward and explodes into ball carrier, targeting the football with helmet

Anyone familiar with the concept of Cover 2 knows just how important the defensive backs’ tackling prowess is in the scheme. Cornerbacks in this scheme are very important in the run and pass game.. Missed tackles and bad angles by cornerbacks can lead to big plays for the opposing offenses, so this scouting report’s praise of Melvin’s ability and willingness to tackle is encouraging for his development as a Cover 2 cornerback, especially while learning from Smith, Leslie Frazier and Gill Byrd.

Can He Crack the Roster?

Melvin was a standout in camps as a rookie before injuries derailed his season and he was finally placed on injured reserve in October. This year, Melvin has taken advantage of his time with the first-team offense as injuries sidelined Alterraun Verner and Johnthan Banks. Battling players like Michael Jenkins, Danny Gorrer and Leonard Johnson for a spot on the roster. If the second-year man can stay healthy this offseason and continue his strong defensive play, he could make beat out Johnson or Gorrer for a roster spot. The second-year Husky also needs to showcase the ability to contribute on special teams, which will greatly help his odds of cracking the roster as a fourth or fifth corner, where he can try to climb up the depth chart.  

Here's a video of Melvin's play versus Central Michigan...

...and here is a highlight reel for the former NIU Husky.

Clayborn's Final Stand

Entering what is now the final year of his rookie contract, Adrian Clayborn needs to break out if he wants to continue his career in Tampa Bay. He’ll have the opportunity to do just that, as he’s being surrounded with more talent on the defensive line than any of his previous years. That talent could either push him to break out or push him to the bench, but Clayborn will have his opportunity to play up to his draft selection before being labeled as another bad draft pick by Mark Dominik.

In three seasons, Clayborn has been a mixed bag—there’s been some good and some bad—but, overall, his play has been just above average. His rookie year made Buccaneer fans excited at the thought of finally having a defensive end who could push for 10 sacks per season. His seven sacks weren’t the only reason for excitement, though. The style of play that he brought was violent and angry—the type of play that is contagious and pushes teammates to match his intensity. As a rookie, he brought a mean streak that was evident with each snap he took and each sack he recorded. Just ask Matt Ryan.

In his second season, “the bad” showed its face. Before suffering a season-ending injury against the Dallas Cowboys, Clayborn wasn’t playing up to his draft status, with only two tackles recorded before tearing his ACL as Gerald McCoy sawed down Tony Romo. Last year, while recovering from the ACL injury, Clayborn displayed some of the things that got fans excited in 2011, but had the cards stacked agasint him. He was the only proven pass rushing threat (besides McCoy) along the defensive line and was often bookended by undersized and overvalued Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. Additionally, he was coming off of a devastating injury and demanded to run an obscene amount of defensive line stunts rather than pinning his ears back and attacking. Still, Clayborn managed 19-1/2 tackles for loss and 5-1/2 sacks in a scheme that asked him to stand as a 3-4 OLB, attempt to avoid contact with offensive lineman and, at times, cover running backs out of the backfield. The sack total isn’t great, but consider the circumstances.

Heading into his fourth season in the NFL, Clayborn has been displaced from the position that he’s accustomed to playing. The signing of talented defensive end Michael Johnson has pushed Clayborn to the strong side, where some believe Clayborn’s weak side—caused by Erb’s Palsy—will limit his ability to be effective. This post on Bucs Nation gives good insight on Erb’s Palsy and its effects. The condition has been cause for concern from scouts since Clayborn’s college days and Bucs fans sonce he was drafted, but Clayborn himself says it has not limited him; however, the upcoming season will be the first time that Clayborn will play left defensive end, a position in which his right side’s strength will be tested like never before. His next payday, as well as his tenure with the Buccaneers, depends on him transitioning well.

“B-U-S-…”

Through his first three seasons, he recorded 13 sacks, hardly what you’d want from a defensive end taken so high in the draft; however, the organization believes there is hope and a move to the opposite side of the line could make him a valuable piece on the defense. Sounds familiar, right? It’s basically the same story that many Buccaneer fans should have become familiar with within the last year: the story of Michael Strahan, who Hall of Famer Warren Sapp blasted for being on the Hall of Fame ballot ahead of teammate Simeon Rice, who played right defensive end his entire career. Although the sacks numbers for Clayborn and Strahan in there first three seasons have been identical, Clayborn’s numbers have come in six less games than Strahan’s. With that said, the move could be more difficult for Clayborn if his condition does indeed affect him. It’s not entirely his fault, but Clayborn finds himself in a similar situation to early career Strahan and ia close to being labeled a bust. As Sapp put it, “When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ‘B-U-S . OK, let’s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.’” The “B-U-S” has been spelled out, but a breakout performance from Clayborn could stave off the “T” being tacked on. Unfortunately for Clayborn—although fortunate for the Buccaneers—the competition he faces for playing time won’t make that easy. Clayborn’s time in Tampa Bay may not only depend on how ineffective he is on the right side, but how effective Williams Gholston and Da’Quan Bowers are.

The Competition

With 13 sacks so far in his short career, Clayborn is by far the most accomplished of the players competing for time at left defensive end, but he may not be the most talented. As he was given more playing time toward the end of the season, Wiliam Gholston put together a strong final month. Against Buffalo, Gholston notched 1.5 sacks as the Buccaneer defense made things miserable for E.J. Manuel. He followed that performance with strong showing against the 49ers, where he posted eight tackles and two pass defelctions. Greg Schiano stated that Gholston had gotten better through repetition—a trend that I expect to continue—and Gerald McCoy likened Gholston’s size and ability to Julius Peppers, a player who averaged 10 sacks per season during his time playing under Lovie Smith.  With Bowers, Gholston and Clayborn fighting for time at left defensive end, some may thing that there aren’t enough snaps for all three players; however, taking a look at Leslie Frasier and Lovie Smith’s resumes, they’ve each been successful in getting quality play from second stringers along the defensive line. Clayborn’s ability to be an impact player will determine who those second stringers are.

Robert Herron: "Nothing is Given"

New rookie Robert Herron learned long ago that “nothing is given.” Herron had a rough upbringing. His father was incarcerated for much of his childhood. The absence of his father, combined with the inconsistent presence of his mother, led to him being taken in by a family member who cared for him as her own. In school, Herron faced more hardships. He didn’t receive many scholarship offers as a high school senior, despite his hard work and achievements and the fact that Herron lettered in both football and track in his final two years. His break finally came when he was offered the opportunity to leave South Central Los Angeles and begin a new journey in Wyoming.

Having no parental figures and living in an environment where there were many distractions and temptations, Herron was set up for failure. However, with drive to succeed and to escape his childhood neighborhood, Herron did just that. When Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, who was then the recruiting coordinator for University of Wyoming, reached out to Herron, he was offering more than just a scholarship. Arroyo offered him an opportunity to prove wrong anyone who has ever doubted him and to ensure that his future was a complete contrast of his past.

At Wyoming, Herron racked up 152 receptions for 2,030 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career, using his speed and endurance to regularly be a threat on the field as both a running back and receiver.  One of the best performances of his career was against Texas, when he recorded 5 catches for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Herron demonstrated speed, quickness and tackle breaking ability during the impressive performance. During his senior year, Herron played a big role in Wyoming’s 59-56 win over Hawaii, hauling in 11 catches for 141 yards and 4 touchdowns. He finished the season with 72 receptions for 937 yards and 9 touchdowns.

After the season, Herron was invited to the Senior Bowl and he jumped at the opportunity to go against the best of the best competition so that he could prove that he belonged, and he did. In practices, Herron regularly beat opposing cornerbacks with his combination of quick cuts and speed. Although he only caught one pass during the Senior Bowl game, Herron made his mark on draft scouts and, in their eyes, undoubtedly raised his draft stock, pushing himself into the third to fourth round range. Add in the 4.25 and 4.29 times he clocked in the 40-yard dash during his pro day and he was a lock.

Fast-forward to the draft. As the third and fourth round pass by, Herron’s name is yet to be called and he shows small hints of frustration via Twitter, with one post saying “It’s coo, I’m used to having to prove myself” and another saying “My phone must not be working.” Friends and followers chimed in, stating that teams were sleeping on Herron and not giving him his proper due. In the sixth round, Herron finally heard his name called. Herron was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His next tweet? “So blessed to be part of the @TBBuccaneers organization.”

Since becoming part of the Buccaneers, the rookie has stated that he’s carrying a chip on his shoulder because he feels that he should have been drafted earlier. Herron also stated that he’s modeling his game after Steve Smith, the now Raven who tortured the NFC South for years before departing the Panthers this past offseason. Herron has the speed, quickness and build to be a similar receiver to Smith, who was taken in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft—the same range that Herron expected himself to be selected. Like Smith, he will also be given the opportunity to make a difference in the return game and as a receiver if he can beat out players like Skye Dawson, Chris Owusu, Eric Page and Louis Murphy.

Although he’s just 5’9”, Herron has continuously stood tall in the face of  challenges, meeting them all.  Despite every excuse to fail, Herron has pushed himself to success, and nothing has been given.