Before Alvin Kamara was drafted by the New Orleans Saints, week one opponent of the Buccaneers, he was mocked many times to be headed to the Bay Area; that was not to be and every time he has stepped onto the field against the Bucs he has performed. From long gashing runs to kick returns from one end of the field to the next. Add on his threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and it’s easy to see why Kamara has been causing headache after headache for the Tampa Bay defense. It would be easy to worry that this will be repeated in week one.
The same Alvin Kamara will line up for the Saints; however it won’t be the same Bucs defense. The coaching is different in Tampa, as is the personnel manning that front seven expected to stop the unstoppable. Alongside returning veterans in McCoy, David and Alexander are experienced free agents with Super Bowl credentials. Joining them is the Buccaneers first round pick Vita Vea, who missed preseason with an injured calf, will be eager to make a statement in his NFL debut.
Many talking heads have spoken and already dismissed the Buccaneers defense along with the season in general. Are they clueless? Are Tampa fans delusional? One thing is for certain is that nothing hurts more than a hit you don’t see coming and it certainly seems like the Saints are looking the other way.
*Notes: In the first game on 11/05/17, Kamara ran the ball 10 times for 68 yards and TD, caught the ball 6 times for 84 yards and a TD. His second performance vs Tampa on 12/31/2017, scored him two more TDs. However the Bucs did better in keeping him somewhat at bay. Aside from his 106 yard kick return, the Bucs held him to 44 yards on 9 attempts. Despite being able to keep the rookie out of the end zone on the ground, Tampa did manage to keep him out of the end zone through the air. Despite giving up 84 yards on 6 catches to Rookie of the year 2017.
