So we all know that our offense last year was mediocre at best. We had a lot of inconsistent last year: wide receivers got injured, Doug Martin and Charles Sims got hurt, also Winston made bad decisions at times and even our offensive line suffered injuries from Jr. Sweezy going down before the season even started. Everyone doubled covered Evans and even Brate at times because defenses knew we didn’t have many options at the time.
Well, that was 2016 and this is 2017 and it feels like it’s a brand new team. Last year the Buccaneers finished 9-7 which has been their first winning season since 2010. The Buccaneers ranked 19th in total offense. They were 16th in passing yards and 24th in rushing yards. The Buccaneers revamped the offense this year so we can turn that 18th into top 5. They added Desean Jackson, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, Jeremy McNichols and of course, most importantly JR Sweezy is back from injury.
The offensive line seems to never get enough credit when it comes to an offense being successful. Take the Dallas Cowboys for example: Would Zeke have run for 1,600 yards if they had a crappy offensive line? Would DAK throw for 3,667 yards? Honestly, probably not. The Buccaneers had a major injury last year on the O-line, with Sweezy getting hurt before the season, Dotson, Cherilus, Marpet all missed at least one game last year. Everyone on the offensive line is healthy going into training camp. Our offensive line averages 300 pounds, that is some BIG guys out there protecting Winston and Martin. If they can stay healthy and grow as a team all year that would seriously help our run game and Winston.
We now have a TRUE NUMBER TWO this year. Last year it was going to be Vincent Jackson before he got injured. This year it is a new Jackson, his name is Desean “Ferrari” Jackson. This man is 30 years old and still can burn 99 percent of the defensive backs in the league. In 2016 at Washington, Jackson had over 1,000 yards with a mediocre QB. Then there’s Mike Evans, on the other side. What can I say about this guy? How about he had 1,000 yards receiving each of the first three years of his career.
He had the catch of the year last year that came against Atlanta when he got demolished by rookie safety Keanu Neal. This guy CAN NOT BE COVERED! We also drafted Chris Godwin in the third round. This guy is already turning everyone’s head at minicamp, even Coach Koetter. He has done nothing but praise this guy and commented how hard he is working to make the starting slot position. It will be hard to beat Adam, but if he continues to work like he has than anything is possible.
The Buccaneers also have their star tight end Cameron Brate. He has really bloomed into Winston’s favorite target, especially in the red zone. We also drafted O.J. Howard at number 19th overall this year in the draft. He is going to help improve the run game and also slide out and catch some passes. He is a MAJOR mismatch in the red zone. This guy will be a great screen setter or just an easy short yardage blocker.
Our offense will be scary good this year. Nothing short of top 5 offense will be a major disappointment. Jameis has to step up and lead his team and make smarter decisions with the ball. He has many options to throw to now, there are NO EXCUSES this year. OUR OFFENSE WILL BE SCARY AND MAYBE EVEN THE BEST EVER IN THE GAME! IN JAMEIS WE TRUST!
