The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had yet another disappointing season. For the second year in a row, they finished with a record of 5-11. The problems were all over the field and in management. This upcoming offseason there are a lot of questions that must be answered. The Buccaneers have fired head coach Dirk Koetter after three years. The organization has decided to hang on to general manager Jason Licht. Let see if they can finally get a head coach that will stay for a while. I am going to give my 2018 season review of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Management: D
Jason Licht has had his good and bad moments. He did bring Jason Pierre Paul, Vinny Curry, and company this year. He also drafted Vita Vea. Jason Pierre Paul at times seems to be the only bright spot on the defense. Vita Vea began the season injured, but towards the end found his feet underneath him. He somehow found a way to keep his job even though the team had another bad season. The reason ownership is hanging on to him because of the salary cap issues and Jameis Winston.
Coaching: D
We all know that Dirk Koetter has been fired. The one problem that I saw all season is that he did not have the discipline he needed. He is, in my eyes, would be considered a player’s coach. He was very good in his pre and post game press conferences. He seemed he could not motivate the Bucs. They got off to such a good start and then seemed to just disappear. This was part of why he is no longer the head coach.
Offense: A
This was good all season. As the season started the Buccaneers had Jameis Winston on the bench for the first three games due to a suspension. Ryan Fitzpatrick started like a firecracker. The Buccaneers used the offense to get off to a 2-1 start. They could have been 3-0, but let the Pittsburg Steelers steal a win from them. Wide receiver Mike Evans passed Mark Carrier as the all-time leader in yards for a Buccaneers wide receiver.
Defense: D
This has been a problem for a long time. Gerald McCoy asked management for some help during this past offseason. They did acquire help through Vinny Curry, Beau Allen, Vita Vea, and Jason Pierre Paul. It was hard because the secondary failed and it put pressure on the defensive line. The linebackers also struggled on losing Kwon Alexander for the year with an injury. Lavonte David also had an injury and was out for many games. Gerald McCoy is now at the back end of his career and the team hasn’t let on if they are going to bring him back. That decision will be up to Jason Licht and the Glazers.
Special Teams: D
This has also been awful for a long time. Thanks to Jon Gruden for getting rid of Matt Bryant it has been a bad experiment. The year started with Chandler Catanzaro. He struggled early, and the fans wanted him gone. He would soon be released and the Bucs would bring in Cairo Santos. Santos was good in the beginning but towards the end, he had his issues. This might be another hole that they have to fill going into the offseason.
The Buccaneers again finishing 5-11 was not good. The fans want changes and now. Many fans have taken to social media and are not going to renew their season tickets because of how the team has been the last two seasons. Management is on the hunt for a new head coach some names are Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniel’s, and Bruce Arians. Let see how the Bucs do during the offseason with ownership and management hopefully they can find a way to have more than 5 wins in 2019.
