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Under Raheem Morris, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up the title “Youngry” thanks to their young roster full of marginal players who would occasionally play over their heads. At this point, “Youngry” seems like a distant memory of a time most Buccaneer fans would rather forget, but the Buccaneers’ current roster isn’t much different from how it was a few years ago.

ESPN.com’s Mike Sando did the hard work of going through NFL rosters, and ranked them by the average age of the starters on offense and defense. And at a quick glance, one would assume the Buccaneers have a pretty young roster.

Gary Gibson is 31, and Donald Penn joins Vincent Jackson as the only non-special teams players that are 30 years old. Everyone else on the roster is 29 or younger, with a ton of players at 23 and 24 years old. Because of this, the Buccaneers rank 23rd in starter’s age overall in the NFL, and 27th on defense specifically. But this group of younger players does not lack in experience.

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Josh Freeman is the perfect example, as the 25 year-old is entering his fifth season in the NFL. He has experienced a winning season, and multiple losing seasons, and is reaching the point where he can say he has “seen it all” in the NFL. Similarly experienced is Jonathan Casillas, as he is only 25 and has the same years of experience as Freeman.

Furthermore, the Buccaneers have plenty of players in the prime of their careers. Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis are both All-Pro caliber players who are in the sweet spot for athletes, both short of 30 and both entering their 7th seasons in the NFL. Considering that they’re both a part of a defense that ranks near the bottom in average age of starters, they’ll be called upon as leaders, and they have the skill and confidence to lead by example.

New additions like Derek Landri and Brian Leonard are veterans who will play key roles in the rotation at their respective positions. Landri is one of the older players on the team, and has experience filling in on the defensive line and making a big impact. Leonard has been a career backup, filling an unheralded role on offense of providing reliable support for the rushing game when called upon, and contributing as a pass catcher as well.

The Buccaneers may not have savvy veterans like Tony Gonzalez, Drew Brees, or Steve Smith on their roster, but when opening day rolls around, the Bucs will have a young roster with potential to exceed expectations. But potential is a dangerous thing in the NFL, and Greg Schiano and his staff will have to work hard to get the most out of this young squad of Buccaneers.

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When Week 1 of the 2013 NFL season comes around, Darrelle Revis will be 50 weeks clear from his ACL injury. The last step in the process of recovering from ACL surgery is a huge mental hurdle allowing the player to essentially throw himself back into the fire. It’s about trusting the reconstructed portion of his body, and believing it will hold up.

Every athlete is different and every recovery is different, but that last step is always the same. Some guys come back and play right away, see Adrian Peterson. Others wait, see Derrick Rose. In both cases, the athlete has the final say because they are the only one who truly knows how it feels.

In the case of Darrelle Revis, I can’t sit here and write that I’m positive he’ll be mentally ready. But I can tell you a few things. First, Darrelle Revis will be nearly a year off his injury, one that has an estimated recovery of eight to 12 months. Next, Darrelle Revis signed a non-guaranteed contract, and will be eager to prove himself. Finally, Darrelle Revis holds ill will against the New York Jets organization after the way they handled his departure.

All are factors that should lead you to believe he’ll be back by the time the games matter. But the final point is the one I see as the most significant. As mentioned, it’s up to the player to get over the hurdle of getting back on the field. Competition runs in the veins of any great athlete, but something that fuels that competitive spirit is motivation.

And what better carrot could the NFL have hung out in front of Revis than the opportunity to show up his old employers in Week 1. He has all the motivation he needs.

I honestly believe the chances that Darrelle Revis would have returned Week 1 if the Bucs were playing anyone else still would have been in the 90th percentile. But with the schedule landing the way it did, I’m setting the bar much higher, maybe just a fraction below triple digits. And a motivated, healthy Darrelle Revis should be quite the attraction for Week 1 of the NFL season.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The internet and television media have been filling the void of news this offseason with every rumor and quote they can get their hands on, and a recent quote from Greg Schiano about the competition at the quarterback position set off a flurry of speculation about the possibility of Mike Glennon starting for the Buccaneers in 2013.

I gave my thoughts on the situation here. Our staff writer, Garrett, gave his thoughts here. But now we have the thoughts of Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman.

Schiano told the media on Monday that this team is Josh Freeman’s team, and that he is the starting quarterback. The NFL Network reported that the Bucs’ head coach told assembled reporters he has a good relationship with Freeman, despite many reports to the contrary. This is all PR driven coachspeak, to be clear, but Schiano had the opportunity to further the notion that Glennon was his favored quarterback, but instead chose to defend the signal caller that has led the Buccaneers for the past few seasons. There is a difference between competition and open competition, and it’s apparent that while the QB job is open for competition, there is no opening at starting quarterback.

The Buccaneers’ official website got the chance to speak to Josh himself, and he was very confident of where he stands on the team. When he was asked if this was still his team, he told the team’s reporters “No question.” Freeman also had the following to say:

“That’s the way it works on any team, honestly. You want to have the best, most talented team you can possibly have.  They feel like, and it’s obviously true, that Mike is a very talented player.  You want the best possible option behind you.  I feel like Dan [Orlovsky] is obviously a great player.  They obviously wanted to grab a younger guy and Mike’s a perfect fit.  You look at it – if it’s down the road and we’re making a run and something happens to me, you want a guy who can come in and keep it going, win some games while you’re sitting out.

“It will be fine.  We’re both competitors. We’re both going to work as hard as we can, trying to get more wins on the Buccaneers’ side.”

So let’s make it clear, once and for all. Josh Freeman is the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, and he’s going to have to be hurt, or turn into Mark Sanchez to lose his job. So keep calm, Buc Nation, because Josh Freeman is still at the helm of the Buccaneers’ offense. And that’s not changing anytime soon. Mike Glennon is a worthy backup, and a Josh said, he’ll be able to step in if anything happens to Josh. But the Bucs’ best chance of winning is with number 5 taking snaps and running the offense.