Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“These are big play weapons in Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson.” – Rich Gannon, CBS Sports NFL

It had been four years since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a 1000 yard season from a wideout when Mark Dominik opened the team check book to bring in Vincent Jackson. The Buccaneers were hoping that Jackson would fill the void left by the disappointment of players like Mike Clayton and Antonio Bryant, who were unable to sustain success over multiple seasons at Raymond James. Mike Williams was a promising player entering his third year, but could not be relied upon to shoulder the entire passing game from a receiving perspective. So with Jackson in the fold, the Buccaneers offense was looking improved, and the big play potential was there for all to see. That potential was realized in 2012.

Vincent Jackson brought a combination of size, strength, and sure-handedness that more often is found in strong possession receivers and athletic tight ends. However, Jackson has the quickness and one-on-one skills against cornerbacks to be a starting receiver in the NFL. Lacking great speed did not stop VJax from having a fantastic season in Tampa, finishing with just under 1400 yards and scoring 8 times.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things the Northern Colorado product did best was finding holes in the defense and making himself an easy target for Josh Freeman. Jackson would line up in the slot from time to time, and could easily find seams and holes in the pass defense, presenting himself as a target in open space at just the right time. Against the Chiefs, an old division rival for Vincent, the Bucs wideout put his ability to break down coverages on display. He scored two touchdowns, the first coming on a play where he lined up in the slot, and broke out, then in, and found himself all alone. He held up his route so that Josh Freeman could find him in stride, and Jackson did the rest, squirming his way into the end zone. Later in that contest, Jackson would do the exact same thing, lining up inside and finding a hole in the defense, and using his body well to shield off a defender. He would then fight hard to battle through tackles and make his way into the end zone.

Jackson’s most memorable moment of the season had to be his 95 yard catch and run against the Saints, and the play showed what Jackson does best. Vincent lined up against close man-to-man coverage from a cornerback for New Orleans, and put a quick, strong move on him to get up the field. The Saints’ safety took a poor angle, and the ball wound up making its way to Jackson. The football took a deflection and was up in the air, but Jackson kept his concentration, hauled it in in-stride, and made his way down the field. He was hampered by a leg injury, and lacks elite speed as it is, so he was unable to score. But the Bucs got what they paid for, and that particular play proved it.

Looking deeper at Jackson, we see even more impressive numbers that give hope that he will not be one-and-done as many previous Buccaneer wide receivers were. Jackson caused more missed tackles (6) than he had drops (5) during the 2012 season. This shows two of Jackson’s best traits, his sure hands and his desire to f yard. Jackson managed to hold onto the football once he caught it, and failed to fumble in 2012. Thanks to Pro Football Focus for those stats, and for this: Jackson graded out as the fifth best wideout in the NFL in 2012, ahead of players like Roddy White, A.J. Green, and Wes Welker.

Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

As for Jackson’s wide receiving partner, Mike Williams, it was more of the same. While Williams has a different skill set, he started to play more like Jackson in 2012. As previously mentioned about VJax, Mike was able to start using his body to shield off defensive backs very well this season. Once such example came against the Chiefs, when Williams was matched up against Brandon Flowers. Williams ran a fairly simple go route and was targeted by Josh Freeman, who threw the ball closer to the hashmarks than the sideline. Williams reacted by cutting inside of his defender, and keeping his body between the spot the ball would be caught and the defender. He showed excellent adjustment skills, something he showed off multiple times in 2012. In the same game, he took an awkwardly thrown Josh Freeman pass off the helmet of Stanford Routt and brought it down for a catch, followed by a speedy sprint to the end zone. He once again showed his ability to react to the flight of the ball and make a play.

The knock on Williams has to be his effort level. Mike has a bit of Randy Moss in him, and he will slow down or abandon a route on plays where he doesn’t see success happening. It’s not a chronic issue, but it happens enough that at least one interception in 2012 can be attributed to Mike giving up on a play. It’s not a huge area of concern, but something that should be brought up when giving a review of the season as a whole. Williams also dropped a higher percentage of his targets than Jackson, but neither one had an alarming amount of dropped passes.

After these two, there’s not much to say about the Buccaneers receiving corps. Tiquan Underwood had 28 catches, and no other Buccaneer wide receiver had more than 4. Underwood had his share of problems, failing to make a connection with Josh Freeman on multiple plays over the course of the season, leading the Bucs quarterback to show frustration at the young receiver. He did make some very big plays for the Buccaneers, and figures to compete for the third receiver job again in 2013.

Overall, the Buccaneers front office did an excellent job in upgrading the offense in 2012, and it was almost as simple as adding Vincent Jackson. He added his own impressive statistics, and allowed Mike Williams to have more room to work. The passing attack of the 2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers was historic, and there’s a sense it could have been even better. Will 2013 bring even more production from the Bucs aerial attack? As Rich Gannon said, the weapons are definitely there. But weapons need ammunition, and it will be up to Josh Freeman to be sure that the 2013 Bucs passing game is locked and loaded.

Grade: A-

May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson (83) works out during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

This year things are looking to be a lot different, starting with the line and the run game, and extending into the receiving corps where the addition of Vincent Jackson and the growth of Preston Parker look to give Tampa as deep a rotation at receiver as its had in years.

We’ll have plenty of time to dissect the Bucs run-game, which will likely be the offense’s bread and butter while the passing game meshes, but the true high-end potential on the Bucs offense now lies with the receivers. Last year Tampa had a group of developing guys, likely more number-two receivers, trying to make a go of it. Whereas that worked two years ago, in 2011 that approach caught up with the Bucs.

It’s not that Mike Williams and the rest of the group digressed last season. Statistically, they were right on pace with what they did in 2010. The trends just adjusted, they weren’t as lucky in 2011. Williams for instance caught the same percentage of his targets as he did as a rookie, he was no worse with drops or misses, he was right in line with the year before, the ball just bounced differently for him.

It was like that across the board, you saw a Buccaneers team, specifically on offense, that got away with a ton of mistakes in 2010 (face it, they got a lot of breaks), didn’t have the benefit of off-season coaching, and frankly just didn’t learn from the mistakes they made the year before.

Josh Freeman was throwing into triple coverage in 2010 when he had 25 TD’s to 6 picks. He did it all year, and miraculously it almost never bit him in the rear end. In 2011 he made the same kinds of decisions he had made when he played so well the year before, and why wouldn’t he? He had no reason to learn from plays that didn’t end up being mistakes. Last season though, the football gods held him accountable.

There wasn’t a drop-off, there just was no progression.

And with the rest of the league having had a year to scout them, teams caught up in 2011 and took advantage of an overmatched receiving corps and a very green offense.

This year, the off-season work should correct some of the mistakes of the two years past and help get the offense moving in the right direction in terms of progression, but it’s the additions of Vincent Jackson and Dallas Clark that will arguably help the most.

May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams (19) works out during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

You see, now in Tampa things fit. You aren’t pressing developing guys into service before they’re ready. Mike Williams is immensely talented, but the average NFL receiver doesn’t really start to blossom until year three and Williams was facing double teams regularly as a second year guy who left college early.

Ideally, right now where he’s at in the course of his development, Mike Williams is a number two receiver. Last year as a one, he was often overmatched and over the course of a long season that can begin to corrode a player’s psyche.

This season, with Vincent Jackson lining up as the Buccaneers’ alpha receiver and forcing defenses to account for him you’ll get to see Mike Williams put in a situation where he’ll get to flourish. One-on-one with a team’s second corner, for instance, is a good place for Williams to find himself, and he’ll have a lot more success with that than drawing the kind of coverage he faced last year.

Of course that’s provided Williams wins the job as the team’s number two.

With the assumption that Preston Parker will be the slot guy, there are three extremely viable candidates for the two-role. Williams, Dezmon Briscoe and Arrelious Benn. And the Bucs will have the luxury of picking the best of the bunch.

May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Preston Parker (87) works out during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Parker is quickly rooting himself in Tampa with solid special teams work and rapid improvement in his work at receiver. As we’ve discussed before, this really shouldn’t be shocking about PP. Originally a stand-out at Florida State, Parker was the lone bright spot on some truly bad Jeff Bowden offenses before getting kicked off the team for repeated off-the-field infractions.

Had he not been booted, he’d have worked with Jimbo Fisher (who was previously the OC at LSU) his senior season and likely would have been taken in the first few rounds of the draft. He’s got potential, the question was just whether he’d put it all together which, to his credit, he seems to have done.

With Jackson as your alpha and Parker in the slot, you’ve got the three guys vying for the number two role.

I’ve said before I love what Briscoe brings to the table and entering 2012 with a level playing field he’s the wild card of the bunch. Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams had the benefit of being drafted and starting with Tampa from day one. Dezmon Briscoe was poached off the waiver wire in Cincy when they tried to stash him on the practice squad and has been playing catch-up ever since.

With a new coaching regime in place, Briscoe gains the most because there’s now a clean slate.

Arrelious Benn needs to prove he can stay healthy before he sees his career take that next step. He’s got speed and plenty of potential, but injuries and some inconsistency have limited him so far in his first two years.

Odds are it’s between Briscoe and Williams with 19 taking a slight edge. Either way, the Bucs win. Competition is healthy, it’s good for the offense.

An improved receiving corps, also featuring the seasoned Dallas Clark and second-year Luke Stocker at tight end should actually warrant other defense’s attention this season. There is speed to stretch the field, toughness to go over the middle and quickness in the flats and in space. This is a unit that should pressure defenses, loosen the box for the run-game and give the Bucs the kind of balance that teams need to win in the NFL.

The Buccaneers receiving corps is shaping up.

Jan. 1, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars safety Dawan Landry (26) tackles Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark (44) during the second half at EverBank Field. Jacksonville defeated Indianapolis 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Last season, the Buccaneers passing game was dreadful due to subpar pass protection and a huge down year from Josh Freeman. The receivers weren’t any better either, as Winslow digressed from a huge 2010 season and Mike Williams’s regression was even more steep and impactful than Winslow’s. Preston Parker was the only receiver who took a step forward last season, as the expected breakout year from Arrelious Benn did not materialize in year two.

The Buccaneers attempted 588 passes between Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson last year, and LeGarrette Blount and Co. combined for a total of 346 rushes. That leads to a 63%-37% ratio of passing plays to rushing plays.

Under Schiano, expect that number to change in favor of rushing plays to something between 55% and 60% of passing plays. I want to bring up an interesting fact from last season, and that is that Buccaneers opponents ran the ball more (498 times) than they passed it (481 times). The pass-run splits are due to play-calling and the team being down more and having to pass more, but one should still expect a 60-40 pass-to-run ratio at the very least with Doug Martin in the fold.

Below is how the targets were spread among each player (4 WR, 2 TE).

Mike Williams: 124, 21.4%

Kellen Winslow Jr.: 121, 20.9%

Preston Parker: 64, 11%

Dezmon Briscoe: 51, 8.8%

Arrelious Benn: 51, 8.8%

Luke Stocker: 17, 2.9%

Notice how the Buccaneers utilized Briscoe and Benn equally, but it seems like they have confidence in Benn in the always-crucial third year. Parker was the No. 2 receiver by virtue of targets, but Freeman was clearly targeting Winslow and Williams the most. Targeting Williams in his down year that heavily did not help. He averaged just 6.2 yards per attempt in an awful year after a terrific rookie campaign, but he will bounce back in year three.

The reason being is that Williams might be too inconsistent to be a No. 1 wideout at this point, but the Buccaneers made the right move and didn’t waste time trying to find a solid No. 2 or 3 wideout. Instead, they went right after a big fish and inked Vincent Jackson to a huge deal.

V-Jax gives Freeman his first legitimate No. 1 receiver, as Jackson was one of the best WRs in the league a few years ago. He will likely receive 130 targets. Williams will get around 90, while Parker will be set to get 50 and Benn 50 (depending on how they feel about him. The other receivers will likely get 50 “vulture” targets.

If the Bucs target their WRs/TEs 450 times next season, that leaves 80 targets for the tight ends. Thus, the tight end will be limited by 58 targets. In those 80 targets, 20 will likely go to Luke Stocker, who will primarily be used as a blocker in this platoon. Meanwhile, Dallas Clark will probably get 60 targets, which would have placed him 26th among tight ends last season.

That could change if Clark takes targets from Jackson or the vulture targets, but I doubt he receives 80 targets and will probably get 60-75 targets  this season. Thus, the Buccaneers are limiting the tight end’s role in the passing game, and they seem content with doing that. It seems like a better policy with a revamped receiving corps due to the addition of a bona fide threat in Jackson.

Even so, the Bucs could give Clark more targets if he is impressive enough, as I doubt they wouldn’t give him more opportunities if he plays well enough. That may not happen with his age and injury history, and there are question marks surrounding him. If he gets 65 targets and catches 65% of them, then he finishes the year with 42 receptions and the Bucs will be content with that production.

Remember, these are only estimates of what will happen based on data from last season, but there is a new coaching staff, new players, and a new method. I tried to take that into account with the above projections, but they are rough. Even so, they give a good estimation of the break down of targets for the wideouts and tight ends involved in the Buccaneers passing game.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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