Dec 30, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams (19) catches a pass for a touchdown in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
The new season is just days away at this point, which means it’s time to start projecting and predicting how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will do in 2013.
So in part one of my projections, I will post the offensive statistics I am projecting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I’ll post them all, and then point out some key elements afterwards.
| Comp | Att | Comp % | Yds | TD | INT | Rate | |
| Josh Freeman | 325 | 538 | 60.41% | 4150 | 27 | 13 | 91.22 |
| Rush | Yds | TD | |||||
| 50 | 215 | 1 | |||||
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | |
| Doug Martin | 308 | 1545 | 5.02 | 13 | 50 | 480 | 2 |
| Brian Leonard | 70 | 245 | 3.50 | 3 | 15 | 100 | 0 |
| Mike James | 15 | 70 | 4.67 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 0 |
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
| Vincent Jackson | 75 | 1325 | 17.67 | 10 | |||
| Mike Williams | 70 | 1082 | 15.46 | 10 | |||
| Kevin Ogletree | 38 | 450 | 11.84 | 2 | |||
| Tiquan Underwood | 17 | 225 | 13.24 | 1 | |||
| Eric Page | 3 | 55 | 18.33 | 0 | |||
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
| Tom Crabtree | 30 | 250 | 8.33 | 1 | |||
| Luke Stocker | 15 | 100 | 6.67 | 1 | |||
| Nate Byham | 7 | 45 | 6.43 | 0 |
Note: This obviously assumes the same 11 guys play the majority of the offense this season, which will clearly not be the case. I made all the numbers add up, so this could conceivably happen, but as injuries and roster moves happen, this will change on a daily basis.
But for all intents and purposes, this is what I expect from the players I see as the main contributors to the Tampa Bay offense. For instance, Erik Lorig is probably going to have a few catches, but those will come at the expense of Crabtree, Leonard, etc.
So what are the key takeaways here?
Josh Freeman obviously figures to have a better season than 2012 according to my projections, as the Buccaneers’ quarterback has a higher completion percentage and fewer interceptions than he did in 2012. I don’t see a massive improvement, but the young signal caller will be better this season. He better understands the offense this season, and that will show itself in his numbers.
Mike Williams might have the biggest leap, as the Buccaneers’ top receiver tops 1000 yards for the first time in his career, and adds in double digit touchdowns. Mike and his wide receiving parting Vincent Jackson will both feature heavily in the Tampa Bay offense this season, and they will help Freeman continue to improve.
And of course, Doug Martin is poised for another fantastic season, I believe an increase in yards-per-carry will come as he runs behind a hopefully improved offensive line, and with a better backup to help spell him at strategic times during the game.
There’s a total of 44 touchdowns included in the above projections, which would be a slight uptick from last season. I don’t see some incredible leap from the Buccaneers in 2013, but the offense isn’t what needs to improve for the Bucs’ to see additional success.
So what do you think, which numbers do you agree with, or disagree with? Let me know in the comment section below!