Plank Predictions: 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Preview by The Pewter Plank Staff

January 24, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC quarterback

of the New York Giants (10) fakes the hand off to NFC running back Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22) during practice for the 2013 Pro Bowl at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Which players will have the biggest impact for the Buccaneers on offense or defense this season?

Marc Rogers – “Doug Martin will have the biggest impact on the offense. Simply put, if he doesn’t play well the Buccaneers don’t stand a good chance of winning. He is too important in both the run and passing game.

On defense Gerald McCoy will have the biggest impact. His penetration will disrupt the quarterbacks, blow up run plays, and cause turnovers. He also plays an important leadership role on the team on and off the field.”

Luke Weber – “On the offensive side of the ball, look for two headed monster Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams to have a dynamic year. Teams are not going to the let Doug Martin beat them. Look for one on one coverage on the outside for both receivers on a good majority of the snaps.”

Ryan Terrana – “Biggest impact on offense has to be Doug Martin. When he touches the ball more than 22 times, we win ball games. It’s that simple. I don’t want to wear him down, but 22-27 touches a game should be mandatory. On defense I’m going with Darrelle Revis. We have all seen what a healthy Revis can do for a defense. Let’s not pretend the Jets’ defense was full of studs outside of him when they went to back-to-back AFC Championships with Mark Sanchez at the quarterback position. With a healthy Revis we see our worst ranked pass defense jump to a middle of the pack at a bare minimum. I think he comes back 100% and is the comeback player of the year.”

Ken Boehlke– “Offense – Josh Freeman – It’s pretty clear, the Bucs need #5 to be good. And I’ve been saying it all offseason, he’s going to be. Freeman is going to have a monster year and make the 25 TD / 6 INT season of 2010 look pedestrian. No one impacts a football team like the quarterback, and the Buccaneers are finally going to have the one that impacts in positively.

Defense – Darrelle Revis – I expect a fully healthy Revis by the second half of Week 1. And I expect him to completely dominate the receiver he’s matched up against week in and week out. He’ll have an impact in the secondary, the pass rush, and even against the run. The past few years teams have had game plans that centered around how they can expose the Buccaneers corners, now, they’ll have to come up with something else.”

Michael Decker – “On offense, Doug Martin will have to be the guy and I think he will dictate a lot of how the offense is run and how effective it is. With Freeman not looking in top form, Martin will have to shoulder a lot of the offensive load. On defense, I think everyone’s pick will be Darrelle Revis, but my hunch is that DE Adrian Clayborn will play a huge role on the defense. Revis cannot cover forever and the Bucs pass rush needs a serious boost for them to be competitive. My expectation is that Clayborn will stay healthy and have a monster year.”

Leo Howell – “On offense, I feel like Vincent Jackson is going to be absolutely unstoppable this season, and have the best season of his career with Josh Freeman developing more and more chemistry with him. On the defensive side of the ball, I feel like Lavonte David is going to have a borderline All-Pro season, adding a few sacks to his insane tackle and tackle for loss numbers of last season.”

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