Here are five Buccaneers who must step up for the team to finally end their playoff drought.
Everyone is looking ahead to the upcoming season for the Buccaneers, and with good reason. Everyone saw the signs last year. During that winning streak it would have been difficult not to get excited about what was happening with this team. The defense began to figure out Mike Smith‘s system, and aside from the running game, the offense did what it had to do to win. It saw a huge season from Mike Evans and the emergence of Cameron Brate.
I mean, did anyone really think, heading into the 2016 season, that the Bucs would be flexed into prime time? We were hopeful, of course, but I don’t know that any of us really thought it would happen. Well it did, and although the team ultimately fell short of the playoff goal, they are clearly on the right track. On paper, 2017 has the potential to be even better than last year.
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But of course, the games aren’t played on paper. If they were, we would be the ones winning all of the trophies through actual “Fantasy Football”. But, the games are played out on the field and we have that to look forward to this September and beyond.
In order to make our wishes come true, and for the Bucs to finally end the playoff drought, there are players that need to step up. Many guys played well in 2016, but there are players we will need to see more from.
Here are five guys that need to step their games up in 2017 for the Bucs. Some are obvious, some might not be. Some may even be new players, that need to step up simply because more production is needed from their position.
Intrigued? Let’s get the list started.
J.R. Sweezy
Yes I understand that he didn’t play at all in 2016. However, the Bucs don’t just need him back, they need him back and playing well.
2015 was a solid year for the Bucs offensive line. Football Outsiders ranked the group ninth in run blocking and 14th in pass protection. It went downhill in 2016, especially in the run blocking category, as the Bucs ranking plummeted to 21st in the league.
The personnel was predominantly the same. The difference was the retirement of Logan Mankins. Coming from the New England Patriots, Mankins proved to be a stabilizing veteran influence that helped the line stay together. Playing alongside Donovan Smith did wonders for his game, helping Smith immensely during his rookie season. Being in the room with Ali Marpet didn’t hurt his cause either.
As stated earlier, 2016 was an off year along the line. Smith saw a particular drop off in his play. Pro Football Focus ranked him as only the 66th best tackle in the NFL last year with an overall grade of 42.0. The case can be made that he was missing having a strong veteran influence lined up to his right. Don’t underestimate what it means to have a veteran along the offensive line. They have seen more pass rushes, have seen more moves, and understand them more. Smith doesn’t have to accommodate for the guard when they are a strong veteran player.
J.R. Sweezy was signed prior to last season to be just that player. He was going to be that new veteran anchor that took over for Mankins. Unfortunately, he never saw the field due to injury. However, he has been cleared to play, and he needs to do so with gusto. If the offensive line improves, so will the offense. Sweezy needs to stand up big time.
Robert Ayers
Now this is not to say that Ayers was bad in 2016. He was not bad at all. However, the Bucs need more.
Robert Ayers was signed as a free agent from the New York Giants in an effort to give Gerald McCoy some help with the pass rush. He along with rookie Noah Spence were tasked with the assignment of taking the heat away from McCoy. For years, McCoy played big, but was an island to himself. If he didn’t make the big play, the play wasn’t made along the defensive line. The Bucs looked to change that.
To their credit, it did change. The Bucs posted 38 sacks last year, good for ninth in the NFL (tied with Pittsburgh). Can we really say, however, that it was consistent through 16 games? There were flashes of greatness, and there were times of non-existence. Is it wrong to aspire to greatness? We want to see these guys dominate each and every week.
To complement McCoy’s seven sacks, Ayers added 6.5. However, that was down from his 9.5 the previous year in New York. Spence posted 5.5 sacks last year, and CBS NFL expert Pete Prisco believes that he is primed to be the next great NFL pass rusher. But, can we expect that leap to happen in year two? We can hope, but it surely is not a lock.
Someone has to be McCoy’s number two, and it makes more sense to rely on the veteran. That means they need a bit more out of Ayers.
The Kicker
No, I don’t have a problem with Aguayo’s name. I am addressing this one by the position name simply because at this time, we don’t even know who it’s going to be.
We all know that this position has to improve. Jason Licht received a lot of criticism when making the move to get Aguayo, and in year one, the criticism proved to be justified. The most accurate kicker in football history was hardly that in rookie season in Tampa. Between missing nine field goals and two extra points, he left 29 points on the board. That simply isn’t going to work for any team, and especially on a team that already needed to IMPROVE at the kicker position.
Now the competition is on with veteran Nick Folk, and it may already be getting to Aguayo. If you haven’t heard by now, he went 1-4 on his kicks during the first day of OTA’s while Folk made all four of his attempts. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the competition is already tense:
"“The competition has definitely started. I know everybody feels it,” coach Dirk Koetter said. “There’s a little tension when we’re going through that. That’s a good thing. That’s a good thing. This is pro football, there’s supposed to be competition.”"
It’s not over for Aguayo yet, but it may be coming. No matter who comes out on top, Aguayo or Folk, the position must be better. Folk is a consistent, clutch kicker, but any kicker can have a bad season. He cannot if he wins the job. The kicker must step up if Bucs fans want to see January football.
Vernon Hargreaves
Hargreaves is a guy the Bucs had on their radar early last off-season. He seemed to be in their sights right from the jump as Jason Licht put him squarely in the target. The Bucs needed to upgrade the secondary doing so first with a veteran in Brent Grimes. He then wanted a young player he could build the future around, and in the first round came the local boy, Vernon Hargreaves.
At times, Hargreaves did flash his potential. He liked sticking his nose in there to make a hit, racking up 76 total tackles. He did notch his first career interception as well, to go along with nine passes defended. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is no bust. He is going to get there and be everything that Bucs fans hoped he would be.
He’s not there yet. The Tampa Bay Times noted that Hargreaves was targeted by opposing quarterbacks 113 times. That was in part due to stellar play out of Brent Grimes, but be that as it may, it happened. 70.7% of passes sent his way were completed, and he allowed 1,069 yards receiving. He was the only cornerback to allow over 1,000 yards receiving.
That has to change. Yes, there is a youth movement in the Bucs secondary. Yes, the pass rush is going to be better which will help the secondary. But if the secondary doesn’t improve, January football becomes unlikely. Grimes will be fine. It starts with the guy of the future, and that means Hargreaves needs to take the next step in his game.
DeSean Jackson
Read it before you say no. I promise, there was no DeSean hating in the making of this slide.
The reason Jackson is on this list has to do with the position he plays. The second wide receiver position has been abysmal over the last couple of years. Ever since Vincent Jackson started to fall to injury, nobody has stepped up to replace him. We all love Adam Humphries and the mark he has made on the team. When nobody else would make plays, he did. But, like it or not, he has limits. Humphries is best suited as a slot receiver.
The Bucs needed a player that can take the attention away from Mike Evans. We have referenced this number a million times and we will do it again. Evans was targeted 173 times last year (per Sporting Charts). Why would the defense pay attention to anyone else? Jameis Winston relied on nobody else. They needed someone on the opposite side to draw the attention away and give him some one-on-one coverage for a change.
Jackson will also take the top off of the defense, leaving room for Evans, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard to roam free. He will also prevent teams from overloading the box with eight or nine defenders, giving the running game room to be effective.
Many years ago, Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson got himself in trouble with manager Billy Martin for saying he was the “straw that stirs the drink”. For the Bucs offense, DeSean Jackson, in many ways, will be that straw.
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But he must have a big year. A mediocre “D-Jax” will go along way to stalling the Bucs dreams in their tracks.