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After going through an offseason of drastic changes for both coaches and players alike, the 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers still finished the year at 3-13 (1-7 home, 2-6 away). Although, after losing their first seven contests and being outscored by 110 points (203-93), the wayward Bucs showed significant improvement, tightening the point differential to only 49 points over their last nine games. Early on, many believed that Tampa Bay may repeat Detroit’s 0-16 record from 2008, but they won in Week 9, and then again in two of the last three weeks, showing that perhaps there may just be a bright future for new Head Coach Raheem Morris and rookie quarterback Josh Freeman – especially since two of the those last three wins came against the resurgent Packers and Super Bowl Champion Saints.
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About The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There were signs of hope on offense, as Freeman set a Tampa Bay rookie record with 1,857 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes, while the number one Bucs receiver, tight end Kellen Winslow, had 884 yards receiving, breaking the single-season franchise record for tight ends, previously held by Jimmie Giles (786 yards in 1981). Winslow’s 77 receptions also set a team record for tight ends. On the ground, Cadillac Williams led the way with 821 yards and 4 touchdowns on 210 carries, but given that he more than doubled the output of Tampa’s next running back this team needs to look for someone to back him up if they wish to improve in 2010.
On special teams, kicker Connor Barth tied an NFL record with three field goals of 50+ yards in one game (Week 10 vs. Miami), while the Buccaneers also became first team in NFL history to have three different return specialists – Sammie Stroughter, Clifton Smith, Michael Spurlock – win NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
On the defensive unit, Tampa had a couple of good defensive backs; cornerback Aqib Talib tied a club record with three interceptions in one game (Week 4 vs. Washington) on his way to also leading the team with 15 passes defended and 5 interceptions, while safety Tanard Jackson tied Talib for the interception lead, returning two for touchdowns, in addition to his team-leading 3 forced fumbles. Linebacker Barrett Ruud had more tackles (142) than anyone else by far, while also tossing in 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception, alongside fellow-linebacker and number two tackler Geno Hayes (98) who added 3 sacks in addition to leading the Bucs with 12 tackles for loss. Getting to the big guys up front, defensive ends Jimmy Wilkerson and Stylez White had nearly identical numbers; Wilkerson tallied 46 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 forced fumbles, while White added 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks (1st on team), and 2 tackles for loss. The foundation seems to be there for this team to build on.
Will this team make the additions and adjustments it needs to in order to rattle their opponents in 2010? Quite honestly, anything is possible in the NFL these days, so order your Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets today and look forward to taking your seat and cheering for the revitalized Bucs each and every week at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Regular Season Schedule
- Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, Cleveland, 1:00 PM
- Week 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, at Carolina, 1:00 PM
- Week 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM
- Week 4: BYE
- Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 10, at Cincinnati, 1:00 PM
- Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 17, New Orleans, 1:00 PM
- Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, St. Louis, 1:00 PM
- Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 31, at Arizona, 4:15 PM
- Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 7, at Atlanta, 1:00 PM
- Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 14, Carolina, 1:00 PM
- Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, at San Francisco, 4:05 PM
- Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, at Baltimore, 1:00 PM
- Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 5, Atlanta, 1:00 PM
- Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, at Washington, 1:00 PM
- Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, Detroit, 1:00 PM
- Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 26, Seattle, 1:00 PM
- Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, at New Orleans, 1:00 PM
For the new season, one in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to do quite well leading into a possible 2010 postseason, expectations are high for not only on-field performance but also for sales of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets. New coach Raheem Morris has a strong on-field cast in players like tight end Kellen Winslow II and new quarterback Byron Leftwich, who came over from the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
