2007 Buccaneer season report card

2007 saw the Buccaneers improve their win total by 5 games over the 2006 debacle.
This years squad showed a sense of unity as younger players started cracking into a lineup of some seasoned veterans. Injuries plagued the team from early on and by seasons end, 15 players found themselves on the IR list. Given all the obstacles, the Bucs managed to go 9-7, winning the NFC South with a 5-1 inter divisional record. Let's take a look and grade out this years squad.

Quarterbacks- Grade B
37 year old Jeff Garcia finally made it to Tampa by way of Cleveland and Philadelphia. He showed fans here in Tampa why Jon Gruden loves this guy so much. Jeff plays the game with such a high level of intensity sometimes you forget he's 37. He finished the season with only 4 interceptions, 3 of them were in one game. I'm sure we'll go into next season with him as the incumbent starter, but how much is left in the tank for the soon to be dad? Luke McCown was available for duty this season after being placed on IR all of 2006's campaign. He showed some flashes of true ability to play quarterback in the Bucs' version of the west coast offense. He will have to get better at his decision making though if he ever becomes the starter. He took sacks in key situations and needs to learn to throw the ball away. For now, a work in progress.
Bruce Gradowski played in the Washington Redskins game when Jeff sustained a back injury on the opening drive. Could we please never see Bruce under center for the Bucco's again?
Chris Simms opened the season on the roster, but it was apparent that he had not recovered from his spleenectomy and as injuries depleted the roster, Simms was moved to IR to clear a space for another player to be brought in. Chris stated this week, he feels healthy and ready to go to camp this summer.

Running Backs- B+
Personally, I give Earnest Graham an A, but the overall unit receives a B+. Carnell Williams went down early in the season with a Patellar tendon injury which he might or might not recover from. During his tenure with the Bucs, he appears to be indecisive at times running the ball and injury prone. After 3 years, it might be time to let go of this former #1 draft choice.
Michael Bennett was brought aboard via a trade for conditional draft choices in 2008 and 2009 from Kansas City. It took a while to get Bennett immersed in the playbook but he showed signs late in the year of his great speed and play making ability. Michael Pittman also suffered injury this season missing a few games down the stretch. Pittman is scheduled to be a free agent in the off-season and one wonders if his huge biceps and hard running style will return to Tampa next season. Fullback BJ Askew proved to be a great free agent pick up last year. Askew is one tough competitor and a hell of a lead blocker. Halfway through the season, he sustained an undisclosed ankle/lower leg injury and would immobilize his foot during the week, only to play on gameday. Ken Darby was resigned to the Bucs the last week of the season. This Alabama product has a quick burst of speed and great pass catching ability, I'd like to see him worked into 5-7 plays a game next year.

Wide Receivers- C-
Joey Galloway once again defied Father Time and posted another 1000 yard season, his third in a row in the pewter and red and a team record. But, when your main deep threat is 36 years old, and no other receiver on the squad strikes fear in opposing defenses, the passing game is going to suffer. Ike Hilliard started the season very strong and at one point looked like he was going to have over 80 receptions but fell short of that mark. Mike Clayton, the former #1 draft choice out of LSU, finished the season with 22 receptions for 301 yards and no touchdowns. He showed such promise in his rookie season but production on the field has steadily dropped over the past few seasons. Although he is a physical force on the field with his blocking ability, it's time for this former first rounder to move on as well. Maurice Stovall, third year player from Notre Dame, really came into his own this season as a special teams player, but was lost for the season in the second Atlanta game with a broken arm. During the pre-season, standout Parris Warren was lost for the year with a brutal ankle injury and it remains to be seen if he can contribute next year. The receiving corps MUST improve next year if this team is going to move forward.

Tight Ends- B+
Early on in the season, Alex Smith showed some signs of elevating his game, but went down with a serious ankle injury, missing several games. Anthony Becht did little for the pass catching aspect of the position but was a solid blocker. Late in the year, Jerramy Stevens got into the gameplan and was effective at using his size against defenders grabbing 12 passes for 156 yards and 4 touchdowns in the final 4 games of the season. Stevens as some off field issues to deal with involving a DUI charge and was suspended by the league for one game this season. Stevens and Becht are both free agents this off season. Stevens should be re-signed.

Offensive Line- B-/C+
Many pundits this season said the Bucs won the division by default because everyone else had such bad seasons. Based on overall division records, the Bucs did not play in the worst division. The point no one seemed to bring up is that Tampa Bay has the youngest offensive line in the NFL. Trueblood and Joseph are in their second season, Aaron Sears is a rookie and Donald Penn was a practice squad player thrust into service when Petitgout went down with a knee injury early on in the year. There were times when the OL showed flashes of brilliance and then others where their youth showed. This group shows great promise for the coming years and we've finally moved past the Kenyatta Walker years.

Special Teams- C
Yes, the Bucs finally returned a kickoff for a score but is Michael Spurlock the future? It seemed that once Mark Jones went down with, what else, a knee injury, the return game was floundering. The punt return game was horrible. Josh Bidwell, the punter, most likely won 2 games for the Bucs this year changing field position when we needed it most. Matt Bryant was sub-par in my estimation. His kickoffs were short, and late in the year, when right around the opponents 30 yardline, Gruden opted to go for it on 4th down.

That's it for the Offense, more later on the defensive side of the ball.