Formidable Foe

The Bucs did their job in week 1 by beating a team in which they should beat in the Atlanta Falcons. However, week 2 presents a more formidable foe in the Arizona Cardinals who will be hungry for their first win after losing to a short handed Patriots team last Sunday. The Cardinals have many big named players across their roster and have quality depth throughout their team. They have a great coaching staff led by Bruce Arians and an very good GM in Steve Keim who has done a great job in the draft. Here is a quick breakdown of their offense, defense, and special teams units.

Offense

The offense is led by their skill guys in Rb David Johnson and Wr Larry Fitzgerald who both are dangerous in open space. In addition to those two, they have Mike Floyd, John Brown, and Jermaine Gresham who present size and speed making the Cardinals offense tough to stop. Leading the offense is veteran Qb Carson Palmer who is very accurate and loves to take shots down the field. His weakness though is his mobility as he won't scramble but will stand in the pocket and deliver the ball with timing. The weakness on the offense is the O-line especially on the right side with DJ Humphries who is suspect. The left side is decent with Veldheer and Iupati who are better run blockers then they are pass protectors. Overall, the offense is capable of putting up points quickly.

Defense

The defense is very skilled and athletic starting with their all pro corner in Patrick Peterson who just makes plays every Sunday. Their defensive line is big and physical starting with DE Calias Campbell, DT Corey Peters, and star pass rusher in Chandler Jones. The Cardinals play a mix of 3-4 and 4-3 fronts in which they do a great job of mixing their personnel and love to bring pressures off the edge. Their linebackers are quick and athletic led by Deone Bucannon who is an hybrid as he is a former safety so is an excellent open field tackler already. In addition to Bucannon, they have Kevin Minter and Markus Golden who are both athletic and physical, Golden is one of their better pass rushers of the edge. Their secondary is led by Patrick Peterson who is a lock down corner as well as Tyrann Mathieu who flys around the field. Safeties Tony Jefferson, Tyvon Branch, and DJ Swearinger all rotate in and play their share of snaps. Jefferson is really good against the run, suspect vs the pass though.

Special Teams

Their special teams is solid with Chandler Catanzaro who is an above average kicker. Their punter Drew Butler is very good at directional punting and does a good job of pinning teams back inside the 20. Their return teams is dangerous with Rb Andre Ellington back there as he can make defenders miss and he is someone the Bucs have to account for.

Overall, this is a much stronger team than the team the Bucs just beat so it's going to be a great challenge come this Sunday.

Prospect Watch: Tyler Boyd

The last great WR out of the University of Pittsburgh was named Larry Fitzgerald and Tyler Boyd surpassed all his records. I'm not saying Tyler Boyd is the next Larry Fitzgerald but I am saying he is one well polished wideout.

Boyd will not blaze through the 40 yard dash and will most likely get negative remarks about his slight frame (6'2 190) but he is a natural with the ball in his hands. Boyd amassed 254 receptions, 3361 yards and 21 touchdowns in his 3 years at Pittsburgh. He does everything well and displays incredible hands and vision. Although not the quickest receiver Boyd has just enough shake to elude the first defender. Given the opportunity to take him I believe the Bucs will jump at him. Jason Licht has made it clear that he tends to stick to his board and usually goes with best player available. Evident in 2014 when Licht took Austin Seferian-Jenkins with his second round pick when the Bucs had so many other needs.

You may be thinking why would the Bucs waste a high draft pick on a WR when they have both Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson? Well if you remember last year when Vincent Jackson went down with his leg injury the passing offense began to sputter. Jackson continues to be a consistent player when on the field yet father time is starting to creep up on him as he is already 33 years old.

Boyd figures to be an early to middle of the second round selection as of right now. The franchise is centered around Jameis right now and what better way to help him out than by getting another target for him to throw to. Here is a glimpse of what Tyler Boyd can do.