More Rollouts For Jameis This Year

One of the surprises last season was how good of a runner Jameis was as he had 6 rushing touchdowns as a rookie. Jameis was very poise as a runner and usually made the right decision when to run and when not to. With the strength of the offense being the running game, look for the Bucs to incorpate more play action rollouts for Jameis to give him more pass/run options to make the offense more dynamic.

The Bucs are looking for more explosive plays downfield and one of the more explosive plays last year came on a rollout pass against the saints, here it is below.

Expect to see more of this in 2016 with Jameis having the choice of whether to run or pass allowing him to be more of a playmaker. The rollouts are very effective and it helps the O-line against fierce pass rushing defenses. Not having the same launch point on every throw is just smart offensive football, and can help make things easier for a young Qb like Jameis. Especially in the redzone where you can expect more plays like this below.

So this is just something to look for during the 2016 season, as it should be an exciting year for Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers.

Don't Forget About VJax

Everyone seems to be set on the Winston to Evans connection that they refuse to remember that the bucs also have a 3 time pro bowler and 6 time thousand yard season receiver in Vincent Jackson. Jackson had a long injury riddled season last year where he missed 6 games which is the reason for his drop off, not because of his age(33) as many people had thought.

If you take one look at Jackson you can see he takes his career seriously and may be the most physically fit buccaneer on the roster. Everyone is so enamored and happy about Brent Grimes and he is soon to be 33 as well, but he's not getting the negativity Jackson is. When healthy Jackson can form the twin towers the bucs were hoping for and I'm sure he's primed to show that this season. Also keep in mind early in the season against the great Carolina defense and Josh Norman, VJax had a 10 catch 147 yard day to go along with one score.

Look for Jackson to return to his pro bowl form again in 2016 as it is a contract year and you know last year left a bad taste in his mouth. Remember there are 2, 6'5 monster wide receivers Winston has to throw to, not just one.

Noah Spence Speaks

Since becoming a buccaneer Noah Spence hasn't talked much and has been letting his play on the practice field do the talking for him. He broke that silence earlier this week and gave us a peak at what he sees this bucs defense as.

How much more complex is this defense than Ohio State and Eastern Kentucky? 

Its a lot like Ohio States for real, but eastern Kentucky, its nothing like that.  

Is this a defense that fits your skill and where have they been working you? 

Oh yeah for sure, I really like all the schemes were doing and all the packages they got me in so far. Mostly right end and a couple 30 packages, where I'm standing up and walking around.

 So the Bucs defense is a lot like Ohio State's, huh. Hopefully he thrives in this defense as he did in his sophomore season at Ohio state as he was all over the field totaling 50 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Spence is going to have every bucs fan's attention as we have been begging for a dominant edge presence ever since Simeon Rice and Spence is the new hope. Spence also gave a little insight to other guys around the league that he looks up to as well.

I love Justin Houston, Cameron Wake, of course Von (Miller) but I really like Cameron Wakes game, his get off, his relentlessness playing defense.

Looking at those three guys the guy he compares most to is Wake. Spence shares the same relentless motor as Wake and can be seen running plays down from behind frequently. If Spence can come anywhere near the production any of those 3 have produced there will be plenty of happy buccaneer fans all over Tampa.

Defense is Improving

For the longest time the Bucs were known for their great defense as they had one of the greatest defenses over a ten year period. Now heading into the 2016 season, Bucs fans are just hoping for improvement on the defensive side of the ball. It's early in the off-season practices but so far the defense is looking better according to head coach Dirk Koetter. The defense is adjusting to the new scheme very well per pewterreport.com.

“I see improvements with just our defense in general and our defensive scheme – how well our defensive players are running to the bell, how well they’re embracing the volume that [defensive coordinator Mike] Smith and the defensive coaches are putting in, the different looks that they’re giving us on defense, the energy that our defensive players are bringing to practice. I mean, our offense should be a little bit ahead of our defense right now because they are in the same system, but we’re just real happy with how our defensive guys are taking to the new scheme.”

That is all you can ask for as a fan of this team which is just keep improving every day and take that next step forward which will lead to wins. This defense has the talent and the depth for the most part and looks like it has the right scheme now to succeed in. Now it's about putting it all together on the field as Lavonte David said they have a chance to be the best defense ever per Greg Auman.

"I think we can be the best defense ever, to be honest. I'm going to go out there and say it," David said.

 "Yeah, I'm going to say it. Put it on me. I'm going to say it," he said. "NFL history, Bucs history, anything. That's just the type of attitude we have."

I love the confidence and it's smart by David as it puts a challenge on this defense and provides them with a winning mindset which they need to have at all times to be great on defense. One thing is for sure this defense is going to be mentally strong this season.

Future Center?

The theme of this off-season has been versatility as the Bucs have been looking for players that can play multiple positions. They have been also cross-training players as well with one of them being RG Ali Marpet who has been taking snaps at center during OTA's. Marpet could be the future center for the team since Joe Hawely and Evan Smith are both entering contract years. This is just smart by the team as it builds depth and most importantly its going to make Marpet a better player. Here is the news per Greg Auman.

Bucs going through their no-helmet walkthrough portion of OTA practice with curious wrinkle: Ali Marpet getting some work at center ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 2, 2016

The Bucs are also working guard Kevin Pamphile at center as well who could see more playing time this year and is someone that is on the rise. Ali Marpet did so well at guard last season that he will probably stay there but it is always good to expand your abilities as a player. This will allow Marpet to see the game from a different aspect which will only help his techniques and his approach. This is just another smart move by this coaching staff.

Lavonte David #53 in NFL Top 100

Every year NFL network takes a survey from NFL players to see whom they rate as the top 100 players in the NFL and the players have spoken. They rank Lavonte David as the 53rd overall rated player in the NFL. David is well worth that ranking as he has done nothing but produce every year and has turned into a tackling machine.

David continues to climb the ranks as he was rated 56th in last years top 100. David has obviously been known here in Tampa due to his play and now its about time the rest of the league understands how good of a player he is. The man has had at least 139 tackles or more in all of his 4 seasons as a pro.

McCoy showed face earlier on the list at 63 and is expecting to be much higher next year. Who else on the Bucs roster could show up on the list, Doug martin, Mike Evans? Lets see if the bucs are getting their respect or have to earn their respect this year.

Mike James Back to Form?

One of the more interesting camp battles will be the third running back spot which is up for grabs due to the departure of Bobby Rainey. The early favorite is 4th year Rb Mike James out of Miami who has had some big games for the Bucs during his young career. James has struggled with some injuries but is still a pretty good running back and is ready to prove his worth again in 2016. Here is what running backs coach Tim Spencer had to say about James per joebucsfan.com.

“I like Mike. Mike’s been around. Mike’s smart. He’s a pro. He’s worked his tail off,” Spencer said. “And I think even when he was in before I got here he had a couple of nice games. So I feel pretty good about that.

Not saying the number three job will be handed to James because he will have competition for it. Newcomers like Storm Johnson and Peyton Barber can play too and bring the versatility like James does, so it should be a great battle during camp and preseason. James reminds me of former Buc Earnest Graham who didn't really shine till his 5th year, so maybe this is the year James puts it all together and can find his role alongside Martin and Sims.