We’re not fooling around when we tell you that in order to follow the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the right way, it is downright mandatory to grab on to BuccaneersLocker.com and not let go. No one stays up-to-date on the Bucs like we do, as we bring you news you can use, stats that will help you in your fantasy standings, and betting information that ranks right up there with the best available. You’re right there for every game on the schedule, and if you want to be there in person, dressed to the nines, you can get great deals on tickets for Raymond James Stadium and on Buccaneer gear and apparel. Read some insightful commentary or register some of your own commentary. You know you can’t resist. It’s all about the Bucs! Make sure you come back to BuccaneersLocker.com and make it part of your daily menu!
The Buccaneers lost a coin flip yesterday at the NFL Combine with the Cleveland Browns so they will pick #4 in the April NFL Draft. Unless someone trades up in front of the Bucs, they should still get the player they most covet. That would be WR Calvin Johnson from Georgia Tech. He would give the Bucs a great target in the passing game for Chris Simms or whoever the QB winds up being.
The Buccaneers TEs caught 55 passes for 381 yards and 2 TDs as a unit, and that’s not too good. Alex Smith played in 14 games (7 starts) and he caught 35 passes for 250 yards (7.1 avg) with 3 TD catches. For his career, Smith has played in 30 games (17 starts) and he has caught 76 passes for 617 yards (8.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.
Anthony Becht played in 16 games (16 starts) and he caught 18 passes for 115 yards (6.4 avg) with 1 TD catch. For his career, Becht played in 110 games (104 starts) and he has caught 167 passes for 1,391 yards (8.3 avg) with 18 TD grabs.
Dave Moore played in 13 games (0 starts) and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards. For his career, Moore has played in 220 games (107 starts) and he has caught 207 passes for 2,028 yards (9.8 avg) with 28 TD grabs.
Doug Jolley played in 11 games (0 starts) and he caught 1 pass for 7 yards. For his career, Jolley has played in 74 games (32 starts) and he has caught 120 passes for 1,303 yards (10.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.
The Bucs did a decent job of picking for needs in last year’s draft. The only problem is that they didn’t get much quantity in this draft. Here’s the breakdown:
In the first round the Bucs drafted OG Davin Joseph. Joseph played in 13 games (12 starts) and he’s a road grader in the running game. He should start for the Bucs for a long time.
In the 2nd round the Bucs drafted OT Jeremy Trueblood. He played in 15 games (13 starts) and he also recovered a fumble. He also looks like a longtime starter in the future for the Bucs.
In the 3rd round the Bucs drafted WR Maurice Stovall. Stovall played decent when the Bucs got him on the field. He played 9 games (2 start) and he caught 7 passes for 102 yards (14.6 avg). He also carried the ball 2 times for 29 yards. He has the look of a #3 WR on a good team or a starter on a bad one.
In the 4th round the Bucs drafted CB Alan Zemaitis and he didn’t play one down for them.
The 5th round pick of the Bucs was DE Julian Jenkins. He played in 12 games and made 9 tackles.
In the 6th round the Bucs drafted QB Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski was forced into duty when Chris Simms was injured and he didn’t play too well. He played in 13 games (11 starts) and he completed 177 of 328 passes (54%) for 1,661 yards with 9 TD passes and 9 interceptions for a QB Rating of 65.9. He also carried the ball 41 times for 161 yards (3.9 ypc). He looks like a #3 QB to me because of his lack of zip on his passes.
The other 6th round pick, (TE) T.J. Williams, never saw the field in the regular season.
7th round pick OLB Charles Bennett played in 3 games and made 2 tackles.
The other two Bucs selected in the 7th round, CB Justin Phinisie and TE Tim Massaquoi, didn’t make the team.