The Buccaneers have hired 45-year old Greg Schiano to be their new head coach.  Schiano rebuilt a Rutgers’ football program that was in the dumps when he took over.  He compiled a 68-67 (50.4%) record during the regular season in his 11 years at Rutgers.  He was also a very impressive 5-1 (83.3%) in bowl games at Rutgers.  Schiano was a defensive assistant coach for the Bears from 1996-98, so he does have some experience in coaching in the NFL, but, it was a long time ago.  College coaches usually have a lot of trouble in the NFL as they can’t make their own schedule and they all have the same amount of money to spend on salaries.  I think the Bucs should have hired a veteran NFL head coach.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tried to load up on D in the 2011 NFL Draft and they found some keepers.  Here is a look at how the rookies did in their first taste of NFL action in 2011:

23-year old DE Adrian Clayborn was picked in the first round by the Bucs.  He was by far the best player the Bucs picked.  Clayborn played in all 16 games for the Bucs in 2011 and he had 42 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 forced fumbles.  He has a huge upside.

21-year old DE Da’Quan Bowers was a second round pick for the Bucs last April.  He played in all 16 games for the Bucs last year and he had 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  If Bowers can stay healthy, he could wind up being a better player than Clayborn down the road.

22-year old LB Mason Foster was picked in the 3rd round.  He played in all 16 games for the Buccaneers last year and he had 84 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 2 passes defensed.  The Bucs want Foster to bring more thump in his tackles in 2012 and beyond.

23-year old TE Luke Stocker was a 4th round pick for the Bucs.  He played in 14 games for the Bucs last year and he caught 12 passes for 92 yards (7.7 avg).  Stocker will need to improve soon if he wants to get more P.T. as he is behind Kellen Winslow.

22-year old safety Ahmad Black was a 5th round pick for the Bucs.  He played in 4 games for the Bucs last year and he had 5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

23-year old RB Allen Bradford was picked in the sixth round.  Bradford played in 1 game for the Bucs last year and he carried the ball 5 times for 13 yards (2.6 ypc).  He is now on the Seahawks.

23-year old CB/S Anthony Gaitor was picked in the 7th round by the Bucs.  He played in 8 games for the Bucs last year and he had 5 tackles.

24-year old TE Daniel Hardy was also picked in the 7th round.  He was cut early in the year and he is now on the New Orleans Saints.  He didn’t get into any games for the Saints.

GRADE FOR 2011:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

23-year old QB Josh Freeman took a big step back in 2011.  The Bucs were only 4-11 (26.7%) when Freeman started at QB in 2011.  He played in 15 games (all starts) for the Buccaneers last year and he completed 346 of 551 passes (62.8%) for 3,592 yards with 16 TD passes and 22 INTs (74.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 55 times for 238 yards (4.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs last year.  Freeman has now played in 41 games (40 starts) in his first three years with the Bucs and he has completed 795 of 1,315 passes (60.5%) for 8,898 yards with 51 TD passes and 46 INTs (79.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 153 times for 763 yards (5.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  The Bucs are now 17-23 (42.5%) in games started by Josh Freeman.

25-year old Josh Johnson lost his only start this year for the Bucs.  He played in 9 games (1 start) for the Buccaneers last year and he completed 19 of 36 passes (52.8%) for 246 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (60.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 11 times for 67 yards (6.1 ypc) last year.  Johnson has now played in 26 games (5 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 96 of 177 passes (54.2%) for 1,042 yards with 5 TD passes and 10 INTs (57.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 37 times for 254 yards (6.9 ypc) in his NFL career.  Johnson is 0-5 as a starting QB in his NFL career.

The Buccaneers have fired 35-year old head coach Raheem Morris and his whole coaching staff.  The Buccaneers finished 4-12 on the season and they are currently on a 10-game losing streak.  The Buccaneers averaged 17.9 points per game this year and they gave up a pathetic 30.9 points per game.  Morris was also the defensive co-ordinator for the Bucs this year!  The Buccaneers were 17-31 (35.4%) in Morris’ three years in charge.  The Buccaneers got outcoached almost every week over the last three years, so Morris had to go.

The Buccaneers were down 42-0 in this game with 6:49 left in the second quarter!  The Falcons then took the foot off the gas pedal and the Bucs scored a few points.  Josh Freeman was not too good in this game.  He completed 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (one of which was returned 26 yards for a TD by LB Curtis Lofton of the Falcons).  He also carried the ball 3 times for 14 yards (4.7 ypc) in this game.  LeGarrette Blount only rushed for 12 yards on 6 carries (2.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 14 yards.  Kregg Lumpkin carried the ball 2 times for 0 yards, but he also caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg).  WR Preston Parker (4 rec, 74 yards), TE Kellen Winslow (7 rec, 56 yards) and WR Dezmon Briscoe (8 rec, 53 yards, 2 TD grabs) led the way for the Bucs in the passing game.  The Buccaneers finished up with only 35 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 45 passes (68.9%) for 259 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:52.

The defense was awful for the Bucs last Sunday, especially against the running game.  Safety Larry Asante (8 tackles), LB Mason Foster (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Elbert Mack (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 40 yards for a TD).  Safety Ahmad Black pitched in with 3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  The Falcons finished up with 251 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.6 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9%) for 177 yards in this game.  The Buccaneers finished the 2011 season with a 4-12 record and on a 10-game losing streak.

The Buccaneers have packed it in already this year as they have lost 9 games in a row.  The last four losses have been especially brutal as they have been outscored by a combined score of 158-64.  The Falcons have won four of their last six games.  The Falcons could get the #5 seed in the playoffs with a win coupled with a Lions’ loss to the Packers.  The Buccaneers beat the Falcons 16-13 in Tampa back in December.  The Falcons will no if they have anything to play for by the time they kickoff as the Lions and Packers play at 1 o’clock.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Bucs are probably going to come out throwing the ball against the Falcons tomorrow.  He should have time to throw the ball as the Falcons don’t have a good pass rush.  Freeman will probably keep all of his receivers happy by spreading the ball around, but TE Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams will probably be the players most targeted.  The Falcons are giving up 235.1 yards passing per game so far this year, so Freeman could be effective.  The Bucs have shied away from running the ball lately, but that’s because they have fallen behind quite a bit early in games lately.  It will be interesting to see if LeGarrette Blount is out of the Dog House.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The bad news for the Bucs is that the Falcons have a lot of depth on offense, so even if they aren’t playing for anything….they will have capable players.  The Falcons will likely come out running more than usual this weekend as the Bucs are giving up 149.7 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Michael Turner will carry the load if this game has meaning and rookie Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling will share the load if it doesn’t.  Matt Ryan or Chris Redman will likely have success throwing the ball in this game as the Bucs’ pass defense has been lousy so far this year.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, BUCCANEERS 16

The Buccaneers are sending 28-year old OG Davin Joseph to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Bucs so far this year.  He has now played in 83 games (82 starts) in his first six years with the Buccaneers.  The Buccaneers have had a solid offensive line the last few years and Joseph is the best player on it, so he deserves this honor.

The Buccaneers looked like they didn’t care last Saturday as the Panthers took them behind the woodshed again for another whipping.  Josh Freeman completed 28 of 38 passes for 274 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 4 yards (0.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and 1 lost fumble.  Kregg Lumpkin led the way on the ground for the Bucs in this game with 24 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.4 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg).  Mossis Madu also got in on the action with 4 carries for 20 yards (5.0 ypc) and 4 catches for 42 yards (10.5 avg).  LeGarrette Blount only carried the ball 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc) but he was benched early in this game after a fumble.  TE Kellen Winslow (6 rec, 63 yards) and WRs Sammie Stroughter (4 rec, 52 yards) and Mike Williams (4 rec, 39 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bucs.  The Buccaneers finished up with 59 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes (73.7%) for 258 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:57.

The defense was utterly pathetic for the Bucs in this game.  LB Mason Foster led the way for the Bucs’ D with 6 tackles, but he didn’t play too well.  The Panthers rolled up 270 yards rushing on 31 carries (8.7 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 17 passes (70.6%) for 163 yards in this game.  The Buccaneers are not a very pathetic 4-11 on the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost 8 games in a row!  In their last three games, they have been outscored 110-48!  The Panthers have won three of their last four games.  The Panthers thumped the Bucs 38-19 just three weeks ago in Tampa.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers need to run the ball and stick with it tomorrow.  The Panthers are giving up 130.4 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year, so the Buccaneers should be effective running the ball.  The Bucs should give LeGarrette Blount the ball 25 times if they want to have a good shot at an upset.  Josh Freeman should have time to throw the ball, but his shoulder is barking and he doesn’t have much zip on his fastball.  Look for the passing game to be of the shorter variety with TE Kellen Winslow to be Freeman’s top target in the passing game tomorrow.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are going to be more balanced than usual tomorrow.  DeAngelo Williams, Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart are going to be trouble for a Bucs’ D that is allowing 141.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Bucs will need to get a pass rush on Cam Newton, or he’s going to be playing catch with his WRs and TEs all day long.  WR Steve Smith is still a true gamebreaker for the Panthers.  If the Bucs load up to stop Smith, Newton will just throw the ball to TE Greg Olsen, TE Jeremy Shockey, WR Brandon LaFell and QB Legedu Naanee.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 34, BUCCANEERS 10

The Buccaneers have signed 29-year old DT Jovan Haye.  Haye played in 1 game for the Lions this year and he had 2 tackles.  Haye has now played in 70 games in his first six years for the Bucs and he has 183 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 4 fumble recoveries and 4 passes defensed.  Haye started his career with the Bucs and he had his most success playing for them.  So maybe he will provide a spark on the interior of the D-Line as the Bucs need help there badly.