The Buccaneers are a surprising 6-3 on the season and a lot of the credit should go to 34-year old head coach Raheem Morris.  Morris has gotten his team up and ready to beat the teams they should.  The combined record of the teams the Bucs have beaten this season is 14-40 (25.9%).  But, in the three losses the Buccaneers have had they were outscored 96-40 by teams with a combined record of 19-8 (70.4%).  Regardless of not being able to beat any good teams this season, 34-year old Raheem Morris needs kudos as the Bucs are now 9-16 (36%) under him in his first two years.

27-year old WR/KR/PR Michael Spurlock is finally making his mark with the Bucs this year.  He has returned 21 kickoffs for 578 yards (27.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has returned 10 punts for 73 yards (7.3 avg) so far this year.  Spurlock has been rewarded for his outstanding play on special teams as they are using him more at WR.  Spurlock has caught 14 passes for 205 yards (14.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Spurlock has been a very pleasant surprise so far this year and the Bucs need him to keep up the good work.

The Bucs were struggling with Cadillac Williams at running back so they had nothing to lose in giving undrafted rookie LeGarrette Blount a shot.  Blount has played in 5 games for the Bucs so far this year and he has carried the ball 56 times for 268 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) so far this year.  Blount is a huge, power back at 6’0″, 247 pounds so he gives the Bucs the physical kind of runner that they have been missing for quite a while.

22-year old QB Josh Freeman looked a little lost at times last season as a rookie.  Freeman played in 10 games last season for the Buccaneers and he completed 158 of 290 passes (54.5%) for 1,855 yards with 10 TD passes and 18 INTs (59.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 30 times for 161 yards (5.4 ypc) last season.  This year though Freeman has been outstanding and he is a big reason why the Bucs are 5-2 on the year right now.  Freeman has played in 7 games for the Bucs so far this year and he has completed 135 of 224 passes (60.3%) for 1,533 yards with 8 TD passes and 3 INTs (87.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 25 times for 176 yards (7.0 ypc) so far this year.  Freeman has really grown as a QB for the Buccaneers and he has brought his team along with him for the ride.

35-year old cornerback Ronde Barber just keeps rolling along for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He has played in all 3 games for the Bucs so far this year and he has 18 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions (69 yards in returns).  Barber is not acting his age and that’s a very good thing for the Bucs.  Barber has now played in 196 games in his NFL career and he has 999 tackles, 174 passes defensed, 25 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 39 interceptions (722 return yards) with 7 TD returns.  In my mind, Barber belongs in Canton, Ohio five years after he retires (Pro Football Hall of Fame).

22-year old QB Josh Freeman has really played well this year for the Bucs.  He has completed 29 of 52 passes (55.8%) for 360 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT (95.0 QB Rating) in the first two games of the year for the Bucs.  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 77 yards (12.8 ypc) so far this year.  Freeman turned the ball over a lot last season as he took too many chances.  This year though has has been playing under control.  He will need to keep up the good work this week as the Steelers have a very aggressive defense. 

24-year old safety Tanard Jackson missed the first four games due to a NFL suspension but he has made up for lost time.  Jackson has played in 10 games for the Buccaneers this season and he has made 61 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, defensed 6 passes, forced 1 fumble and he has 4 interceptions (two of which he returned for a TDs).  Jackson gives the Buccaneers a playmaker at the back end of the defense so they need him to keep out of trouble off the field.

26-year old linebacker Barrett Ruud is having another great year for the Bucs.  He has played in 14 games for the Bucs this season and he has 121 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Ruud has been a tackling machine since getting drafted by the Bucs and he is showing that he is a guy they can build a defense around.

Despite catching passes from three different QBs this season 26-year old TE Kellen Winslow has played well all year.  Winslow has played in 14 games this season for the Buccaneers and he has caught 68 passes for 752 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Winslow has played in every game this season which dispels the thoughts that he was a injury prone player.  He leads the Bucs in catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs this season.

Rookie 7th round pick Sammie Stroughter will replace the injured Clifton Smith returning punts and kick-offs.  Stroughter has returned 11 kickoffs for 324 yards (29.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg).  Stroughter is also making a mark on offense for the Buccaneers this season as he has caught 27 passes for 288 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stroughter was a outstanding pick by the Bucs last April and he should be able to do a decent job filling in for Clifton Smith.