Tampa Bay Buccaneers

According to Football Outsiders, Greg Schiano was the 28th least aggressive coach last season. Yes, the coach who rushes kneeldowns, talks about playing every down and wants to instill toughness beyond anything refuses to take risks when it comes to fourth down, preferring to lean on punter Michael Koenen and kicker Connor Barth over Doug Martin and Vincent Jackson. The Buccaneers invested heavily in their offensive line apparently to not use them, while their 6'5" quarterback who has historically been pretty damn good at sneaks stands on the sidelines. For all Schiano's talk of playing until the final whistle and rushing kneeldowns in the process, he's leaving a lot of actual football on the field. Towards the end of last season I tracked 14 instances of conservative playcalling that cost the Buccaneers. Given the fact that all but two of the Bucs' losses came by one score a few different decisions here and there could easily have made the difference between a win and a loss -- and between a 7-9 record and a playoff appearance at its most extreme. Poker's lesson The arguments for going for it on fourth down are old and not that complicated. Keeping possession is valuable (part of the reasons why turnovers are bad), so why would you voluntarily hand the ball back to the opponent instead of giving yourself a good shot of keeping possession? Add in the fact that failing to get a fourth down isn't disastrous, the benefit of gaining 30 yards or so in field position but losing possession is very limited (especially with the Bucs' porous pass defense of last season) and field goals aren't automatic and you have a clear case for regularly going for it on fourth down. That case is so clear that many different and varied studies have appeared all saying essentially the same thing: coaches should go for it on fourth down much, much more often. There is very widespread consensus on this subject, and really any analyst who has looked at the numbers will tell you the same thing: coaches are much too conservative. So why are NFL coaches still so enamored with feet on fourth down (I mean, aside from Rex Ryan)? Brian Burke has a few good theories, but it all boils down to one simple fact: humans are inherently risk averse and prefer to be conservative over taking aggressive chances. That's entirely logical, given the historical circumstances of many peoples, but it's not all that useful in the NFL. Anyone who played poker could observe this conservative tendency as the game was changing from the exceedingly passive and conservative 1990s to the (hyper)aggressive game it has become today, dominated by young players who understand the mathematics that call for aggression -- and hence, enjoy success. Football isn't poker, but in this specific area the two are pretty similar. A sad, conservative history of Buc football If there's one thing every football analyst with even a smidgen of affinity for statistics can agree upon it's that NFL coaches are much too conservative on fourth down. They routinely punt on fourth-and-short in opponent territory, gaining just a few yards where maintaining possession can be much more valuable. This tendency is pretty confusing: looking at the list of most aggressive decision makers, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Sean Payton, Jimmy Johnson, Marty Schottenheimer and even Tony Dungy rank in the top 20. Aside from Payton, all of those coaches actually have a defensive background, too. The Buccaneers, though, have long since been saddled with conservative coaches. Jon Gruden and Raheem Morris rank among the 10 most conservative decision makers in the NFL, with Gruden's conservative streak only outdone by Jack Pardee and Chuck Knox -- not exactly people you want to emulate, there. And Schiano's current rate of fourth-down decision making would see him ranked 77th of 85 qualifying coaches. A decade of conservative pussyfooting isn't enough for the Bucs, huh? Now, none of this makes Greg Schiano a bad coac

Head Coach Greg Schiano repeated on Monday that Josh Freeman is the Bucs' starter, and both he and his quarterback dismissed the notion that Mike Glennon's arrival has Freeman looking over his shoulder

Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times gives us a quick overview of two of the most important position battles this offseason: those at cornerback and at strongside linebacker. Surprisingly, it seems that Dekoda Watson was practicing with the first-team defense at linebacker, while not so surpirisingly, Johnthan Banks was playing ahead of Leonard Johnson with the first-team defense. Eric Wright started opposite Banks and moved to the slot in nickel packages, with Johnson coming in as the third cornerback. Obviously the cornerback situation will change once Darrelle Revis comes back, as he will automatically take one starting spot. Banks' skillset is best suited to playing on the outside, which means that although he is likely to be the third cornerback, he will play on the outside in nickel sets with Eric Wright moving to the slot -- although that responsibility can likely change depending on where the receiver Revis will be tracking lines up. At linebacker, Watson being with the first team defense ahead of Jonathan Casillas is a bit of a surprise. Casillas was signed in free agency this year, as the New Orleans Saints had no room on their roster after moving to a 3-4 defense and stocking up on 4-3 linebackers (but no other defensive position) last season. Watson has been a dominant special teams player and is an athletic specimen with some limited edge rushing skills, but he hasn't been able to do much on defense in his career so far. It's interesting to note that Watson is now ahead of Adam Hayward, who played the strong side late last season when Quincy Black went down. The Bucs may see Hayward mostly as a versatile backup and special teams player, rather than a reliable starter. Or perhaps they just want to see what Watson and Casillas can do, as both of them are more athletic than Hayward. The strongside linebacker position is probably the least important position on defense, as that player typically gets just 40% of the snaps, mostly on running downs. When the Bucs still had their vaunted Tampa 2 defense, which runs on similar front seven principles to the current Stunt 4-3-based defense, the team seemed to switch to a new unknown starter every year, with Lonnie Marts, Rufus Porter, Jeff Gooch, Shelton Quarles, Al Singleton, Ryan Nece, Ian Gold and Cato June all getting a shot at that starting job. At this point in the offseason it doesn't mean much, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Watson may simply be ahead of Jonathan Casillas because he's familiar with the playbook, and he could lose the starting job quickly in offseason camp. These position battles are far from decided, but at least we know where they stand for the moment. Read more: OTA Notes: Clayborn practices, Spence fights Schiano says he is not looking to replace Freeman OTAs start today Training camp preview: wide receivers

In his press conference today, Greg Schiano refuted reports that he was looking to replace Josh Freeman. "We have our starting quarterback and it's Josh Freeman. I'm not looking to find a new one." Instead, Schiano framed his comments on the quarterback competition as simply part of his vision of a football team. "Our whole program is: there's going to be competition. Now we haven't always been able to have it because you can only get so many guys on your roster, but that's what we believe in." With Mike Glennon, then, that competition at the quarterback position has finally arrived -- an indictment of Dan Orlovsky as much as it is a reflection of Glennon's qualities. "I do like to have quality depth at every position. And when you get that, just naturally - these are the most competitive guys on the planet, and it raises everybody's level." Throughout, Schiano never waivered from his position on Freeman, who he said had a command and presence about him at OTAs. "I believe in competition, but I also believe that Josh Freeman is our starting quarterback." When asked about the impression that Josh Freeman isn't his guy, Schiano responded "that's inaccurate." A bit of a weak bid on Schiano's part was passing this off as the media just making things up. There's some truth to that, but Schiano can't act as if what he said didn't fuel that speculation. Schiano isn't new to the media, and he knows how comments on quarterbacks blow up. He learned that when he talked about wanting more competition at quarterback in January, and should have learned it again when Dominik said that Glennon would get most of the reps in preseason last week. He's been a head coach for thirteen years now, and he knows that he is going to be quoted on what he says to reporters, national or local, on the record. So when Schiano says to a national reporter, on the record that Mike Glennon can win the starting job, then he knows (or at least should know) what happens next. He isn't obligated to answer anything or even make that comment, but he did. Either he was sending a message with his comment about competition everywhere, and hence creating a quarterback controversy at least in the public eye, or he was woefully naive about the role his own words play in the media. Read more: OTA Notes: Clayborn practices, Spence fights, Freeman is the guy OTAs start today Training camp preview: wide receiver Twitter doesn't like Schiano anymore

Post practice press conference with Head Coach Greg Schiano from the podium at One Buccaneer Place

The first day of OTAs is over, and we have a full list of news and notes for you. Check it out! Adrian Clayborn has returned from an ACL injury suffered in week three of the 2012 season. He practiced with the team, per Stephen Holder. Davin Joseph, Carl Nicks and Darrelle Revis did not (yet) participate in OTAs. Clayborn is expected to start at right defensive end, and the Bucs have no real depth behind him. Greg Schiano noted that both Davin Joseph and Carl Nicks are on schedule to be ready for training camp, and that Darrelle Revis was progressing day by day and doing good as well. Fourth-round rookie defensive tackle Akeem Spence got into a fight at practice with Jeremy Zuttah. Rick Stroud claims Jeremy Zuttah took offense to Spence going at full speed, with Spence saying he "wasn't going to back down". Going at full speed is probably a bad thing, given the rules of the CBA. Fights at practice are fairly common during the offseason and they aren't generally signs of problems, just a consequence of the competitive atmosphere. Mark Dominik reiterated that this is Josh Freeman's football team: Bucs GM Mark Dominik reiterates: This is Josh Freeman's football team; this is Josh Freeman's season. — Roy Cummings (@RCummingsTBO) May 20, 2013 Greg Schiano was happy with the shape everyone else was in, but thought the practice was sloppy and the team did a good job "holding each other up" and keeping everyone off the ground. No live contact is allowed during OTAs. Schiano says that Freeman in his second year in the same system is more comfortable and looked sharp. Greg Schiano also reiterated that Josh Freeman is their starting quarterback and that his comments should be taken as just a part of his philosophy of competition. Schiano believes Tom Crabtree has the physical traits to be a productive receiving tight end, that Luke Stocker has improved this offseason and that Akeem Spence may be the most physically strong guys in the NFL. Spence loves weightlifting, which explains that. Read more: Training camp preview: wide receivers OTAs start today Twitter doesn't like Schiano anymore Schiano says Glennon can win the starting job

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers start their Organized Team Activities today. The real offseason work can begin, although that's still subject to a lot of restrictions. Mostly this is a time for players to work on their technique and for coaches to work on installing their scheme. The Bucs will hold the first group of OTAs today and tomorrow, with a third practice scheduled for Thursday. Next week OTAs will run from May 29 through May 31. The third week of OTAs will run Monday June 3 to June 4 and Thursday June 6 to June 7. The Bucs will hold their mandatory minicamp from June 18 through June 20, which should be followed shortly by training camp. These are the limitations the Buccaneers have to work with, as specified in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. During Phase Three, all coaches shall be allowed on the field. No live contact is permitted. No one-on-one offense vs. defense drills are permitted (i.e., no offensive linemen vs. defensive linemen pass rush or pass protection drills, no wide receivers vs. defensive backs bump-and-run drills, and no one-on-one special teams drills involving both offense and defense are permitted). Special teams drills (e.g., kicking team vs. return team) are permitted, provided no live contact occurs. Team offense vs. team defense drills, including all drills listed in Appendix G to this Agreement, are permitted, provided no live contact occurs. Clubs may require players to wear helmets; no shells are permit-ted during Phase Three of the Club's offseason workout program or any minicamp. In other words: no individual one-on-one drills, no live contact and no pads. The Buccaneers will have plenty of competition this offseason, though mostly for backup position. Who will be the Bucs' starting tight end, their third cornerback and their third wide receiver? And, of course, there's the overblown but still somewhat real quarterback controversy. Check out our section with position-by-position previews for more analysis of the various position groups. We'll have any and all OTA-related news for you as it comes out. Reporters won't have much access to the practice field, but we'll still scour the internet and all reports to get you the information you crave, because there's no thing like being incredibly obsessive over meaningless, pad-free practices. That's what we do! Read more: Training camp preview: wide receivers Schiano says Glennon can win the starting job Twitter doesn't like Schiano anymore Freeman ranks 25th for NFL.com

Kaufman: Pressure building in NFC South | TBO.comWinning in this division will be tough. Bucs' Joseph working hard for Tampa's youths | TBO.comHurray for Joseph. Bucs seek answers as workouts near | Tampa Bay TimesWhat to look for during OTAs. Tom Brady more confident than ever as New England Patriots need him more than ever - NFL - Peter King - SI.comMMQB always worth a read. Super Bowl L: San Francisco in 'the driver's seat' - NFL.comRaymond James Stadium seems to be completely out of the rotation. NFL news roundup: Chargers sign Dwight Freeney, Willie Colon thinks Mike Goodson will be released - SBNation.comNews roundup.

On the roster: Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, Jheranie Boyd, Chris Denton, David Douglas, Jerry Johnson, Kevin Ogletree, Chris Owusu, Eric Page, Steve Smith, Tiquan Underwood, Tim Wright The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two outstanding starters in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, but as with seemingly every position on offense they lack quality depth. That's not because of a lack of wide receivers, though. They have more than a few of those. It's just that most of them lack the quality to make an impact. Who will be number three? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't necessarily looking for a slot receiver, but they do need someone to be the third wide receiver on passing downs. The Bucs like to move Vincent Jackson inside to the slot to take advantage of matchups and attack the middle of the field, so the receivers will have to show that they can play on the outside as well as the inside. Last year, Tiquan Underwood won that job, but that was mostly due to a lack of competition. After all, he was initially cut before being re-signed two weeks into the season. In the end he managed to grab 28 passes for 425 yards but seemed to struggle with the complicated Tampa Bay offense. More than once the receiver ran one route, while Josh Freeman anticipated a different route. He'll have to sort that out to hang on to his spot. Kevin Ogletree was brought in to earn that third receiver spot, but he hasn't exactly been productive. He managed 32 catches for 436 yards and four touchdown last season with the Dallas Cowboys, but was far from a consistent producer for Tony Romo. To be fair, he was the fourth target in an offense that featured Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Miles Austin, so there weren't many balls to go around. The third player who may find himself with this job is former New York Giant Steve Smith. He will be most familiar with the Buccaneers' offense, owing to his previous work with offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan. Unfortunately the former Pro Bowler suffered a knee injury in 2010 and hasn't been productive since then. He has managed just 18 games over the past two seasons due to injury and poor play, catching a dismal 25 passes for 255 yards. Getting back to his former form looks like a very long shot, but if he can do it, he could be a very valuable contributor. The Big Guys Wide receivers with good size are always intriguing, even more so if they have some speed to go with it. The Bucs have a few of those players on the roster aside from Vincent Jackson. Rutgers rookie Tim Wright has great size at 6'4", 220 lbs but ran just a 4.65 40-yard dash at his pro day, per nfldraftscout.com. Jerry Johnson out of UCLA may be more intriguing at 6'3", 207 lbs and a 4.5 4--yard dash at his pro day, again according to nfldraftscout.com. Finally, 6'1", 187 lbs. Jheranie Boyd offers some decent size with a 4.43 40-yard dash. Speed and size is always a good combination, and he also put up stellar vertical jump and broad jump numbers. Boyd hasn't produced much in college, in part due to an injury as a senior, but he appears to have the athletic traits to become a possible surprise producer for the Buccaneers. The Small Guys Those small receivers often end up playing in the slot, using their short-area quickness to elude linebackers and produce after the catch. The Bucs have a number of guys who could play that role: Eric Page, Chris Denton, Chris Owusu and the aforementioned Steve Smith could all function in such a role. All of them measure 6'0" or less. There's also 6'1" David Douglas who I can't really fit in with either group, so I'll just talk about him here, too. Eric Page was tremendously productive in college, but played at lowly Toledo. He produced three consecutive seasons with over 1,100 yards receiving, although his per-catch average dropped from 14.1 in 2009 to 11.2 in 2010 and just 9.5 in 2011. Still, add in good production as a kick returner with four career kick return touchdowns and he may have a shot to make