Tampa Bay Buccaneers

How different would your opinion of Josh Freeman be if he ended the season with an eight-game stretch where he threw for 17 touchdowns, 2,074 yards, 3 interceptions at 7.5 yards per pass attempt after two four-interception games earlier in the season? I know the answer to that question: Freeman would be seen as someone who had turned the corner, who was going to be a star in this league and who was emerging as a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for Freeman, he posted those numbers from game six through game thirteen, rather than the final three games. Human beings suffer from many cognitive biases, and one of them is called the recency effect: more recent events are easier to recall and tend to dominate human memory over older memories. In the case of Josh Freeman's 2013 season, his three-game late-season stretch is easier to recall than the preceding seven-game stretch I just described. During those three games, Freeman passed for 873 yards at 6.4 yards per attempt, amassing just two touchdowns against a whopping 9 interceptions. Those numbers are bad, obviously. But the fact that those games occurred at the end of the season isn't particularly relevant. The problem with narratives The human mind loves stories, and it creates them easily from just a few facts. Narratives are great: they make for exciting, enjoyable reads and are a crucial part of why we enjoy sports. The underdog story, chasing a championship, the fourth-quarter comeback: they're all stories we create in our consumption of sports. Unfortunately, objective analysis is rather hard when trying to frame everything as a story. This is what happens with quarterbacks, though. They're termed 'clutch', or 'winners', or 'chokers'. Everything focuses on clutch performance and performance under pressure. This is how Tom Brady is seen as the ultimate winner, while Peyton Manning sometimes is still seen as someone who can't handle pressure. This despite the fact that Peyton Manning has won more Super Bowls than Tom Brady in the past eight years. Bill Barnwell did a great job deconstructing this narrative. After the 2010 season, Josh Freeman was the comeback kid. He had posted a league-leading five fourth-quarter game-winning drives. He had seemingly won 10 games all by himself, limiting turnovers throughout the game and then elevating his game to new heights in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers didn't make the playoffs, but that was just because of some bogus tiebreakers, of course. He was clutch! A winner! Hell, he posted a game-winning drive even in his first NFL game in 2009, giving the Bucs their first win after starting 0-7. Two seasons later, and the narrative has shifted. He can't handle pressure, doesn't win when it counts, can't bring his team to the edge. That is the new story of Josh Freeman's career. And yet, he is still the same player he was in 2009 and 2010. He hasn't changed. Only our framing of his career has changed. The new narrative of Freeman is inaccurate, but so was the 2010 narrative. The myth of "When it counts" Our love of stories has created one big myth: the myth of when it counts. The fourth-quarter comeback has been embedded in our memory. Story after story has been written about John Elway's comebacks. When you say "The Drive" or "The Catch" an image pops into your head: John Elway and Joe Montana, willing their teams to victory in a tough game. Games like that have elevated clutch performance and late-game drives to the epitome of quarterback play. These narratives are enthralling. They're part of what makes this game great. They're also bullshit. This should intuitively be true. Yes, performing in the clutch is obviously important when needed. But it's a lot more important to be able to score early in the game. Pull out to a three-score lead, and you can make the opponent one-dimensional. You dictate the pace of the game and the score early in the game reverberates throughout the game, making every subsequent play a little e

OTA Day 2 – Ready to play at the top of his game, Buccaneer linebacker Dekoda Watson is among those competing for the starting strongside linebacker role for the Buccaneers.

OTA Day 2 – Dashon Goldson adjusting well to life as a Buccaneer and picking up on the tempo, intensity and terminology at OTAs.

OTA Day 2 – Second-year cornerback Leonard Johnson is feeling more comfortable and confident than where he was last season and is excited to learn from the newly built secondary.

OTA Day 2 – Buccaneer wide receiver Tiquan Underwood feeling good and ready to compete with Kevin Ogletree, Steve Smith and new Buccaneer rookies during OTAs.

OTA Day 2 – Buccaneers Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Jay Butler and team moving on to phase three of the offseason workouts.

OTA Day 2 – Buccaneers Offensive Line takes the practice field for the first day of OTAs. Offensive Line Coach Bob Bostad hits on the progress the group is making from last season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in the middle of their offseason program, with OTAs having started this week. We have a reasonably clear picture of the Bucs' ultimate 53-man roster and we know That's as good a time as any to give us your prediction on the season. So, give us yours. How many games will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win this year? Will the new additions of Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis push the Bucs over the top, or will they falter because of their pass rush, their offense or for some other reason? You can find the full schedule here for reference, but I replicated it below for your convenience. Week one, Sunday Sept. 9, 1 p.m.: at New York Jets Week two, Sunday Sept. 15, 4:05 p.m.: New Orleans Saints Week three, Sunday Sept. 22, 1:00 p.m.: at New England Patriots Week four, Sunday Sept. 29, 1:00 p.m.: Arizona Cardinals Week five: Bye week Week six, Sunday Oct. 10, 1:00 p.m.: Philadelphia Eagles Week seven, Sunday Oct. 20, 1:00 p.m.: at Atlanta Falcons Week eight, Thursday Oct. 24, 8:25 p.m.: Carolina Panthers Week nine, Sunday November 03, 4:05 p.m.: at Seattle Seahawks Week ten, Monday Nov. 11, 8 p.m.: Miami Dolphins (MNF) Week eleven, Sunday Nov. 17, 1:00 p.m.: Atlanta Falcons Week twelve, Sunday Nov. 24, 1:00 p.m.: at Detroit Lions Week thirteen, Sunday Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m.: at Carolina Panthers Week fourteen, Sunday Dec. 8, 1:00 p.m.: Buffalo Bills Week fifteen, Dec. 15, 1:00 p.m.: San Francisco 49ers Week sixteen, Dec. 22, 1:00 p.m.: at St. Louis Rams Week seventeen, Dec. 29, 1:00 p.m.: at New Orleans Saints Poll How many games will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win this season? 16 - Perfect season, baby! 15 - 1998 Vikings style 14 - The last two 14+ win teams lost their first playoff game 13 - Franchise record 12 - Matching 2002 11 - Division or Wild Card? 10 - Repeat of 2010? 9 - Outside shot at playoffs 8 - Not good enough 7 - Stagnant 6 - Regression 5 - Someone's getting fired 4 - Schiano's the someone 3 - Everyone's the someone 2 - How does this even happen? 1 - Clowney or Bridgewater 53 votes | Results

Addition of star DBs benefits Bucs' Mark BarronWell, that much seems obvious. Offseason Review: NFC South | National Football PostBucs are most improved. JoeBucsFan.com | Jonathan Casillas A Step Ahead From 2012 - Tampa Bay Bucs FootballHas had injury issues in the past. Bucs have high hopes for rookie DE Steven Means - Yahoo! SportsCan he match those hopes? JoeBucsFan.com » Blog Archive » Crabtree Talks Talent, Twitter & Labels - Tampa Bay Bucs FootballCrabtree interview. Bucs OTA Practice Report 5-20: Defense | Pewter ReportMore OTA reports from Pewter Report. Patriots, Cowboys and Rams spent the most guaranteed money on undrafted rookie free agents | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports CanadaThe Bucs spent a decent amount, too. Bucs QB Controversy Media-Driven or Schiano Stirring the Pot? | Sports Talk Florida | When you gotta knowJenna Laine talks Freeman. Is Josh Freeman Just An Average Quarterback? | Sports Talk Florida | When you gotta knowMike Tanier talks Freeman. Teams not buying 'Easter Bunny' excuse for moving NFL Draft to May - Don Banks - SI.comObviously that excuses is nonsense. NFL draft shouldn't be moved, despite increased hype it will bring - NFL - Peter King - SI.comThere's no good reason to move it, but the arguments against moving it are pretty weak, too. NFLPA Rookie Premiere: Learning the business of playing football - SBNation.comGood stuff from the rookies, here. Charles Woodson officially a Raider once again - Silver And Black PrideHah. Well done, Raiders fans. Detroit Lions likely to start college football bowl game - SBNation.comThe Lions Bowl? That would be weird . Philadelphia Eagles get league backing for stadium revitalization project - Bleeding Green NationBoo, Eagles. Microsoft, NFL announce wide-ranging partnership - SBNation.comWe'll see how this works out. Probably just overhyped. Jason Garrett isn't coaching for his job, says Jerry Jones - SBNation.comHahahahaha sure. Miami loses Super Bowl bid, what's next? - SBNation.comNo Super Bowl for you. NFL selects Santa Clara for Super Bowl 50, Houston for Super Bowl 51 - SBNation.comTampa has given up. Jets could decide between Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith before training camp - SBNation.comThat's early. NFL news: San Francisco and Houston get Super Bowls, Tony Romo has surgery and more - SBNation.comRoundup. Can Andy Dalton shed the 'average QB' label? | SportsonEarth.com : Mike Tanier ArticleWhat is an average QB, anyway? Stadium innovations a priority to NFL ownersImproving the stadium experience.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports One thing most elite athletes have in common, is supreme confidence. Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis is no exception, as his confidence has never wavered throughout his ACL rehab. The talented corner recently said that, “the first time I step out there, I’ll be fine,” but is Revis getting ahead of himself? Some might argue that he is, because how can you really predict how a surgically repaired knee will hold up in a game? While it is possible that Revis could lose a step, I’m not counting on it. The combination of modern medicine and Revis’ natural physical ability, will get him through this injury and recovery. The ACL reconstruction procedure is as effective as its ever been, and players in all sports are showing the ligament tear is now merely a bump in the road. Revis will beat this, and he’ll return to his All-Pro level, within the first few weeks of the season. There’s going to be some rust on the new Buccaneer, but Revis Island will be back. Bucs’ head coach Greg Schiano was right on the money when he remarked that a 85%-Revis, is better than most of the other corners in the league. When it comes to money, Tampa has that covered too. Worst case scenario if Revis’ knee doesn’t hold up, they don’t owe him a nickel in guaranteed money. Best case scenario, he doesn’t miss a beat, and they get the best CB in the NFL. Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter