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Midweek Analysis: Midterm Report Card

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 1, 2007

Report Card: Your Midseason Grades

TAMPA – The experts were wrong. A couple of them were anyway. With eight games left to play and four victories already in the bank, the 2007 Bucs are sure to post a better record than the 5-11 marks that Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News predicted for them.

The eternal optimists were wrong, too. Most of them were anyway. With eight games left to play and four losses already in the bank, it seems unlikely the Bucs will finish with the 10-6 or 11-5 mark that so many wished and hoped they'd post this year.

The Bucs, it turns out, are a team that can be found somewhere between those two extremes. They're not a brutal team as some suggested they would be, but they're not a great team either. So, for those of you who had them going either 7-9, 8-8 or 9-7, pat yourselves on the back.

You looked at the Bucs objectively, took into account the improvements they've made, the losses they've suffered, threw in a victory or two on good breaks, a loss or two on bad breaks and came up with the right answer for what the Bucs will be this year, which is better.

Not significantly better, but better. And, at the midway point of the season, that's exactly what the Bucs are. They've already matched last year's victory total, so in terms of wins and losses, this season figures to be an improvement over last year.

Whether it will be a significant improvement remains to be seen. Certainly the opportunity is there for that. After all, the Bucs still have a chance to win their division and make the playoffs. That would certainly constitute a significant improvement.

So, too, would earning passing grades in all areas of the game. What follows then is a position-by-position midterm report card on the Bucs. And please keep in mind that we don't grade on a curve. This isn't golf. The NFL doesn't give you a field goal to start games with because you've lost your top running back.

Quarterbacks: For six weeks Jeff Garcia played near flawless football. He threw the ball accurately, made sound decisions with the ball and didn't turn it over. Then his play slipped. He got sloppy against the Lions and wasn't very sharp against the Jaguars. The result was two losses, and while we're not pinning those losses on Garcia, they stand as an example of how important his level of play is to the Bucs' cause. When Garcia is on, the Bucs have a very good chance of winning. When he's not, their chances slip drastically. The record is indicative of that, and it's a good thing Garcia has been good more than he's been bad. Take those last two outings away and his grade is an A. Those last two outings, however, dropped his mark to B-.

Running backs: The loss of Cadillac Williams was not the worst thing to happen to the Bucs this year. It forced them to lean more on Earnest Graham, and Graham has been one of the best surprises of the season. He's proven to be a powerful runner (especially near the goal line) and an even more effective pass catcher. The Bucs are truly going to have some tough decisions to make when it comes to distributing the ball when Michael Pittman comes back because both he and Graham have a knack for making good yardage in the passing game. Michael Bennett has broken free for some large gains and B.J. Askew has done nothing but make you wish he'd get the ball more whenever he's touched it. This is proving to be a legitimate area of strength for the Bucs, even without Williams. Grade: B

Receivers: Opposing defenses have taken Joey Galloway out of the equation on a couple of occasions, but he remains one of the league's best deep targets. He needs to eliminate the occasional drop, but he stretches defenses and opens room for other receivers. Ike Hilliard has been a pleasant surprise. He's playing like he's 21, not 31, making tough catches and important gains. He's had a couple of critical drops, too, but overall he's probably been the Bucs best receiver this year. Hilliard wouldn't be playing as much as he is if Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall were playing better. Clayton continues to struggle and now he's hurt (again). Stovall slipped badly after a very intriguing training camp, but he showed some promise in the game last week against Jacksonville. It could be that he's a game-day player and not a practice player, much like Gaines Adams. Either way, his play and that of Clayton drops the overall grade for this group. Galloway and Hilliard are worthy of Bs. Mostly because of Clayton but also because of Stovall, the group grade is C.

Tight ends: Alex Smith is starting to emerge as a more regular target, especially in the red zone. His blocking has improved as well. He seems to be on the verge of becoming an all-around tight end. Anthony Becht is being used less and less as a pass catcher, but that's partly because he's the group's best blocker. He can still get out into a route and make a catch, but the Bucs need him inside protecting the quarterback. Jerramy Stevens has overcome a lot of off-field problems to make a solid contribution this year. He's not the toughest player on the field, but when he's been called on he's gotten the job done as a pass catcher. Grade: C

Offensive line: If ever there was a place to grade on a curve, this would be it. This group is very young and inexperienced, but the league doesn't ask its defenders to go easy because the guys across the line are still learning. If anything, some guys go harder. If that's been the case against the Bucs, though, you wouldn't know it. This group has been inconsistent, blocking well for the run one game but poorly the next and pass protecting well one game but poorly the next. With a group this young, though, that's to be expected. Overall the play here has been solid. Rookie LG Arron Sears has not looked out of place or overmatched and neither has first-year starting LT Donald Penn. RG Davin Joseph and RT Jeremy Trueblood continue to learn the league and get better. This group is arguably the best reason to be optimistic about the Bucs offensive future. We have no idea who the quarterback, running back or top wide receiver will be when this team gets really good again, but you can pretty much bet that, barring injury, Penn, Sears, Joseph and Trueblood will make up four-fifths of the offensive line. Grade: C+

Defensive line: We've got a bit of a mixed bag here. The pass rush really hasn't been as good as the Bucs need it to be, and the effort against the run has only occasionally been what the Bucs are looking for. That said, Jovan Haye has given the Bucs their best under tackle play since Warren Sapp, and Greg Spires has been very strong as both a run stopper and pass rusher. Kevin Carter and Chris Hovan have been solid as well, but Gaines Adams has been a disappointment. Greg White has the ability to really pressure a passer and Greg Peterson could eventually develop into an every down player, but neither has stood out as an elite talent. The Bucs do, however, have more talent and depth here than they do at a lot of places. Too bad the production level has been a bit of a disappointment. Grade: C

Linebackers: Barrett Ruud has been the Bucs' best defender, this despite the fact he's nursing a sore knee that figures to keep bothering him until he can take several weeks off in a row. Derrick Brooks has missed a tackle or two but overall he's playing better than he did a year ago, when he made the Pro Bowl. If he keeps it up he'll go back – this time on merit. Cato June has made this group better and he's playing so well that Brooks is coming off the field on occasional passing downs. Ryan Nece has accepted his role as a backup and special teams contributor like a pro. You can say the same for Jeremiah Trotter, who may be wondering why he bothered to sign with the Bucs. Grade: B+

Cornerbacks: Ronde Barber continues to cover well on the edge and play like a linebacker in the nickel defense. He's also the most stand-up guy in the locker room. Win or lose, if you want to hear it straight, with no sugar added, go to Barber. He always tells it like it truly is. Phillip Buchanon has some thinking Brian Kelly is in his last days as a Buccaneer. He's as good a cover man as the Bucs have and he's finally figured out the fine art of tackling. Kelly hasn't played very much but he's been solid (as always) when he has played. He's done nothing really to warrant losing his job but he has to find a way to stay healthy. If he can do that, this will remain one of the Bucs' areas of strength. Grade: B

Safeties: This is the most improved unit on the team. The safeties alone got torched for a lot of big plays last year because their tackling was deficient and their coverage skills had slipped. This year, however, Jermaine Phillips is hitting hard, making plays and covering well. The same can be said for rookie Tanard Jackson, who has pushed former starter Will Allen to the sideline. The depth here is very good, largely because secondary coach Raheem Morris has found a way to bring out all the talent his players possess. Grade: B+

Coaching: It may not result in a trip to the playoffs, but Coach Jon Gruden is having one of his best coaching years ever. He's softened on the shotgun, which has worked to the Bucs' advantage; he's sticking with the running game when he falls behind; and he's consistently finding ways to get the matchups he wants through his play calling. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is having one of his best years as well. It's not easy to get three new assistant coaches and half a dozen or more new players all in tune with your system in a short period of time, but he's done it. He's also adapted well to the personnel he has by adding some new wrinkles that help to make up for the lack of elite-level pass rushers. That's the sign of a good coach. Grade: A

Special teams: The Bucs have done an excellent job of covering kicks this year but they're 24th in the league in average start following a received kickoff. They're in the middle in punt return average and punt coverage and place kicker Matt Bryant ranks in the middle of the leading scorers among kickers, having missed two of his 14 field-goal tries. Josh Bidwell has done an adequate job as a punter, averaging 43.4 yards gross per kick, but he's dropped just nine of 37 punts down inside the 20 and drilled six into the end zone for touchbacks, third most in the league. Overall, it's been average year for the special teams: Grade: C

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com

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