Bucs linebackers coming together, getting noticed

There was so much change from the end of last season for the Buccaneers. Look out on the field at One Buc Place at training camp and you see new receivers, defensive linemen, defensive backs, and even new coaches.

But then you look at the linebackers.

The Bucs didn't feel the need to make a lot of changes at that position. The same guys who ended last season as starters are still there and likely will be for a long while. Even as the rebuilding process swings into full force, they look at Barrett Ruud, Quincy Black and Geno Hayes as long-term answers.

"I'm hoping this is another golden era for linebackers on this team," linebackers coach Joe Baker said on a sweltering Wednesday afternoon at training camp, "I think it can be."

That's setting the bar pretty high, given Tampa Bay's history with linebackers. From Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles all the way back to Hugh Green and David Lewis, the Bucs have had their share of standout performers at the position. Frankly, a lot of people weren't so sure that chain remained unbroken as they watched the entire defense - linebackers included - stumble through the first half of the 2009 season.

"Last season, honestly, was kind of chaotic," Black said. "There's no hiding that."

There's also no hiding that to avoid a re-run of last season, players like Black and Hayes need to have production match expectations. Black is entering his fourth season, Hayes his third. That doesn't make them old by any stretch, but on a team with as much youth as the Bucs, it does put a load squarely on their shoulders.

So draw your own interpretation from how widely Ruud smiled when asked how far the linebackers are ahead of this time last year.

"Light years," he said. "It's night and day, it really is."

Sounds good, but perhaps we should ask a neutral third party. Greg Lloyd was an outstanding linebacker with Pittsburgh back in the day. He has been working with the Bucs in camp as part of an NFL internship for minority coaches.

"That overall unit is really, really clicking. They've bought into the system," he said. "This unit is fast! They are strong and they know what they're doing, they're clicking.

"I see positive things happening. This group is on the rise. With the young guys you have added to the core players, I see them sticking together for the next five or six years."

Hayes has gotten quite a bit of notice already and we know that Ruud has been a leader here for a while now. Coaches have been saying for a couple of years that Black can be an impact player. If that's finally happening, the rebuilding job on the defense could come much faster than perhaps first thought.

"I think those guys are both going to have really good years," Ruud said. "You can see how much more detailed they are, how much more they know the system and are comfortable.

"It has become second nature to them."

Speed has always been a trademark of Bucs linebackers (see Brooks, Derrick), so we kind of expect any unit put together to run the Tampa 2 will include fast players at that position. Lloyd sees more than just a track team with pads, though.

We offer the following quote from him for your consideration:

"You can see the maturity of this team. This team is led by Ruud, but I think you'll see No. 58 really start to take charge of the linebackers," Lloyd said. "This kid is a stud. He has everything it takes to be a linebacker, a Derrick Brooks type, he has it. I've seen this kid ask questions, correct coaches. He has so much talent."

No. 58 is Quincy Black.

That's high praise, but Lloyd didn't back off.

""I had no idea who these guys were before I came down, but they've got something special here, they really do," he said. "They can run, they can cover, and they have depth. When somebody goes down they have another guy to put in.

"This is a bunch of highly intelligent guys, from the guys they've drafted to the free agents. They're really putting in the work, too. I've seen some of them watching film when they could have been sleeping. They are on their P's and Q's as far as knowing where they need to be.

"To me, that's championship football."