2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section contains information about a future sporting event or team. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the event approaches and more information becomes available. |
| 2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head Coach | Jon Gruden |
| Home Field | Raymond James Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | TBD |
| Place | TBD |
| Playoff Finish | TBD |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2006 | 2008 |
The 2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season will be the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League. They will try to improve upon their 4-12 cellar finish in 2006 in the NFC South, and looking to get back to the playoffs, which they haven't done since 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Coaching staff
Head coach Jon Gruden will be entering his sixth year with the Bucs. He will be with Offensive Coordinator Bill Muir and Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin.
[edit] Offseason
The 2007 offseason proved to be productive for the Buccaneers. GM Bruce Allen and head coach Jon Gruden had approximately 24 million dollars in cap space with which to manuever during free agency. They made a splash on the first day of free agency by signing two quarterbacks: Jeff Garcia and UFA from the Eagles and Jake Plummer in a trade for a conditional pick in the 2008 draft (believed to be a 4th round selection if Plummer played). Controversy soon followed as Plummer announced his retirement on the same day, citing his health and his lack of a desire to compete for a job and learn a new system. Many believed that Plummer was simply trying to retire so that he could later unretire and play for the Houston Texans led by his former coach Gary Kubiak, under whom Plummer played his best 3 years of football. The league reviewed the trade to make sure that Plummer had not retired before the trade (a retired player cannot be traded), but he had not and his rights officially belong to the Buccaneers. Other free agent losses and signings are as follows:
Signings
- New York Giants OT Luke Petitgout, signed after being waved by his former team due to medical reasons.
- Miami Dolphins UFA DE Kevin Carter, a questionable signing because many believe that Carter's best years are behind him. He is a former Pro Bowler, but is currently 34 years old, and has underachieved in his last couple of seasons.
- Indianapolis Colts UFA LB Cato June who was selected to the Pro Bowl two years ago and is considered one of the better cover LBs in the league. Many consider him to be the heir apparent to Derrick Brooks.
- New York Jets UFA FB B.J. Askew, many believe that he is the heir apparent to fan favorite Mike Alstott.
- Denver Broncos UFA DE/LB Patrick Chukwurah who had 4.5 sacks last season off of the bench. He is reunited with his former defensive coordinator, the current Buccaneers Defensive Line Coach, Larry Coyer.
- San Francisco 49ers UFA CB Sammy Davis, a former first round pick by the San Diego Chargers. He will join a seemingly solid secondary, featuring Pro Bowlers Ronde Barber, Brian Kelly, as well as Juran Bolden and recently re-signed and also former first round pick, Phillip Buchanon.
- San Francisco 49ers UFA DT Lance Legree, who has recorded 138 tackles and seven sacks in 76 games, including 25 starts.
- DT Kenny Smith, who was out of football last season, but spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints and one year with the Oakland Raiders, totaling 69 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks.
- New Orleans Saints UFA WR Levon Thomas who spent most of his time on the practice squad after being signed as an UFA by the Indianapolis Colts following the 2005 NFL Draft.
Losses
- The key loss for the Buccaneers was standout DE and former second round pick, Dewayne White who left to sign with his former DL Coach, the current head coach of the Detroit Lions, Rod Marinelli. Many have questioned why the Buccaneers let him go with such a high amount of cap room.
- Versatile Lineman Sean Mahan left to join the Pittsburgh Steelers to reunite with another former Tampa Bay coach, Mike Tomlin. It is believed that he will compete for the Center position with the Steelers.
Re-signings
After brief stays on the open market, the Buccaneers re-signed CBs Phillip Buchanon and Torrie Cox, the latter known as a special teams standout. They also re-signed fan favorite Mike Alstott to a one-year contract.
[edit] The 2007 NFL Draft
The Buccaneers were either to pick third or fourth in the draft, to be determined by a coin flip with the Cleveland Browns because the two teams had identical records and strength of schedule. Bucs GM Bruce Allen called heads and the coin landed tails, the Buccaneers are to pick fourth in the draft. In addition to their given picks, Tampa Bay also holds the Colts' second round pick, the 64th pick overall (because of a midseason trade for Anthony McFarland). They are also expecting a 6th round compensatory selection for S Dexter Jackson who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
[edit] Regular season
The 2007 NFL regular season schedule has not yet been announced, but matchups were set at the end of the 2006 NFL regular season.
The Bucs 2007 regular season opponents are as follows:
