Possible surprises and disappointments for the 2018 Buccaneers

Training camp is just around the corner as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin to prepare for the 2018 regular season. The rookies will report on July 23rd Authentic DeSean Jackson Jersey , while the veterans will report on July 25th. The first practice is scheduled for July 26th. Every year, there are always surprises with certain teams, whether it be a player who outperformed expectations, or a player who underperformed. It’s almost certain Tampa Bay will have a few names on each side of the spectrum, and I am here to give my predictions on who may fall in these categories. The first person I expect to exceed expectations is Vinny Curry. Curry is heading into his first season as a Buccaneer after spending the first six years of his career in Philadelphia. There are a few reasons why I think Curry will exceed expectations. The first being that he simply didn’t have a great opportunity to rush the passer the last few seasons because of the depth on the Eagles defensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, Curry ranked fifth among right defensive ends in total pressures with 45 and he did so in a lot less snaps than the players ahead of him. Curry did only have three sacks last season, but stats don’t always tell the full story and in this case they didn’t. In addition to his three sacks, Curry added 17 quarterback hits, which was a career high for him, per PFF. The second reason I expect him to exceed expectations is because I really think that he will be able to exploit one-on-one matchups on the outside with Gerald McCoy and possibly even Jason Pierre-Paul constantly seeing double teams. When you take into account that Curry will be playing a lot more critical snaps then he did last season, it’s hard to imagine him not having an increase in all statistical categories. I think a fair expectation is somewhere between 6-8 sacks and 34-38 tackles. Both would be a huge increase from last season. The second player who has a chance to exceed expectations in my opinion is Carlton Davis. Davis, to me, should be the starter opposite of Brent Grimes on the outside from day one. I think the Buccaneers know that Vernon Hargreaves III is better off in the slot, which really gives Davis the inside path during training camp to start on the outside. He is a big physical press corner who will succeed if the Buccaneers allow him to play his style. Davis accumulated some impressive stats per PFF during his 2017 season at Auburn. One thing I really like about Davis is his position flexibility. He isn’t the type of corner to just play on one side of the field. During 2017, Davis took 164 snaps on the right side and 180 snaps on the left side. That type of versatility is key because it allows Tampa Bay to be much more creative with their schemes. Davis allowed a 25.0% contested catch rate, which was good for the third lowest amongst the 2018 draft class. PFF also graded Davis as the 8th best cornerback in the class and he only allowed a catch on 49.1% of the passes thrown this way. With the league becoming very pass heavy, Davis has a chance to shine from day one. I expect him to take full control of his opportunity and cement himself as the team’s future No. 1 cornerback. You never want to think about possible disappointments, but it’s inevitable, especially with these Buccaneers. A player who could be a disappointment is Demar Dotson. Dotson has been a Buccaneer for his whole career and has done a pretty solid job of stabilizing the right tackle position for many years, but injuries have started to take their toll. Dotson has not played a full season since 2014, which should concern Tampa Bay as they head into the season. Despite the injuries, when healthy, Dotson has been a very good right tackle and puts up impressive numbers. According to PFF, Dotson was the 8th best tackle last season with an overall grade of 14.1. That includes both left and right tackles. Of course, Dotson did miss several games, but 11 games is a pretty decent sample size. For those wondering, that overall grade has pass blocking, run blocking, screen blocking and penalties factored into it. It would be great if Dotson can stay healthy, but I’m not betting on it and that’s why I think he will be a disappointment. His knees are shot and there are only so many more snaps the soon to be 33-year-old has left in him. I think we will see Caleb Benenoch and Alex Cappa starting on the right side of the offensive line come late November. The second player who could disappoint is DeSean Jackson Adam Humphries Jersey , again. Clearly last year was a let down and I feel like this year has the makings of another let down. There have been talks of the team moving Jackson into the slot and letting Chris Godwin start opposite of Evans, but nothing is set in stone as of now. Of course that will all be handled during training camp.Jackson is still one of the fastest receivers in the league, so it isn’t his ability that has me concerned, it’s the coaching staffs ability to put him in the best possible position to succeed. Not only does Jackson need targets, but so does Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, Ronald Jones and Adam Humphries. It’s going to be tough to manage, but the most important thing will be allowing Jackson to work in space and eventually completing the deep ball. Time will tell on whether the coaching staff with solve this puzzle.Buccaneers of the Week: at New Orleans After every game, we’ll break down the Buccaneers’ top five players of the week. Point values will be distributed to each, which will then be added up for our weekly Buccaneers of the Week Standings.The Buccaneers opened their 2018 season on Sunday with a 48-40 shootout win in New Orleans over the Saints. The victory improved Tampa Bay to 3-0 in season openers under head coach Dirk Koetter and set the team up well for its final two games without starting quarterback Jameis Winston. Let’s get right into our top five Bucs from week one.No. 5: Vernon Hargreaves III (One point)There wasn’t a lot to love about the Buccaneer defense on Sunday, but third-year cornerback Vernon Hargreaves had a pretty solid day. The pass defense as a whole was a problem, but Hargreaves was a consistent bright spot throughout the afternoon. He finished third on the team in tackles with seven (six solo), forced a fumble (that was returned for a touchdown by Justin Evans) and a pass breakup. None of the Saints’ explosive plays seemed to come at the expense of VH3, which can’t be said about too many other guys in the defensive backfield.Hargreaves’ versatility was a plus on Sunday, as he was able to rotate between the outside and slot positions as needed. His strong day was huge for Tampa Bay, especially considering the absence of veteran Brent Grimes. Hargreaves did leave with an injury after his pass breakup, so his status for next week is uncertain as of now. But as far as week one, he earned a spot in these initial standings.No. 4: Offensive Line (Two points)As a group, the offensive line was extremely effective on Sunday. The Bucs made some changes to the unit in the offseason, signing center Ryan Jensen, moving Ali Marpet from center back to guard and cutting J.R. Sweezy. It’s only been one game, but those moves look pretty good so far. The o-line was especially good in pass protection, allowing no sacks while holding up strong enough to allow Ryan Fitzpatrick to have a career day. Fitzpatrick doesn’t have as much success and the Bucs don’t put up 48 points without that quality play from the guys up front.Run-blocking was a little more hit-or-miss, but the group did what it had to do in that area. Peyton Barber found some holes in the first half to establish a run game that complemented the air attack. Per Greg Auman of The Athletic, the Bucs had 115 rushing yards on 30 carries, save for the kneel-downs in the final minutes: That was more than enough to get the job done in a game that included so much success through the air. With that effort and their excellent pass protection, the big men make an early debut in the Bucs of the Week standings.No. 3: DeSean Jackson (Three points)DeSean Jackson’s first season with the Bucs was a disappointing one. That, combined with the emergence of Chris Godwin Demar Dotson Jersey , made the veteran somewhat of an afterthought heading into the 2018 season. Very early in Sunday’s game, he made a statement. After Tampa Bay fell behind 7-0, Jackson blew right past a defender to get open for a 58-yard game-tying touchdown. His day wasn’t over there. He ended up catching all five of his targets 146 yards and two touchdowns. D-Jax’s ability to be a deep threat was something that drew Tampa Bay’s interest before the 2017 season. He and Jameis Winston failed to get on the same page for much of last season, which led to a dip in production. During training camp and the preseason, both Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick seemed to develop a better connection with Jackson. In Fitzpatrick’s case, it has clearly translated. Unfortunately, Jackson suffered a concussion late in the game. The Bucs are surely hoping his absence isn’t a long one, especially after Sunday.No. 2: Mike Evans (Four points)It was hard not to place DeSean Jackson at the No. 2 spot on this list, but Mike Evans’ one extra yard was the difference. Okay, no. But really, Evans claims this spot—even somewhat controversially— due to his competition. Going up against Marshon Lattimore and owning him the way he did was one of the more overlooked stories of Sunday’s game. Evans is one of the game’s top receivers, but had struggled against Lattimore last year and against the Saints as a whole throughout his career. He broke out of that on Sunday in a huge way. The Texas A&M product, fresh off signing a contract extension this offseason, caught all seven of his targets against New Orleans for 147 yards and a touchdown. A 50-yard touchdown catch in which he beat Lattimore was the highlight of his day, but the performance as a whole was a big reason for Tampa Bay’s win. The Bucs have a lot of talent at receiver, but if they’re going to live up to their full potential as an offense, they’re going to need Evans to be at his best. He was at his best on Sunday, that’s for sure. No. 1: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Five points)There was never a doubt as to who would claim the full five points in these standings this week, right? Ryan Fitzpatrick, at 35 years old, looked like the league’s best quarterback on Sunday. New Orleans’ defense didn’t look remotely ready for Fitzmagic to come out in full force. The veteran, playing in place of the suspended Jameis Winston, did much more than what was expected of him. He could’ve just come in, managed the game and dipped out after three games. That clearly isn’t his mindset.In the opening game of his 14th NFL season, Fitzpatrick set a new career-high for passing yards with 417. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for one, lowering his shoulder at the goal line to put the Bucs ahead in the first quarter. He was on fire all day, even picking up a clutch first down late in the fourth quarter by scrambling for 12 yards on 3rd & 11. Fitzpatrick was the man on Sunday, giving him the top spot on this week’s list.Updated Buccaneers of the Week Standings through week one:Ryan Fitzpatrick— 5 pointsMike Evans— 4 pointsDeSean Jackson— 3 pointsOffensive Line— 2 pointsVernon Hargreaves— 1 point