Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tickets

2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Preview The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South last year, surprising all those critics who felt the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers would be the class of the division.

The Bucs certainly benefitted from major injuries to key players on both the Saints and Panthers, but Tampa Bay had plenty of hurdles to overcome themselves.

The biggest hurdle was the loss of running back Cadillac Williams, who tore ligaments in his knee and missed the rest of the season. Williams has been mostly a disappointment so far in his NFL career, but some felt 2007 would be his breakout season.

However, the loss of Williams became an opportunity for Earnest Graham, who went on to win the starting running back job and rush for over 1,000 yards. The result was a big pay day and contract extension for Graham in the offseason.

Williams is expected to be healthy at some point this year, so his return to the field would really add some depth to the backfield.

Veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia has done a great job of managing the game while running the West Coast offense. He missed a few games because of a back injury last year, but has managed to stay pretty healthy despite heading toward the big 40th birthday.

The backup quarterback situation is very muddled at this point, especially with Chris Simms demanding a trade because of a poor relationship with head coach Jon Gruden. Simms believes the relationship cannot be fixed, but Gruden doesn't believe there is a problem. My guess is this all gets worked out eventually.

Wide receiver Joey Galloway continues to show that age is just a number, as he went over 1,000 yards receiving yet again. Galloway's speed doesn't seem to have diminshed and he is clearly the team's top receiver.

The defense isn't as good as it was during their Super Bowl run, but it's still a pretty strong unit that can make big plays and stifle opposing offenses.

Linebacker Derrick Brooks isn't getting any younger, but he is still one of the top players at his position in the game. Safety Ronde Barber is one of the smartest players in the game and hasn't slowed down much either.

The Bucs are a pretty balanced team, but it would be pretty tough for them to win the division two years in a row. Their best bet is try and gain the last wild card spot, but even that might be a stretch.