…And we’re back. After taking a few days to focus on the 2013 NFL scouting combine, “Shutdown Corner” resumes our look back at each team’s 2012 season and a look at what lies ahead for the 2013 offseason. We continue in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 2012 record : 7-9 What went wrong : Coming off a 2011 season where the Buccaneers lost 10 straight games, the Buccaneers opened the 2012 season on a bright spot, beating the Carolina Panthers and winning six of the first 10 games of the Greg Schiano era. A five-game losing streak from Nov. 25 to Dec. 23 ended any hopes the Buccaneers had of making the playoffs. The Buccaneers signed cornerback Eric Wright to a five-year, $37.5 million contract and invested the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft on safety Mark Barron, yet still finished the 2012 season as the 32nd-ranked pass defense, allowing 297.4 passing yards per game. The Buccaneers were also at the bottom of the NFL in terms of sacking opposing quarterbacks as their 27 sacks were tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the fourth-lowest total in the league. Though the offense ranked in the Top 10, quarterback Josh Freeman struggled in the second half of the season. In the final seven games, Freeman completed just 53 percent of his pass attempts and had more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (nine). Another disappointing aspect of the offense was the $33.785 million on guards Davin Joseph and Carl Nicks, but the pair of Pro Bowlers would combine for just 442 of 1,049 snaps on the season. Joseph was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season due to a broken kneecap, while Nicks tried to fight his way through a toe injury before he was placed on injured reserve in Week 9. What went right : The Buccaneers struck gold with first-round running back Doug Martin. The rookie from Boise State started all 16 games and finished in the Top 5 in the NFL with 1,454 rushing yards and was fifth in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. Martin also caught 49 passes for 472 yards and a touchdown and was third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,926. Another quality addition was wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who signed a five-year, $55.555 million contract in free agency and led the Buccaneers with 72 receptions for 1,384 yards. Jackson’s eight touchdowns were second to Mike Williams’ nine for the team lead. Williams also had a bounce-back season, catching 63 passes for 996 yards. According to Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted receiving DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) metric, Jackson (15th) and Williams (38th) both ranked in the Top 40 . Defensively, 2010 first-round pick Gerald McCoy finally avoided those fluky injuries to anchor a defense that ranked No. 1 against the run in 2012, allowing just 82.5 yards per game and 3.5 yards play. 2012 second-round linebacker Lavonte David was sensational, posting 139 tackles, including two sacks and 20 tackles for a loss. Second-year outside linebacker Mason Foster was second on the team (behind David) with 104 tackles, adding a pair of sacks and 13 tackles for a loss. Coaching/front office changes : Greg Schiano made five new additions for 2013, most notably the hiring of Dave Wannstedt to take over for Bob Ligashesky as the Buccaneers’ special teams coach. The Bucs also added John Garrett (quarterbacks), John McNulty (receivers), Robb Smith (linebackers) and Tony Oden (defensive backs). Estimated 2013 cap space : $30.562 million
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‘Shutdown Corner’ offseason TPS report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Shutdown Corner)
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