After an offseason of drastic changes in both coaching and player personnel, the 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers still finished the year at 3-13 (1-7 home, 2-6 away). After dropping their first seven games, and being outscored 203-93, the Bucs showed considerable improvement, tightening the point gap to where they were only outscored by 49 points over their last nine games. Early on, it appeared quite possible that Tampa Bay may repeat Detroit’s 0-16 record from 2008, but they won in Week 9, and then again in two of their last three games, showing that perhaps there is a bright future for new Head Coach Raheem Morris and rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, since two of the their three victories came against the Packers and Super Bowl Champion Saints.

There were glimpses of hope on offense, as Freeman set a franchise rookie record with 1,857 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes, while the number one Bucs receiver, tight end Kellen Winslow, had 884 yards receiving, breaking the single-season franchise record for tight ends, previously marked by Jimmie Giles’ 786 yards in 1981. Winslow’s 77 receptions also set a team record for the tight end position. In the backfield, Cadillac Williams led the way with 821 yards and 4 touchdowns on 210 carries, but given that he more than doubled the output of Tampa’s next rusher this team should be looking for someone to help him out if they wish to improve for this season.

On special teams, kicker Connor Barth tied an NFL record with three field goals of 50+ yards in one game (Week 10 vs. Miami), while the Buccaneers also became first team in league history to have three different return specialists – Sammie Stroughter, Clifton Smith, Michael Spurlock – win NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Over on the defense, Tampa has a couple of good defensive backs; cornerback Aqib Talib tied a club record with three interceptions in one game (Week 4 vs. Washington) en route to also leading his team with 15 passes defended and 5 interceptions, while safety Tanard Jackson tied Talib for the lead in the interceptions column, returning two for touchdowns, in addition to his team-leading 3 forced fumbles. Linebacker Barrett Ruud had more tackles (142 – 107 solo, 35 assists) than anyone else by far while also chalking up 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception alongside fellow-LB and number two tackler Geno Hayes (98) who added 3 sacks in addition leading the way with 12 tackles for loss. Getting to the big boys up front, defensive ends Jimmy Wilkerson and Stylez White had nearly identical seasons; Wilkerson racked up 46 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 forced fumbles, while White added 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks (1st on team), and 2 tackles for loss. The foundation seems to be there for this team to build on.

Will this team be able to make the additions and adjustments needed to shake things up in 2010? Anything is possible in the modern NFL, so order your Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets today and look forward to the future when you are cheering the revitalized Bucs from your seat in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.