6/13/13: The Bucs took a big risk and paid a big price by trading with the Jets for Darrelle Revis. Revis tore his ACL in a game against Miami last season. He has been doing his rehab and is on track for a recovery on time. The team is actually fully confident that he will be available for training camp and will not miss any regular season time. He has been running and cutting in workouts, so he should be good to go. Incidentally, the Bucs open up against Revis' former team the New York Jets in Week 1 of the season.

6/6/13: Some good news out Tampa. General Manager Mark Dominic and some prominent players will shave their heads in support of, and to raise awareness of, pediatric cancer. The GM is already on board, but the names of the players and others who may go bald have not been released. The team website promises that 'prominent players' will be involved. The head shaving will occur on Friday, May 7th. In a league where arrests, bankruptcy, and violence so often dominate the headlines, it is nice to see a positive story come out, and for a very worth cause.

5/30/13: Buc's left tackle Donald Penn has been a cornerstone since the John Gruden era. He has been a strong player, and is paid over $6 million per year to protect Josh Freeman (or whoever head coach Greg Schiano decides will play quarterback). At age 30, his job may be in danger. He struggles with his weight and has exceeded his contractually obligated weight restrictions. There has also been concerns about his work ethic. Since he was a holdover from the previous regime, this may be a year that he has to prove himself to Schiano in order to stay with the Bucs.

5/23/13: The Bucs are going to try to downplay it, but they may have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Of course, they are fortunate enough that the Jets are a complete quarterbacking trainwreck and will take most of the media attention. But new draftee Mike Glennon from North Carolina State has publicly come out with his bravado to be the starting quarterback. Incumbent Josh Freeman is on thin ice with head coach Greg Schiano, and is only signed through this season. This year may be a tryout for both QBs, with the winner staying on the team.

5/16/13: Tampa Bay just lost perhaps the greatest Buccaneer of all time, Ronde Barber. Barber is retiring now, but has spent his entire 16 year career with the franchise. He, along with Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch (under the guidance of former head coach Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin) built the Bucs from laughingstock to the best defense in the league - and eventually Super Bowl Champions. Barber made five Pro-Bowls and was All-Pro three times. Barber had a great career and may end up in Canton in just a few years from now.

5/9/13: The Bucs fans have always love Warren Sapp. They loved his trash talk, his swagger, and the way he terrorized opposing quarterbacks for years. Sapp anchored the Tampa defensive line from 1995-2003, made six pro bowls, won defensive player of the year, and even won a Super Bowl in 2002. Tampa lucked out in 1995 when Sapp's draft stock fell for marijuana use. The Jets passed on him and booed the Kyle Brady pick (always classy). Sapp is now a commentator on NFL Network. The Bucs are planning on retiring his number this year, number 99.

5/2/13: Tampa did not have a first round pick this year, trading away their No. 13 slot to the New York Jets for Darrelle Revis. The Bucs needed help in the secondary, considering they had the worst pass defense in the league last year. So considering Revis a number one pick, and the selection of Johnathan Banks (cornerback, Ole Miss) with the 11th pick of the second round, they improved the secondary. Tampa also selected NC State QB Mike Glennon in the third round. HC Greg Schiano is not sold on incumbant Josh Freeman, and this certainly makes Freeman play to keep his job this year.

4/25/13: The speculation is finally over as the Buccaneers and Jets finally finished up their trade for Darrelle Revis. The two teams have been talking about a deal for a number of weeks, and most experts believed (correctly) that it was just a matter of time. On Sunday, the sides agreed to ship Revis to Tampa in exchange for the Buc's first round pick (No. 13 overall) this week, and a conditional third or fourth rounder next year. Revis' presence will immediately help a poor, poor secondary that was simply the worst in the entire league last year.

4/18/13: Tampa still does not have the services of current Jets corner back Darrell Revis, at least not yet. But Revis is in New York for 'voluntary' workouts. Though everyone knows the real reason he is there is to collect his million dollar bonus. He did pass an MRI and has been cleared to run on his surgically repaired knee. Many peoople think that this may the last week that Revis is a Jet, and that he does have a deal worked out with Tampa for a long term contract at the money he wants. New York would be smart to trade him now, while he still has some value.

4/11/13: Tampa is still trying to get Darrelle Revis, the all pro corner back, from the New York Jets. Revis is balking at returning to the Jets facility for offseason workouts, preferring to stay and continue his rehab in Arizona. The Jets want him at the facility and are holding a reported $3 million workout bonus over his head. Tampa reportedly is now willing to surrender their first round pick to get Revis, but now the Jets want more. No one knows how this will exactly play out, but there is a good chance that Revis is shoring up a weak Bucs' secondary come September.

4/4/13: The Bucs need help in the secondary. Of that we can all agree. Tampa was at the bottom of the league statistically in terms of receptions and yards per catch allowed. They traded away their best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to the Patriots mid season because of off field issues. And losing him showed in the play. Now, they are trying to restructure cornerback Eric Wright's contract to avoid paying him nearly $8 million next season. There are still rumors of a Darrelle Revis trade, but if that were to happen, it probably would not occur until closer to the NFL draft.

3/28/13: The single legacy that former Buc's head coach Raheem Morris left was quarterback Josh Freeman. Morris and Freeman were both with Kansas State University at the same time, so Morris had a pretty good knowledge of Freeman. Then Morris was hired as the Buc's defensive backs coach. Then was quickly promoted to defensive coordinator when Monte Kiffen left. Then the team fired head coach John Gruden - all within a span of a few months. Tampa named Morris the head coach and he drafted Freeman. However, current head coach Greg Schiano is not married to Freeman, so the QB has one year to prove he is the man for the job.

3/21/13: The Bucs made a big splash last year by signing former San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson to a large multi-year free agent contract. His agreement is valued at $55,555,555.55 as a tribute to QB Josh Freeman who wears number 5. That signing worked out well. The Bucs traded their top cornerback Aqub Talib to the Patriots after yet another off field incident. Now they are trying to trade for Jets cornerback Darrell Revis. Revis wants a new deal (since it has been about 10 minutes since his last new deal), but so far there is no trade.

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3/14/13: Tampa wasted no time targeting the player they wanted. Once it came out that Dashon Goldson and the San Francisco 49ers could not reach a long term deal, the Bucs laid out the red carpet. The team sent their private jet to bring Goldson to Tampa on the first day of free agency and had him signed the following day. The safety signed a five year deal with the Bucs. He is nicknamed the "Hawk" because of his ball hawking ability, including 14 interceptions over the past four years as a starter. His presence immediately improves the worst secondary in the league and will help the Bucs compete against all the QBs in the NFC South.

3/7/13: Tampa has been conspicuously non-committal about the quarterback position next season. Head coach Greg Schiano did not fully endorse incumbant Josh Freeman last season. Freeman, through his agent, met with the team last week to discuss an extension, and the talks were characterized as "very productive". Freeman is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If the Bucs do not extend him, then they could franchise tag him next offseason, but that would cost an estimated $20 million for one season. If no deal gets done, then Freeman may be on a one year audition to save his job.

2/21/13: Tampa defensive end Da'Quan Bowers was arrested trying to board a plane in New York with a handgun in his carry-on baggage. Bowers is to be charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weopon in the second degree. This is the same charge that New York convicted Plaxico Burress on a few years ago, and he spent a couple years in prison. The big difference is that Burress shot himself and tried to cover up the injury while Bowers was just trying to board a plane. He could not have picked a worse place to do that in New York, and only time will tell if it derails his football career.

2/14/13: Tampa holds five of the first 125 picks in the NFL draft, and there is a strong feeling that defensive help will be the focus. The Bucs had the worst pass defense in the league, and only got worse after they traded Aqib Talib, their best cornerback, to the Patriots for a fourth round pick. They hired Tony Oden as the new defensive backs coach, making him the most important man at One Buccaneers Place for the next twelve months. Tampa looks like they will let QB Josh Freemen play through the end of his rookie contract and reassess whether he will be with the team long-term at the end of the 2013 season.

2/7/13: Tampa hired Tony Oden as the defensive backs coach. He replaces Ron Cooper who went across town to take the same position at University of South Florida (which is poorly named because Tampa is in west Florida). Oden served as DB coach for one year in Jacksonville. The Tampa job will be difficult. The secondary was routinely torched for big plays and the team traded away their best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to the Patriots for a fourth round pick after one too many off field incidents. There is some talent there, but the Bucs really need to rebuild the secondary as a whole.

1/31/13: Less than a decade ago the Bucs were known for an intense defense that featured Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch. These days their offense is getting more publicity. Vincent Jackson, the wide receiver signed in free agency, had a Pro Bowl year and put up great numbers. So, too, did rookie running back Doug Martin. There may be some question whether or not Josh Freeman is the long-term answer at QB, but it is the defense that the team has to address during the draft. Most notably, get some defensive backs so the opposition doesn't throw for 400 yards per game.

1/24/13: Vincent Jackson is headed to the Pro Bowl. Jackson fled San Diego primarily because his contract disputes with former GM A.J. Smith. He signed with Tampa last offseason and had an excellent season without any bad feelings toward management. Jackson is taking Detroit's all-world receiver Calvin Johnson's place on the NFC squad. Johnson is skipping the Pro-Bowl citing injury. By any stretch, Tampa getting a nod for a WR is cause to celebrate. Their most famous WR to date is probably Burt Emmanuel, who dropped a critical pass agains the Rams in the 1999-2000 NFC Championship Game.

1/17/13: The Bucs were 6-4 going into week 12. That put them in prime place for a wild card spot. Atlanta was routing the league at the time, so there was no real chance to win the NFC South, but three or four more wins would put them in strong position - especially when they had Panthers, Eagles, and Rams still on the slate. But the team faltered and los five of their last six. Now the Bucs need to assess their offseason needs. It all starts in the secondary. They had enough of Aqib Talib's offfield issues and traded him to New England. Anyone and everyone threw on Tampa, so solidfying the cornerback and safety positions must be priority one.

1/10/13: The Buccaneers drafted quarterback Josh Freeman in the first round with the intention of making him the franchise quarterback. Freeman will enter the final year of his rookie contract, but Tampa has no plans on discussing an extention at this time. In fact, Head Coach Greg Schiano has stated that he plans to bring in some competition at the QB position. The Bucs could elect to use their Franchise Tag on Freeman after next season, though that amount is currently estimated at $17 million. Expect Freeman to be on the roster next season, but maybe not as the starting quarterback.

1/3/13: Tampa finished up their season on a highnote, defeating their division rival Atlanta 22-17 in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons decided to play their starters in an effort to get the win even though they had already secured a bye week. Josh Freeman returned to form with 222 yards passing and touchdown, while Doug Martin rushed for over 140 yards and a score. Unlike last season, this team did not quit even when the losses started piling up. The Bucs were a wild card contender midway through the season, and look to be competitive in the 2013 season.

12/27/12: The Buc's turnover problems continued against the St. Louis Rams, which they paid for with a loss. The Rams forced four Josh Freeman interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by rookie cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Freeman threw for 372 yards and one touchdown, and wide receivers Mike Willams (132 yards, 1 TD) and Vincent Jackson (108 yards) both had big days. But ultimately the Rams defense was too much for the Bucs, who fell to 6-9 on the year and will play Atlanta in a meaningless game thiscoming Sunday to finish out the regular season.

12/20/12: Tampa was in the mix for a playoff spot a few weeks ago, but bad losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saintsended that dream. Last Sunday, the Bucs went to the Big Easy in what was expected to be a high scoring affair. It was, but was tremendously one-sided, as the Saints shut out the Bucs 41-0. Quarterback Josh Freeman threw for 279 yards, but had four interceptions, while LaGarrette Blount led the team in rushing with a paltry 25 yards. Super rookie Doug Martin managed only 16 yards on 9 attempts. The Bucs return home to face the St. Louis Rams, in a rematch of a classic NFC Championship Game from the 1999 season.

12/13/12: Tampa's faint playoff hopes likely died on Sunday when Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin caught the game winning touchdown as time expired. Tampa rallied from an early deficit to take a 21-10 lead late in the third quarter. But Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles drove the Eagles for two late touchdowns to steal a victory. The loss stunned the Bucs and it remains to be seen how the young team will react the rest of the season. Tampa's next game is Sunday at New Orleans, where the Saints are also realizing that they will probably not make the playoffs. But despite the records, these teams do not like each other, so expect another NFC South classic.

12/6/12: Perhaps the Bucs are just a year early. Tampa has been competitive all season, but the Denver Broncos simply had too much firepower for the young squad. The 31-23 loss ensured that the NFC South crown will go to Atlanta, as well and solidifying the Broncos as the AFC West champs. Josh Freeman threw from 242 yards and two TDs, but Doug Martin could only manage 56 yards on 18 carries against the stout Denver defense. Tampa still has a shot at a wild card position, and that starts next week when they host the struggling Eagles.

11/29/12: The Bucs have a very unusual team. The offense has been putting points on the board at a pace unprecedented for this franhise. The defense is among the best against the run, but is among the worst agaist the pass. Trading troubled cornerback Aqib Talib may be good in the long run, but right now they could use his cover skills. Tampa gave NFC South leader Atlanta all they could handle, and even had chances to win before falling 24-23. Tampa is still in the mix for a wild card spot, but needs a big victory in Denver this week.

11/22/12: The Bucs just keep winning, this time against divisional foe Carolina. The Tampa offense has clicked in the past three weeks, scoring over 27 against Oakland, San Diego and Carolina - including 42 against the Raiders. Quarterback Josh Freeman is showing the skills that made him a first round pick a few years ago, free agent signing Vincent Jackson is earning his keep, and rookie running back Doug Martin is showing that he may be the best first year rusher in the league. At 6-4, the Bucs will not catch the Falcons for the division, but have a strong chance of making the playoffs as a wild card.

11/15/12: The Bucs have been known for their defense since Tony Dungy was named coach in the early 1990's. Sure, there were some down years (like the 2011 campaign) where the defense was a liability, but on the whole, Tampa is known as a defensive team. So where is the recent offensive explosion coming from? The team is consistently topping 30 points, Josh Freeman looks sharp, Vincent Jackson is earning his contract, and Doug Martin is the best rookie running back this season. Tampa downed San Diego 34-24 last Sunday, but now must host the Falcons, who are coming off their first loss of the season.

11/8/12: Rookie running back Doug Martin single-handedly disected Oakland Raiders to the tune of 251 yards rushing and four touchdowns on Sunday. It was the largest rushing total in franchse victory, and led the Bucs to a 42-32 win over their Super Bowl opponent a several years ago. Martin had three touchdowns of over 45 yards in one half, a new NFL record, including one that went for 70 yards. The Buccaneers return to Tampa this week for a 1:00 pm game against the San Diego Chargers; a game that has Wild Card implications for both teams.

11/1/12: Well, no one saw this coming. The Bucs have historically struggled to score points, and this year was no exception. Then they got into a shootout against New Orleans in Week 7, which was considered a fluke because the Saints simply refuse to play defense. But the Bucs followed it up by dropping 36 points on Minnesota in the Thursday night game. And Minnesota does play defense. Rookie running back Doug Martin led the way with 214 yards (both rushing and receiving) and two touchdowns. Tampa can now afford to take a few extra days off before traveling to Oakland in Week 9.

10/18/12: The Bucs used their bye week well and rebounded from a disapointing last minute loss to Washington in Week 4 with a 38-10 thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs. Tampa controlled the game from the onset, and Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. Meanwhile, the Bucs defense smothered one of the league's best runningbacks, allowing Jamaal Charles only 40 yards on 12 carries. Tampa forced Brady Quinn to beat them, and he couldn't. Tampa is now 2-3, well behind the 6-0 Falcons, and hosts New Orleans in a division game this Sunday.

10/4/12: The Greg Schiano magic is quickly fading. After upsetting the Carolina Panthers in the opener, the Bucs have dropped the last three. They should have beaten the Washington Redskins in week 4, but allowed Robert Griffin III to build his Rookie of the Year credentials by allowing him to walk down the field and set up a game winning field goal at the end of the game. Tampa has week 5 off, which may be for the best. They need to rest up, practice, and regroup for two winnable games against Kansas City and New Orleans.

8/16/12: The big news out of Chargers camp is the broken collerbone of expected starting running back Ryan Matthews. Matthews has missed game time in every season of his career, and was already in danger of getting the dreaded fragile tag. This time, he got injured on his first play, and looks to be out four to six weeks. The injury could be very damaging for the Chargers and their fans, as well as the legions of fantasy football owners who drafted Matthews in the first round. The load will shift to Ronnie Brown, who is having a terrific training camp, and is fresh from essentially having last year off.

8/2/12: The Bucs are a lot of people's sleeper team for the 2012 season, but are still garnering a lot of attention. Rookie head coach Greg Schiano has been cited for running a much tougher camp than most in an attempt to change the culture at One Buccaneers Place - by all accounts, he is succeeding. One of the more interesting training camp battles is incumbant LeGarrette Blount vs. rookie (and first round pick) Doug Martin at running back. Martin is a small-tough Ray Rice-type who is having a great camp. Blount is more of a power back who has fallen out of favor with the fans. The reality is that they complement each other and could be a great combination.

7/26/12: Its tough to figure out where RB LaGarrett Blount fits into the Buc's plans these days. Tampa drafted Doug Martin, whom head coach Greg Schiano compares to Ray Rice, to be the primary ball carrier, though Martin rarely had 25 or more touches while at Boise State. Blount burst onto the scene in 2010 as a powerful back. Overtime, he fell out of favor with coaches and fans because of limited receiving abilities, not knowing the playbook, and fumble issues. He slimmed down for this season and still on the roster for now. Blount has talent, and if he has improved his weaknesses, could be a great complement for Martin.

5/22/12: Tampa Bay traded tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. to Seattle for a conditional late round pick. The Seahawks are Winslow's third team in the last three years. He was drafted 6th overall by Cleveland after a stellar collegiate career at the University of Miami. Winslow has had a solid if unspectacular pro career. This past season, he led th Bucs with 75 receptions and 763 yards, but scored only two touchdowns. The trade comes just days after he told a radio program that new coach Greg Schiano was 'kind of upset' that he was not working out with the team. Tampa signed Dallas Clark to replace him.

5/16/12: Not too long ago, the Buccaneers boasted the most feared defense in the league. That unit, led by Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Warren Sapp, popularized Cover 2 (Tampa 2), laid the blueprint for slowing (no one could stop) the Greatest Show on Turf of the St. Louis Rams, and won a Superbowl. A decade later, being on this unit is a fearful proposition. Second-round pick from 2011, defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, tore his right Achilles tendon and is lost for the upcoming season. Last season Andrew Economos tore an Achilles. DT Gerrald McCoy, tore his left and right biceps in each of the past two seasons.

5/11/12: The big signing this week at One Buc Place was not star wide receiver Vincent Jackson or All-Pro Guard Carl Nicks, or even either first round draft picks Mark Barron or Doug Martin. It was the ceremonial contract for Eric LeGuard. Rookie head coach Greg Schiano coache LeGuard at Rutgers when he was tragically paralyzed in 2010. Schiano is trying to change the culture in Tampa afte the team quit on former coach Raheem Morris last year, while losing their last 10 games. Schiano is off to a good start, not only by improving the talent level, but also by running one of the toughest minicamps in the NFL.

5/3/12: Rumors contend that the Bucs were interested in trading from the #5 spot with Minnesota in order to take Alabama running back Trent Richardson with the third overall pick in the draft. The Vikings ultimately traded with Cleveland. Tampa swapped with Jacksonville and picked up the #7 overall pick, which it used on safety Mark Barron from Alabama. Tampa traded back into the end of the first round to grab a running back, this time it was Boise State tailback Doug Martin to complement, if not replace, incumbant LaGarrett Blount. Tampa continue to bolster their defense with two linebackers and a cornerback in later rounds.

5/2/12 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed paralyzed player and former Rutgers lineman Eric Legrand. Current Tampa Bay coach, Greg Schiano, was Legrand's former coach at Rutgers. The former defensive tackle for Rutgers University was paralyzed from the neck down in October 2010, when he broke two vertebrae in a game against Army. Schiano often visited Legrand during his recovery and has supported him since he was injured. The Bucs coach called the signing a "small gesture

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