Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2017 Season Recap
There was one NFL team last year who entered the 2017 ready to make a major step forward, but instead made a regression that leaves more questions than answers for 2018 and beyond.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2017 Record: 5-11
2016 Record: 9-7
Win differential: -4
What Happened? The Bucs were full of promise once 2016 came to a close. A 9-7 record in a daunting NFC South, led by their future franchise quarterback Jameis Winston under the tutelage of head coach Dirk Koetter, long regarded as one of the great offensive minds in football today, seemed poised to contend for the NFC South against a middling New Orleans Saints, an inconsistent Carolina Panthers, and an assuredly regressing Atlanta Falcons squad potentially psychologically shaken by their now infamous collapse in Super Bowl 51. Instead, Tampa became an underwhelming, immature, mistake prone ball club who saw significant drops in performance in most every relevant statistical category. The defense turned into a shell of their 2016 selves, proving that their success the year prior was largely fueled by a favorable turnover margin. This in turn had negative ramifications for the offense, whose own turnovers and drop off in execution (due to less free possessions generated by the defense) led to that unit taking a step back as well. Winston, regarded early as a success for a rebuilding franchise, now faces adversity for the first time at the professional level for his on-field play, with questions surrounding Koetter if he can be tasked with both mentoring Winston while running the show as a head coach.
What To Expect: This is hard to anticipate given their muted action in free agency. The Pewter Pirates did make upgrades defensively with the free agent signing of LB Vinny Curry from Philadelphia and a trade with the New York Giants that brings defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul down south. But on offense, outside of signing TE Cameron Brate to a contract extension, it's been eerily quiet. This suggests that general manager Jason Licht and Coach Koetter have chalked up 2017 as an aberration as opposed to an issue of dire concern. If Winston continues to struggle due to a lack of a strong supporting cast, then Koetter and Licht may be in the hot seat. Of course, if Winston can advance past this sticking point in his young career, then Tampa Bay are certainly candidates to have a bounce back 2018 campaign. Either way, 2018 looks to be an important one for the Buccaneers and their future.
