1. QB Josh Freeman- Uh...the reason why they were above .500 last year. Talk about clutch performers, this guy can ball with the best of them in crunch time.

2. RB LeGarrette Blount- Elusive as hell, you gotta give this guy more credit. I mean, you've punched someone in the face before, right? I hope so, because you've devoided yourself of all manliness if not.

3. WR Mike Williams- The Bucs have a great young core on offense indeed

4. CB Aqib Talib- Mel Kiper Jr. was right on with this guy when he said he had all the tools to make big plays, but lacks the technique and can get beat rather easily. That's not to mention the off-the-field concerns with this knucklehead.

5. DT Gerald McCoy- No offense Mr. McCoy, but you know there's something wrong with the talent level on your team when he is one of your top five best players.

6. LB Quincy Black- An underrated linebacker, but it seems like he is rather high. He isn't, that's the Bucs for you.

7. TE Kellen Winslow- Hey Freeman, buddy, please throw it at this guy some more. He can play some damn good football.

8. SS Sean Jones- Has played great this season after a disappointing year in 2010.

9. DT Brian Price- He and McCoy are pretty good at bringing the heat up the middle.

10. LT Donald Penn- No matter how overrated I think this guy is, he's still not all bad.

11. WR Arrelious Benn- This ranking is based on potential all alone. He's gotta put it together himself so that the picture connects.

12. CB Ronde Barber- Was huge last game and is showing us that he still has some talent left.

13. DE Adrian Clayborn- Was last week his rookie breakout game? He was incredible after two poor weeks to begin the season. Although that game was against the lowly Sam Baker, he was still absolutely dominating.

14. LB Geno Hayes- Yeah, it's the Bucs.

15. WR Sammie Stroughter- No, your mom doesn't play for the Bucs.

16. DE Da'Quan Bowers- Remy Zero, please save me; this job is too tough for Superman.

17. TE Luke Stocker- I think I should just give up on these write-ups.

18. FB Earnest Graham- Party like it's 2007; it ain't the end of the world.

19. LB Mason Foster- You know your bad when I'm temped to put Kregg Lumpkin on this list. I think most of the Bucs best 20 players are young players with potential and nothing else.

20. WR Preston Parker- Now this guy I like as a potential darkhorse. He can play some ball.

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Rankings, NFL Team Top 20s, Mike Williams TB, Sean Jones, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Sammie Stroughter, Kellen Winslow, Donald Penn, Arrelious Benn, Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Geno Hayes, Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber, Adrian Clayborn, Mason Foster, Luke Stocker

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9/2011 QB Rankings

September 29th 2011 18:27

1. Aaron Rodgers- The NFL's version of The Machine
2. Tom Brady- Look past the four picks; he owned the Bills
3. Drew Brees- He rips up secondaries
4. Peyton Manning- MVP
5. Philip Rivers- Repeat after me: 4,700
6. Tony Romo- Kevlar baby
7. Ben Roethlisberger- Can't believe dude got married
8. Michael Vick- He ain't whining, the complaints are legit
9. Eli Manning- Peter Keating has it right; Eli is underrated
10. Matt Ryan- Matty Ice is melting
11. Matt Schaub- This guy
12. Joe Flacco- QBR has him as the best QB, why is this a bad stat again? Oh yeah, cause Brady's been better
13. Josh Freeman- The reason why the Bucs don't suck
14. Matthew Stafford- He's fo real
15. Jay Cutler- How many hits does he have to take? Memo to Bears' line: Get your hands out of your ass and get to work!
16. Kevin Kolb- Levi Brown is his worst enemy, but at least he has a BFF in Fitzgerald
17. Ryan Fitzpatrick- Who said the smart guys can't play ball?
18. Sam Bradford- If only he had receivers....
19. Cam Newton- Disappointing against the Jags
20. Colt McCoy- West Coast we mash up!

Have you seen his line?

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Rankings, QBs, Tom Brady, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger, Colt McCoy, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, Kevin Kolb, Sam Bradford

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2011 Week 1 Preview: Lions and Chiefs

September 9th 2011 15:36

While the best game on Sunday is between the Ravens and Steelers, there are still some other noteworthy matchups coming up. One of these games that you should tune into involves the Bucs and Lions.

Both of these teams were once regarded as two of the worst teams in the NFL, but they have both made remarkable turnarounds and have become solid teams. The Bucs were last year's feel-good story, and many people have tabbed the Lions to make the playoffs. While I think the Lions are overrated and there are far too many people saying that they are a sleeper team for them to actually be a sleeper team, they are much-improved.

I think Calvin Johnson is going to have a fun day against a Bucs secondary that doesn't have a cornerback who can keep up with him. Aqib Talib isn't a bad player by any means, but coverage isn't exactly his forte. He's more of a big-play corner, and those are the kinds of guys that Johnson can beat. I think the play of the Bucs safeties will be key, but the secondary won't get much help from an awful pass rush.

Honestly, I don't have high hopes for Jahvid Best as a starting running back. Best is an extremely inefficient rusher who only provides tangible value as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Jerome Harrison should be their starter, with Keiland Williams getting some carries here and there. Harrison is a pretty good back overall, and the Lions need to take advantage of a very weak opposing run defense.

This is going to be fun. Like, for real. The Lions defensive line is going to just bash an offensive line that downright sucks. Detroit possess one of the best defensive lines in the game, while the Bucs O-Line is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Even if Nick Fairley doesn't play, the Lions have six legit defensive lineman who are all capable playing at a more than adequate level.

On the bright side for Tampa, this passing game could really do some damage if Freeman doesn't led the pressure affect him too much. The Lions linebackers are all superb against the run, but none of those guys can cover anybody. Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams could potentially have monstrous days against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. Eric Wright is the only cornerback on their roster worth starting, and I could also see Arrelious Benn beginning a potential breakout season with a nice game on Sunday.

To me, it is amazing how great LeGarrette Blount was last season with such a great line. However, I think he has a down week against a top run-stopping unit, even though he has tons of talent and moves. Blount is already one of the better backs in the league, but this is going to be a passing game.

This is going to be another tightly contested game, but I have the Lions taking this game 27-20 with Cliff Avril having a huge game against a far inferior opponent in Jeremy Trueblood.

Facing the Bucs

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Predictions, Mike Williams TB, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Kellen Winslow, Jeremy Trueblood, Arrelious Benn, Aqib Talib, Calvin Johnson, Nick Fairley, Jerome Harrison, Cliff Avril, Eric Wright

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8/2011 QB Rankings

August 24th 2011 14:50

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady
4. Drew Brees
5. Philip Rivers
6. Tony Romo
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Matt Ryan
9. Michael Vick
10. Matt Schaub
11. Eli Manning
12. Joe Flacco
13. Josh Freeman
14. Jay Cutler
15. Matthew Stafford
16. Kyle Orton
17. Matt Cassel
18. Sam Bradford
19. Kevin Kolb
20. Colt McCoy
21. Mark Sanchez
22. Donovan McNabb
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick
24. David Garrard
25. Jason Campbell
26. Chad Henne
27. Alex Smith
28. Matt Hasselbeck
29. John Beck
30. Tavaris Jackson
*Rookies Not Included

Not Overrated

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, NFL Rankings, QBs, Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, David Garrard, Matt Hasselbeck, Ben Roethlisberger, Colt McCoy, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, Michael Vick, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, John Beck, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, Donovan McNabb, Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, Sam Bradford, Tavaris Jackson

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8/2011 Player Profile: Jeremy Trueblood

August 20th 2011 14:06

The Tampa Bay Bucs have one of the worst and most overrated lines in the league. Players such as Donald Penn, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Trueblood, and Davin Joseph are players who are considered to be good; but they are in fact among the worst offensive linemen in the league. Penn is considered by some to be a top ten tackle, but he is a major liability at left tackle. Jeff Faine signed a massive deal to play for Tampa, but he is one of the worst centers in the game. Davin Joseph recently re-signed and was given far too much money, and Trueblood is the player I will examine in this post.

To illustrate how poor Trueblood is as a run blocker, the Bucs were the 25th worst team at runs to the right tackle and the 26th worst at runs to the right end. These numbers are according to Football Outsiders. While Trueblood was excellent in 2008- the same with fellow tackle Donald Penn, he was absolutely awful in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Although Penn still has some value, Trueblood is a player who really shouldn't be starting at this level. He's really only a depth-guy at best

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Bucs, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Davin Joseph, Donald Penn, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Trueblood

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2011 First Round Draft Notes

April 29th 2011 15:07

I can't say that I'm happy, but I'll have to give Cam Newton a chance. I didn't want the Panthers to take him at number one, but I don't want him to bust now that he's "the guy" for my favorite team. I wish the Panthers took a Marcell Dareus or A.J. Green and give Clausen and Moore another shot. After all, it is rare that a QB does well after just one year. It takes time. Smart teams like the Bucs wait three years for their QB, and the Bucs were rewarded when Josh Freeman had the year he had last season.

Newton is one of my least favorite players already, but I can't deny his athleticism. I just wish he had better footwork and was a better person. Jake Locker deserved to be picked at number eight by the Titans. He was high on their board, fits their system well, and he wasn't a reach. There are plenty of unintelligent people that dropped Locker from the first choice over Sam Bradford the year before, to somebody values in the late teens. And why? Well, that's because suddenly mystifying accuracy problems arose. This happens when those said unintelligent "experts" read stats- meaningless in college football- like completion percentage and don't watch what actually happened. Locker's receivers were terrible, and he was almost always under pressure due to an incompetent line

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, Patriots, Bills, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, Titans, Jake Locker, A.J. Green, Broncos, Kevin Vickerson, Elvis Dumervil, Von Miller, New York Giants, Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Aaron Ross, Prince Amukamara, Panthers, Cam Newton, Matt Moore CAR, Jimmy Clausen, Saints, Mark Ingram, Bucs, Josh Freeman, Falcons, Julio Jones, Lions, Nick Fairley, Vikings, Bill Musgrave, Christian Ponder, 49ers, Aldon Smith, Manny Lawson SF, Rams, Sam Bradford, Robert Quinn, Da'Quan Bowers Draft

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3/2011 Team Scope: Tampa Bay Bucs

March 12th 2011 14:35

I realize that there is a lockout, and it obviously both angers and disappoints me that both sides were more concerned in their own pride instead of trying to actually bargain. I know that there were a few people that kept their integrity in all of this, but I also know that there were those that didn't. Regardless, after much deliberation I have decided to continue to write about football. This is another team scope that thoroughly reviews a team's roster and their strengths and weaknesses. Enjoy.

Davin Joseph and Jeff Faine are mainstays in the interior, and I really like Donald Penn at left tackle. The problem with this team is the right side of the offensive line. Their right guard isn't so good, and they desperately need a right tackle. The combination of Jeremy Trueblood and James Lee doesn't cut it. LaGarrette Blount is a good running back that really breaks out of the hole extremely well. He is a physical runner that is extremely explosive. Cadillac Williams has almost the same kind of skill-set, so the Bucs are set with their running game

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