 Back in the 1990s the Tampa Bay Bucs turned the franchise around and even eventually won a Super Bowl in the 21st century with the lauded Cover-2 defense. Now, the Bucs are stinking things up again with the very same defense that dragged them out of the cellar. The Buccaneers are 0-5 and in last place in the NFC South. They are desperate need of a playmaking quarterback. The Bucs have always coveted a playmaker while settling for a game manager, but the new realities of the NFL dictate that every football team must have a quarterback that can put the team on his back in the fourth quarter and make receivers, even bad ones, look like gods. Tampa Bay fans at Raymond James Stadium are hoping the newest player behind center, second-year player Josh Johnson, is that game changer. The offense actually posted 20-point games with Byron Leftwich in the first two games of the 2009 NFL schedule, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell flat with Josh Johnson replacing an injured Leftwich. Despite Leftwich's seeming success compared to Johnson, compared to other team's he has been a bust with a 71.2 quarterback rating. The Bucs offense is managing 13.6 points a game (4th worst in the NFL) with a hapless passing attack and a just-average running game. Leftwich's return will help improve those numbers, but they will not solve the problem. With players like receiver Antonio Bryant and tight end Kellen Winslow this Tampa Bay team should have a little more bite to their offense. The Bucs defense has been equally as dreadful, giving up 28 points a game. This is downright embarrassing for a franchise that once dominated the scoring defense category every year. Tampa Bay has failed to stop the run (152.6 yards a game) and the pass (227.2 yards a game and 9.1 yards a passing attempt). The Buccaneers have a turnover differential of only +1. These are all numbers that defy the principles of the Cover-2 and may be the sign that this defense is dead in the NFL. Football strategies and schemes change through the years and for a franchise to survive the team has to adapt. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have to figure out how to change over the next 11 games or else they are going to end up 0-16 like the Lions last season.
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