About the Bucs

Dare I say "standing strong?"

You knew it was coming.

We’re two weeks into the 2010 NFL season and it’s time to overreact.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0. My Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0 and no one is more pleasantly surprised than, well, me.

For the record, only six other teams can claim 2-0 at the time I am writing this. It’s something the Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Colts and Giants can’t claim. The Cowboys and Vikings would be happy with 1-1.

Now I know the detractions and I won’t run away from them. The Bucs two victories haven’t come against the most stout of opponents. Apparently beating Cleveland and Carolina (a combined 13 wins in 2009) doesn’t sling you into the national spotlight.

But no one is trying to argue that the Bucs belong in the discussion of the league elite. They’re just glad to hear that this team is a little better than the cellar that they hung out in last season. You can’t call the Bucs “garbage” and then bash them for beating “garbage” teams in the same breath. It’s one or the other.

So how have the Bucs improved from the trainwreck that was 2009? Let’s discuss.

The story that will make the rounds more than any other is that of quarterback Josh Freeman. And rightfully so. No one has blasted Freeman as much as myself. My disdain for him began the minute my favorite team traded up to draft him and has only strengthened since.

And why not?

In 2009, Freeman managed to compile 18 interceptions and a 59.9 quarterback rating in just 10 games. He fumbled nine times and became famous for sliding short of first down markers on third down.

But the darndest thing has happened in these first two games of 2010. Freeman has been proving his critics wrong. And I couldn’t be happier.

Freeman has thrown for four touchdowns with just one interception. He has a 95.0 quarterback rating and looks like a player completely different from the one that took the field as a rookie. The last time Freeman played in Carolina, he threw five interceptions. But on Sunday, he was collected and professional and led his team to victory with a smile.

There were reports all off-season and summer about how hard Freeman was working. How he had locked himself in the Bucs training facility and dedicated his life to becoming a better quarterback. Many people rolled their eyes at the stories. Maybe they shouldn’t have.

To talk about Freeman is to get excited about the people he is throwing the ball to. No one stands out in that category more than Freeman’s new favorite target, rookie wide receiver Mike “how in the hell did we steal this guy in the fourth round?” Williams.

I think I found a new favorite player.

A troubled tenure at Syracuse made NFL teams skiddish of Williams in the draft. An absolute stud his freshman and sophomore years, Williams would only play seven games total in his final two years at Syracuse. That’s what happens when you’re suspended an entire season for academics and then quit the team your senior year to avoid a sketchy suspension.

But the Bucs were more than willing to throw on blinders to the trouble and keep their eyes on Williams’ game film. In return, they got an explosive playmaker, something the Bucs have sorely lacked for the better portion of 35 years. He’s done plenty to keep a smile on Freeman’s face, with seven catches and two touchdowns in as many games.

However, this is still the Bucs and that means that Kellen Winslow is still the go-to man. You won’t hear a single complaint out of me about that. Toss in guys like Sammie Stroughter and Micheal Spurlock (whose still basking in the heroism of being the first Buc to ever return a kick for a touchdown) and you have a group that’s proving itself to be somewhat respectable.

Goosebumps… Every damn time.

So this offense is nice and swell, but like I said, these are the Bucs. If they ever built a team to be carried by an offense, the world might implode. It’s all about defense.

And defense has apparently returned to the pewter-clad pirates. How else do you explain what occured on Sunday? Four sacks, two interceptions, one fumble recovery.

A pass rush, not existent in Tampa since the days of Sapp and Simeon, put Panthers quarterback Matt Moore through a living hell before he was chased from the game in favor of rookie Jimmy Clausen.

Linebacker Quincy Black brought back bright memories from my childhood when he charged through on a blitz to absolutely pummel an already demoralized Moore.

Games against the Panthers have been notorious for huge rushing numbers in recent years. The Panthers had a total of 723 rushing yards in their last three games against the Bucs leading into Sunday. But this time the dynamic duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart was held to less than 100 yards as Moore cringed.

And then there was the secondary. A group that was torched repeatedly a year ago has made its presence felt to start 2010.

Ronde Barber, who has fought off the “you need to retire” heckles for several years, seems to have reached some kind of peculiar career rejuvenation. I say peculiar because Barber deserved every bit of the retirement taunts he has heard in recent times. But now he’s having fun and making plays (two picks in as many games) and leading a young group.

Announcers repeatedly credited the new mood to his love for playing for Raheem Morris. I won’t discredit that, but this same fire wasn’t there last year. This Ronde is different.

Ronde and friends.

Aquib Talib is still the talent of this secondary, but he’s now accompanied by solid defenders like E.J. Biggers and Sean Jones.

The Bucs have been focused on “building something” since Morris bounced from secondary coach to defensive coordinator to head coach in a blurry shot of time. Waning years of the Gruden era were hated by fans because of their lack of direction. Every year was a different congregation of washed-up veterans. No one belonged to the Bucs. Fans half-heartedly cheered on nameless players with zero connection. With Morris, the question has always been whether or not they were buiilding with the right tools and whether they’re doing it with wins or a budget in mind.

If this early season is any indication, maybe it’s not as bad as we all thought.

Sure, these players are still nameless, but their brands will come with victories. The Bucs could become the charming little team that no one sees. Barring a remarkable wave of support, no one within a 75-mile radius of Tampa will see a Buccaneer home game on television this season.

That’s the result of past decisions chasing away fans. Fans that include my Grandpa who began his official boycott of Bucs games this season after missing just three games (two of them preseason) in the team’s entire history.

“Promising” is the word circling around Tampa these days and “promising” might just be what makes people care about the Bucs again.

The Bucs are young, real young. They have 30 players under the age of 25 and their head coach was a freshman in high school when Brett Favre made his NFL debut. As easy as it was to get frustrated, it will be far easier to get excited.

Future

I leave you now with these words written by Robbie Hilson on Wednesday:

Sincerest apologies to Bryan Holt for lambasting his sorry-ass team last week. If Josh Freeman throws for 61 percent and two TDs in back-to-back games, I swear I’ll never mock Tampon Bay or the Creamsicles ever again. Hell, if Freeman throws two more TDs on Sunday, I’ll sell the shirt off my back and run naked through a brush fire.

I say he does this on a live Internet stream. I see hit magnet possibilities.

-Bryan