1) Since their last playoff win in 2003 - Super Bowl XXXVII - the Buccaneers have only advanced to the playoffs twice (2005 and 2007). Both years they were eliminated in the Wild Card. In that same span, they've been outscored by opponents by (443) points, including playoffs, and have finished with a winning record only four times.
2) Despite being released last season, Josh Freeman holds the record for most touchdown passes in a Buccaneers career (80). It took him 16 fewer games to edge out Vinny Testaverde who held the record since 1992 (77). 3) While Testaverde holds the record for most passing yards in a Buccaneers' career, he also holds the record for most inceptions (112). In his second season with the team, Testaverde threw 35 interceptions; second most all-time only behind George Blanda (42). 4) In 1986, the Bucs drafted Auburn star running back Bo Jackson. Jackson refused to sign the contract, and instead played baseball, after signing a deal with the Kansas Royals. The Bucs would finish that season 2-14, fired coach Leeman Bennett and didn't return to the playoffs until 1997. 5) The Buccaneers, who hold the longest losing streak in NFL history (1976-77) went 2-28 in those first two seasons in the NFL. To make matters worse, they were outscored (407). Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com
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Day 2 of “4 Downs to Success.” Today, I breakdown the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To view Friday's breakdown of the Buffalo Bills, click here. 1st Down: BUY INTO THE SYSTEM There’s a reason why the Bucs brought Lovie Smith back to Tampa – this time as the head coach. His track record of turning good defenses into elite is evident, and his history with the organization from his days as the team’s linebacker coach, (1996-2000) is what laid the foundation for the Bucs to win their only Super Bowl in the 2002-03 season. Based on the defensive struggles since their last playoff appearance in 2007, bringing the Tampa 2 defense back to Tampa could be exactly what the Bucs need.  It’s up to the players now to make that choice whether they’re up for the challenge and also, more importantly being able to execute the defensive philosophy that Smith will incorporate in Tampa. 2nd Down: PLAYMAKING LINEBACKER In addition to the defensive philosophy Smith brings to Tampa Bay, he also has a history of developing talented linebackers into elite playmakers. From Derrick Brooks to Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, just to name a few, the heart and soul of any Lovie Smith defense has been linebacker. Two players that fans should keep in mind are Mason Foster and Lavonte David. Foster lost seven pounds this off-season knowing perfectly-well that he’ll be asked to do more this season in coverage. David is a player that reminds me a lot of Brooks: tough, physical linebacker that has the ability to stop the run, but also the ability to drop into coverage and be a ball-hawk. Coming off his second 100 plus tackle season, in as many years, the chance to be coached by Smith, David has the potential to become the next big name linebacker in the NFL. 3rd Down: QB THAT CAN WIN NOW Between switching quarterbacks four-games into the season last year and ranking 30th in the NFL for points scored, the void to find a consistent quarterback is a must. Going with the player who I have projected as their week one starter, Josh McCown will be asked to do one thing - bring a winning mentality to Tampa Bay. Smith has a lot of faith in McCown and wouldn't bring back one his Chicago guys over if he didn't think he was capable of leading this team. Look for any success the Bucs have this season by McCown taking control of this offense by making the players around him better and understanding how to win. 4th Down: ONE-TWO PUNCH With the loss of Doug Martin last season due to injury, the Bucs turned to second year veteran, Bobby Rainey. With offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford reportedly stating that he plans to "alternate" his backfield this season, the pressure will be off Martin. Not only can this duo create nightmares for defensive coordinators by having to game plan for both, but also improve the passing game by forcing more defenders in the box. It's evident that Vincent Jackson has been a force his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, by snapping 15 touchdown passes and over 2500 yards of receiving. With the addition of Mike Evans, if Rainey and Martin can control the ground, the Bucs' offense should workout nicely. Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com  Keeping our Buffalo Bills theme going today, here’s today’s “Quick Facts with The U.”
1) The last playoff appearance for the Bills was on Jan 23, 1999 versus the Tennessee Titans; better known as the “Music City Miracle Game.” The 14-year drought is currently the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. 2) Since their last playoff appearance, Buffalo has gone 88-136. They’ve also only managed to have three winning seasons in that span.
3) From 1988-93, the Bills won the AFC East five times in six years. Since then, Buffalo has only won the AFC East once, 1995, and have finished last in the division the past six seasons. 4) Since Jim Kelly’s last appearance with the Bills in 1996, Buffalo have started (13) different quarterbacks. None of which have thrown for more than 24 touchdowns in a season.
5) Buffalo Bills founder, Ralph Wilson, who passed away this past March at the age of 95, originally wanted the Bills to play in Miami. Unfortunately for Wilson, he was unable to reach an agreement to use the Orange Bowl and settled on creating the team in Buffalo. Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com  With the NFL regular-season only weeks away, it’s time to breakdown what each team needs to do this season in order to be successful. We’ll start off with a team that’s looking for their first playoff win since 1995, when they had a player under center that went by the name of Jim Kelly. Kicking off the first edition of "4 Downs to Success," I take a look at the Buffalo Bills.
1st Down: BLOCKING The saying, “it all starts up front,” may sound cliché, but for a team that allowed the fourth most sacks a year ago (48) and a total of (78) the past two seasons, it goes without saying. With EJ Manuel coming back for a knee surgery, protection isn’t only a need; it’s a must. 2nd Down: PATIENCE WITH MANUEL I know it’s a “win now” league, but if the Bills want to build success for not only this season but also the future, they have to be patient with Manuel. After being limited to only ten games last season, Manuel’s season was cut short due to injury. Despite struggling his last couple starts, he showed tremendous ability early in the season, and led Buffalo to two come from behind wins. Not to take full blame off Manuel, but it didn’t help that the Bills had one of the worse pass blocking teams, last season, and a receiving-core that didn’t producer a player with more than three touchdown receptions. With the addition of Sammy Watkins and a year under his belt, the only question is how will Manuel bounce back from injury? If the first few weeks of the season look shaky, don’t panic Bill fans. Be patient and give this guy a chance to prove himself healthy for a full season. 3rd Down: RUN-RUN-RUN With the numerous issues faced at quarterback a year ago, Buffalo established themselves as one of elite rushing offenses in the NFL last season. Ranking first in rushing attempts (471) and second in rushing yards, the duo of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller combined for 1823 of the team's 2063 rushing yards that were produced on offense. The ability to run the football will keep defenses on their toes, which will take pressure of Manuel. What this ultimately creates is the inability for defenses to do as they please, especially during pre-snap. If the Bills are able to force defenses to respect them, pre-snap reads will be much easier for Manuel. The inability for defenses to disguise coverage’s prior to the snap will allow Manuel to identify the coverage, which as a quarterback your taught starts with the high safety. In other words, success running the ball will open other doors for the Bills on offense. 4th Down: WIN IN DIVISION If Buffalo wants to have a successful season, one the most important keys to achieve is to win in the AFC East. Although the New England Patriots have dominated the division for over a decade, overall, the AFC East has been weak. Despite this, since Buffalo’s last playoff birth in 1999, the Bills have gone 23-43 in divisional games. Last season Buffalo went 3-3 in divisional games. Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com  With the 2014 training camp underway for the New England Patriots, here's another edition of Quick Facts with The U.
1) The Patriots have held training camp at Gillette Stadium since 2003. Prior to that, New England held their training camps at the following locations:
2) Vegas has set the line for wins for New England this season at 10.5 Since 2001, the Patriots have won 11 or more games in a season (10) times.
3) It's been ten years since Tom Brady last won a Super Bowl. No starting quarterback in NFL history has won a Super Bowl after being in a title drought for that long. Below is a list of every quarterback who has ever won (2) or more Super Bowls, and their longest drought in between championships.
4) The Patriots, along with every other team in the NFL, will be required to make two cuts prior to Sept 1. The cut dates are the following:
*Note: This does not include players who are signed to the practice squad Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com  The wait is over, and training camp is finally here. The long off-season is a distant memory, especially if your team didn’t make the playoffs last season. But that’s all in the past now and like the first day of a new school year, there’s a feeling of promise that lingers.
Ever since the Super Bowl, you’ve tried to follow other pro sports, but it’s just not the same. Talk radio at work sounds like a broken record repeating the same crap each day, but you know it’s not their fault. How can you make a sport like baseball that plays 162-games anymore interesting than it was the previous day in mid-July? But you know it won’t be long until your Sundays are booked for the next five months, and not a day goes by that you’re not thinking about the start of the season. With training camp only days away, the football switch in your head instantly turns on. There’s a new discussion when you meet up with friends, as the talks from how your baseball team’s playoff hopes have faded away and pretending to care about basketball in July, quickly turn into your thoughts on the upcoming football season. All across the country fans begin to ask the same questions. “What should we expect?” “Who’s going to step up?” “Are we better than we were last season?” “Will this be our year?” It doesn’t matter if you’re a Seahawks fan rooting to see your team win back-to-back Super Bowls or a Bengals fan praying to the football Gods to see your team win their first playoff game since 1991; football season brings back hope to all. In Denver, the debacle that took place in the Super Bowl is all but forgotten. In Kansas City, the lesson of playing 60-minutes of football has been instilled for the past six months now. And in Jacksonville, well… at least they’re adding some nice poolside cabanas for fans right? You’ve looked over the training camp schedule more and more with each day passing, growing anxious for it to start. You’ve known for weeks now what day you and your buddy were going to make a trip to practice, excited to see this year’s squad up-close. The night before going to training camp, you reach to the back of your closet. You finagle your way like a mouse through a maze before you finally grab your favorite jersey that hasn’t been worn in months. It doesn’t matter that the player’s name on the back hasn’t played for the team in years, because it’s your lucky jersey and you’ve been through it all with it. Waking-up the next morning, you’re motivated to be as close to the field as possible. You call your buddy to let him know you’ll be there in 20-minutes but he doesn’t pick up. You keep calling him, but to no avail. At this point you know it doesn’t matter if you show up to his house or not because you know regardless, it’s going to take him an hour to get ready. He gives you a call an hour later saying, “I set my alarm on my phone to PM by mistake,” but you don’t care. The delay cost you your shot at being in the front row. It leaves you two standing, trying to peak over the head of the child who’s on his father’s shoulders, even though the child is fast asleep. Despite this all, you quickly move on because you’re happy that you’re simply there. Just like the coaches and players, you’ve been waiting for it to beginning too, so nothing can ruin this day. Your purpose of going to practice may not be as apparent to some of your friends that aren't there, but you know why you’re there. It’s a chance to checkout the new players, see old ones and of course play the, “who’s (insert number here)” game. Who cares if it’s only July. When the fan-favorite catches a pass in practice, the crowd reacts as if the team just won on a 40-plus yard field goal and goes crazy – a feeling Buffalo wouldn’t know about. It doesn’t matter if there was no defense going against them in the drill because to you, that throw and catch has winning season written all over it! While training camp is a time to be excited about the upcoming regular-season, it’s also a time for fans to make fools of themselves. It’s a place to watch grown men push little kids to the side in hopes to get their team’s media guide signed, despite finding it on the ground only moments before, by a player they neither know nor will make the team after practice. But through it all, when you leave that day, there’s that feeling that’s been missing inside you since your team last played. You don’t know what will happen this season, but then again any true fan wouldn't, and would rather watch the soap opera that is the season unravel. You wait for this season once a year and now it's finally here. It’s football season, and there’s nothing that beats it. Follow @mike_uva for exclusive interviews and the latest on mike-uva.com Have a question or a comment for Mike? Email him at uva978@gmail.com |
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