The Richard Lowe Column 0-4. Nice bit of symmetry going on now, leading into a popular (opinion-wise) 5-11 reverse. Again. Personally, the season (yes Lee, you have cursed me) is over. We’re not going to make the play-offs and it is time to think what can benefit us the most for next year, and the years to come. The fact that we’ve not had successive winning seasons since 2001 and 2002 (You know, where we won that thing. A trophy?) is more of a concern to me than not making the playoffs this year. We don’t have a BAD team, and didn’t last season when we went 11-5. The thing is that we don’t have a particularly all-round team either, at least when looking at Chicago or to a certain extent Denver. Last year our defense was ranked #1 overall (#6 against the pass and the run) again. Our offense? You know, the unit that is meant to win you games by scoring points, rather than preventing them? 23rd. 14th on the run (Thank you Caddy), 25th passing (yes, that is with Joey Galloway’s career year). It’s no secret that over half (6) of our defensive starters have been in the league at least 9 seasons, whereas only four of our entire offense. Only Galloway, the A-Train and John Wade are starters, with John Wade being under pressure from Sean Mahan in the preseason, and this is likely the A-Train’s last year. In three years time guys that we love for their determination and what they have brought to the Bucs (like a Superbowl), like Derrick Brooks, Shelton Quarles, Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Brian Kelly will not be here. Their replacements? Apart from Barrett Ruud replacing Quarles I’m at a loss to name certified replacements. After the New Orleans game, it was written in the media that our offense’s average age was 26-27 – thanks in main to two rookies and three 2nd years. Our defense’s average age was 30. I’m not saying that old players automatically become bad – far from it – as Chris said on the message board, John Lynch was deemed too old, but is still lighting up the league at safety. What I AM saying is that, although collectively our defensive players are good, maybe we need to sprinkle some youth in there, outside of the Secondary – much like Kalvin Pearson in for Jermaine Philips. This year's draft should focus on the defense. Coach Gruden named pretty much the entire defensive line as needing to raise their game to merely an acceptable level – for the first time this season. However, the lack of sacks and picks can also be pointed squarely at our linebackers. Our cornerbacks. Our safeties. If a unit cannot tackle, how can we expect these turnovers we have become accustomed to? Simeon Rice declared he’d have a huge game on Sunday. From where I’m sitting, he had anything but. We’ve consistently failed on 3rd downs this year, and the first half of games have been appalling, only attempting to redeem ourselves after Coaches Gruden & Kiffen scream blue murder at them at halftime. For our Bucs to genuinely pose a threat in the next three years, we need to finish out of the top 10 on defense. 11, 12, 13, 31 (Oh come on, the Raiders are last!) wherever, as long as we stop this sequence now. We need to realise we are not a winning team, and need to think where we want to be in three years time (Top of offense, defense, and winning a Superbowl would be nice.. unlikely, but nice). Offensively, when we have all our linemen back, which looks like being the case this Sunday, I think we could become a top 10 team. Defensively, as I’ve said, we need to look at who won’t be here in three years time and to actively seek replacements in free agency and the draft. Rather than lose everyone in one go, similar to the Superbowl break-up, we should let players drift bit by bit. Let one or two replacements bed in at a time. Ending up with the 2nd overall pick (The Raiders will pick Brady Quinn 1st), we could use that to get a few more decent picks by dropping down a few spots – Kenny Irons will be wanted highly, and we don’t need ANOTHER top-notch Auburn back…! To reiterate, we are not a bad team, but a regroup (a proper one, not the one we’ve been on offensively for the last two years) will move us towards the title games – somewhere we’ve not looked like being since 2002. A season write off with 12 games left to experiment with our existing young talent (Hi there Mr Gradkowski) could be the best thing for us. Richard Lowe October 2006