The Bucs have a rising star in QB Josh Freeman. Last year he led five comeback wins in the fourth quarter or overtime. In the fourth quarter/OT, he threw eight touchdown passes with a 97.4 passer rating and a 62.6 completion percentage. Clearly Freeman is clutch. They were 2-5 against playoff teams, with those two victories coming in Weeks 16 and 17 against the Seahawks and Saints, neither of whom had anything to play for at the time. The Bucs had one of the rookie surprises last season in LeGarrette Blount. He took over the feature-back role from Cadillac Williams around midseason and rushed for 1,000 yards. And the Bucs had another rookie star last year in WR Mike Williams, who finished with 65 catches for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The defense will be one of the youngest in the NFL – the front four could well feature two rookies and two second-year players as starters. Tampa Bay must improve a pass rush that finished tied for 30th last season, with just 26 sacks. That’s why the Bucs took defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers with their first two picks in this year’s draft. Bowers, once projected as the top pick of the draft, fell all the way to the 51st pick because of a knee problem. The Bucs caught a huge break when top cornerback Aqib Talib avoided suspension after he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon earlier this year. Talib has had a history of run-ins with the law, but because the arrest happened during the lockout, he was spared this time.

Tampa Bay’s over/under win total this year on Bodog’s NFL futures is 8.

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