The Bucc Starts Here - A Tampa Bay Franchise (Madden 18)

[DD1190]

Introduction

Hey guys, I'm a long time follower on this board, but I only recently got into posting on it. I've done a lot of franchises and dynasties on my own, but I needed something to really help me dive into one so I decided to start a franchise on here. I'll be playing as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because the most fun I have ever had with a franchise was with this team (back in Madden 01). That franchise lasted 12 seasons before I finally decided to move on.

I will be playing as the owner, but every second of every game (even the preseason) will be played by me.

Franchise Information

Platform: Playstation 4
Gameplay Level: All-Pro
Quarter Length: 10 minutes
Sliders: Flazko's Madden 18 Sliders and Settings
Rosters: Madden 18 Preseason Rosters
In-Season Updates: I will post a final roster after the preseason. Then I will post player stats every 4 weeks with game updates and news stories as we go along.

The next few posts will be used for progress updates.

[DD1190]

Post saved for Franchise Season Summaries

[DD1190]

Post saved for Draft Recaps

[DD1190]

Post saved for In-Franchise "Hall of Famers"

[DD1190]

You guys may post if you want to.

[jpfine]

Looking good, excited to see how this plays out

[DD1190]

Can This Bucs Team End the Drought?

9 seasons... 9 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. 2016 was an interesting season, to say the least. After starting the season 3-5, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave everyone in town some hope when they reeled off 5 straight wins to put themselves in the playoff hunt at 8-5. But some late season mistakes in close games by Jameis Winston and some poor defensive play left Tampa Bay hoping for help in Week 17, which would never come. This franchise missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season with a final record of 9-7.

So what does 2017 look like? Doug Martin returns along with Charles Sims at running back. Cameron Brate is coming off his best season in the NFL at TE and first round draft pick OJ Howard joins the team at TE. You have Mike Evans returning after his incredible Pro Bowl season with 1,321 yards and 12 TDs and new offseason acquisition DeSeason Jackson arriving in Tampa Bay. This offense looks to skyrocket to the top of the NFL, but it has to start and stop with the QB position. With two solid seasons to start his career in the NFL, Jameis Winston needs to take that next step if the Buccaneers ever want to reach the playoffs.

But it is not just about the offense in this league. Even though the offense is looking to take off, the defense needs to step up as well. They showed some promise last year, like when they held the Seahawks to only five points in a tough 14-5 victory. Or when they shut down Drew Brees and the Saints offense to extend their winning streak to five games. But some major breakdowns early in the season and then in the last few games helped cause the avalanche that kept the team out of the playoffs.

With guys like Gerald McCoy, Kwon Alexander, Lavonte David, and Brent Grimes on the field, you are looking for some solid success. They brought in J.J. Wilcox to help solidify the secondary and they are hoping 2016 first and second round draft picks Vernon Hargreaves and Noah Spence take a step forward. There is talent all over the field on the defensive side.

It's a make or break season for the Buccaneers. The time to "show promise" is over. With some key additions on offense and a defense that now has another season under their belt, its time this team makes the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.


Jameis Winston keeps his eyes forward as he looks to lead the Buccaneers to the promised land.

[DD1190]

Buccaneers Finalize Roster

Preseason has come and gone and the Buccaneers were forced to finalize their roster before the season starts. And while the final week before the preseason usually comes with some surprising cuts, there was no plot twist in this story for the Buccaneers.

The preseason was a successful one for the Buccaneers as they finished 4-0. Jameis Winston looked like the leader everyone hoped for as he directed the offense to the correct spots and checked out of bad plays to successful ones. He threw for three touchdowns and only one interception. The interception was a very poor decision he made in the 2nd game, throwing off his back foot to a covered receiver, but he followed that INT up with a long drive that ended with 6 points. He looked cool, calm and collected as the weeks went on and he looks ready for the season.

It's preseason, though, so you can't get too high on the good plays and you can't get too low on the bad plays. Doug Martin struggled to get going on the ground. It's tough to tell whether it was fully on Martin or the blocking was poor as there were certainly plays he got hit in the backfield but there were also quite a few plays with a good hole that only ended up as short gains.

Charles Sims got injured in week 2 of the preseason, fracturing his foot which looks to keep him out for a long time (approx. 8 weeks into the season). Jacquizz Rodgers really stepped up in Weeks 2 and 3 after Sims' injury, but then he got hurt in week 4 with a Dislocated Ankle. So while there were no surprising cuts, the Buccaneers did make an extra move to bring in another running back after Rodgers' injury. They signed Denard Robinson to back up Doug Martin on the depth chart to start the season.

Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, OJ Howard, and Cameron Brate looked outstanding in preseason. Evans provided consistency when the ball was thrown his way. Jackson had some explosive plays, scoring one lone touchdown on a 47 yard pass from Winston in week 3. OJ Howard provided a great security blanket for Winston when he needed it and Brate provided some big first downs with his sure hands. The big question mark in the receiving core coming into this preseason was who was going to step up as the number 3 wide receiver? Chris Godwin, the rookie out of Penn State, was the guy who showed the most promise out of that position, catching 8 passes for 84 yards on the preseason, but it still looks to be a bit of a question mark for this team entering the regular season.

The defense played outstanding during the preseason. They shut the Bengals out in week 1, only gave up 7 points to the Jaguars in week 2, shut down the Browns in week 3 with only 6 points on two field goals, and while they gave up 21 points to the Redskins in the final week of the preseason, the team still got the win on a big stop to end the game. Chris Baker and Gerald McCoy were excellent to stop the run at defensive tackle. Ayers provided the team with a couple of big plays. Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David were exactly who we saw last season, providing some excellent plays against the run and the pass. Brent Grimes looked good at cornerback, getting one interception against the Browns. JJ Wilcox had a solid preseason at strong safety as he gave the fans some excitement on some great plays against the run.

The big surprises of the preseason were Jacquies Smith at defensive end, Cody Riggs at cornerback, and rookie Justin Evans at free safety who looked like a really solid safety coming into his first regular season. Smith had 4 sacks on the preseason, and Riggs made some great plays on the ball. He also made a few key tackles on third down when it looked like the opposing team was going to get a first down. Riggs showed the kind of effort this defense is built on.

If the preseason is any indication for how this season will go, look out Buccaneer fans, it is going to be an exciting one.