Wide Receivers

Next up on my list of position reviews is the Wide Receiver position. Last year, as most know, this position was made average, at best, due to Michael Clayton's physical condition, and the over reliance, down the stretch, on average receivers. This year, after Galloway posted top numbers, Clayton comes back in shape, healthy, and catching the ball much better than last season. That alone would improve this receiving corps to above average. Not taking a chance, however, the Bucs decided to draft Maurice Stovall, and pick-up David Boston and 2nd year receiver Chas Gessner. So far, Maurice is looking a lot like Clayton, David Boston is looking like a Pro-Bowl receiver again, and Chas Gessner is really putting the heat on Shepherd to even make this year's roster.

In effect, the Bucs appear to be going into this season with 4 top caliber starting receivers, and 2 top notch Number 2/3 type receivers. Right now I'm predicting the Bucs will keep 6 receivers, and they will be ordered as such on the depth chart: Galloway, Clayton, Boston, Hilliard, Stovall, and Gessner. I think Edell has simply made one too many bobbles on critical catches, and appears to be getting slightly outplayed in camp by Gessner. Stovall will, eventually, move up past Hilliard, but he has to fully learn the offense first. What we are likely to see, barring injuries, is a heavy dose of Galloway and Clayton, and a more common use of the 3 receiver sets to get Boston on the field. Simply thinking of Galloway lining up with a healthy Clayton, and healthy Boston, makes me drool over the possibilities. All three can cut across the middle. All three can get deep, with Galloway and Boston doing this best. All three can block in the running game, though Galloway is clearly the weakest of the three. Basically, it's a nightmare for Defensive Coordinators, who already have to worry about the Bucs' running backs.

What I expect to see this year is a more liberal use of the deep and intermediate routes than what has been typical of Gruden. When you have a QB that can consistently hit the deep ball nearly as well as most QB's can hit short passes, and you have 2 receivers that can beat almost any corner deep, and another that can beat most, you take advantage of it. I expect to see a lot of crossing routes, post patterns, and go/streak routes. I expect to see this off of play-action in one back, one tight, three wide sets, with Simms faking to Williams, drawing a safety in, and letting at least one of the the receivers get deep. If the defenses collapse low, but keep the safeties deep, then they simply get the tight end out in an intermediate route in the soft middle. This is, quite frankly, probably the deepest, most talented wide receiving corps the Bucs have ever fielded, and it will show on game day.