On the eve of Buccaneers 35th Season, expectations should be tempered, treasured.

Today is the last day we are without Tampa Bay Buccaneers football until January comes five months from now, and in that time we will see the Bucs go up and down and take us with them on the roller coaster ride known as a 16 game NFL Season. The last few games of the year, the team is almost NEVER the way they are in the start of the season. Will we be a running team, or will we pass the ball more? Is this the year the Bucs become, dare we say, prolific on offense for a change? Preseason is a time to ask questions; who to start at safety, Sabby or Jones. Who will be the primary WR(s), Benn or Williams? But the Questions asked during preseason will be given their answers during the 16 game/17 week stretch that is so much more than just that many number of games; its an album of sorts. Its the ebbs and flows of slumps and streaks, of good rushing, multiple turnovers, 300 yard passing, 5 sack games; and 33 yard rushing efforts, 145 yard passing attacks, and fumbled punt returns too! We have to take the good with the bad! Bottom line though Bucs fans, is this is your new Buccaneers. We can all stop the what ifs and coulda-beens, Derrick Brooks is gone, Ronde is all that is left, and even that is not for long. NFL Dynasties like the 70s Steelers, the 80s SF 49ers, all teams get old and fall apart, and must be rebuilt. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were being rebuilt last year. 2009 represented the tearing down of the old structure. 2010 is the building of the foundation. We may not see results this year, or who knows, maybe we will. It may take until 2011 before these young Bucs reach their peak. While last year was hard to watch because there was no indication of what was going on, Bucs fans of all ages can see exactly what the plan is. You will not be watching players who wont be playing in 5 years. All of the Bucs players you will watch in 2010 are part of the new beginning, and you wont be wasting your time watching them because you are watching the 1995 Derrick Brooks or Warren Sapp. Your watching the 1996 Mike Alstott, ’97 Barber, etc. So keep in mind Bucs fans, when you watch these players make mistakes, understand these guys are learning from them for better days ahead. You may wish a high priced veteran was playing in that spot instead, and your correct in that a veteran would NOT be making that mistake and thus would give the Bucs a better chance to win today, but future Bucs stars cannot become stars if they are robbed of their growth by having a veteran take snaps away. And there will be plenty of times we will see our future Buccaneer players making some great plays this year, and that my fellow Bucs fans, will be the best part of watching this next generation of Bucs fans take off in front of our eyes.