It's my belief that this 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team is set to take a big step forward. There are still question marks on the roster, but fans should understand that it's perfectly fine at this point of the off season. Exactly no one's roster is set to start a game tomorrow.

However, with the revelation of the recent investigation involving the Team's handpicked "face of the Franchise", the biggest question on the roster comes at the position that was supposed to be set for the next 10 years or so. Instead, with the most challenging stretch of games to start the season, that position may very well be the weakest and most concerning. NFL journeyman and life-sized garden gnome, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the assumed starter for the murderer's row that is Week 1 thru Week 3 when the BUCS face NFC SOUTH rival New Orleans Saints, the defending Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles and the AFC heavyweight Pittsburgh Steelers. A tough task for any team heavily reliant on the talent at QB.

Fortunately for the BUCS, I don't see that as being the case. I think the Team has seen enough from the QB position to know it can't be trusted in a heavy role despite seeing some highlight reel worthy throws and some accolades. The QB position consists of guys that have a propensity of turning the ball over and a few guys with little to no experience in an actual NFL game. The offensive roster around them is damn near a dream when it comes to potential

You've got 2 of the biggest threats on the outside at WR with Evans and Jackson. One a physical mismatch while the other has a speed advantage over just about anyone covering him. Backing those guys are 2 more capable receivers. Humphries, the proverbial blue collar worker in the slot with a specific skill set that meshes well with two outside threats and Godwin, the ultra-talented youngster with the ability to play inside or outside equally effective while being a serious threat as a mismatch in either role.

You've got 2 capable TEs in UDFA-turned-2nd Contract phenom, Cameron Brate and the Top 5 Draft Talent that slid to #18 OJ Howard. Between the two, they make up the perfect combination for a TE. While the former has settled in to his identity as a receiving TE, the latter is just getting started and has the potential to be the prototype TE capable of blocking like a RT and catching like a WR.

The RB and various OL positions may just have a little sorting out to do, but the vast majority has proven to be more than capable. With the exception of a few, they've been around to see a winning record in their short time in Pewter and Red and they're eager to get that feeling back.

It's my opinion that just about any QB capable of making good decisions more often than not could put up a decent showing with the talent on Offensive side of the ball. However, I feel this Team is gonna be leaning on the Defensive side of the ball to grind out wins this season. It's really nothing new, to be honest. Going back to most recent winning season, it was the Defense that made the difference even though it was only recognized for the performance 2nd Half of the season. Stats skewered the Defensive performance due in part to turnovers from the Offense.

This year's Defense has finally been invested in the same way the Offense had been invested in. There's now a reasonable belief that there's depth at every positional group on Defense. There's upside with the projected backups and not just bodies waiting to clock in. There's reason to believe the CBs can get aggressive at the line of scrimmage. There's the possibility of an actual active rotation on the Defensive Line. That was supposed to be the case last season before injuries killed that dream just as the season started. But even with the injuries and lack of depth, the Defense, despite ranking 32 in some statistical categories many see as crucial like Passing Yards Allowed and Total Yards Allowed, ranked 22 in scoring which can reasonably be interpreted as them bending but not breaking.

Arguably, where the Team was hurt most was turnovers and scoring TDs as the Team ranked 18th in Scoring while ranking 26th in turnovers consisting of 14 INTs and 13 Lost Fumbles Lost. That's not enough scoring to overcome the turnovers let alone trying to cover whatever's happening on the other side of the ball.

Going forward, this Team is built to be buoyed by the QB position rather than being led by by it. This roster has been built around the QB position rather than behind it. Meaning the pieces on the roster(and play book) are masking shortcomings rather than accentuating strengths. The QB of this team doesn't have to try to make something out of nothing from a talent perspective. As stated above, there's talent available. One could argue that's been the case since 2014. Whoever lines up behind center for the Buccaneers in 2018 will be tasked with this order: "Don't lose the game for us".

Simple and direct, that's the task ahead for the signal caller every single week for the BUCS. That could bring comfort to a lot of fans. The hope of having a defense and run game that could keep opposing teams stagnant enough to pull out wins regardless of what the box scores look like would be reminiscent of the Buccaneers glory days. Yet, it could very well be a concern for anyone hoping to have that elusive "Franchise QB" in Tampa. "Don't lose the game for us" is backup QB talk. It's not something one would think needs to be said to a cornerstone and leader of any team. Given the history of the QB's on the current roster, those words are an absolute MUST. One one hand, it's great that the expectancy/potential of talent and production on the roster could even allow such a statement to even be considered. On the other hand, it's a very worrying issue for a team that's 3 seasons removed from selecting a QB as their face of the Franchise.