Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams have both impressed coaches in training camp and have the edge for the starting jobs.

Benn is more polished than Williams, who could turn into a monster if he can show some maturity.

Benn and Williams would team up with young quarterback Josh Freeman to form a nice nucleus.

The team has a need at wide receiver after letting free agent Antonio Bryant walk away in the offseason. 

This is often the time of year when top NFL picks decide to sit out as they wait for a contract to their liking.

McCoy understands it’s a business and getting a good contract is important, but he wants to be in camp ASAP.

The problem is that McCoy will likely have to wait until No.1 overall pick Sam Bradford gets his contract before the Bucs start to ramp up negotiations with him.

The defensive lineman is considered the future to a Bucs defense that has grown old in recent years.

Winslow underwent his fifth knee surgery in the past six years and is currently still rehabbing it.

He led Tampa Bay with 77 catches for over 800 yards and five touchdowns last season after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

Winslow said that he deals with knee pain on a daily basis but that he will not let down his teammates.

You have to wonder how long Winslow can continue to play with so many problems with his knees.

Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson are both guys that they like and who will battle for the starting job.

Freeman, the 2009 first-round pick, is expected to be the starter, but Johnson will push him.

Both quarterbacks are extremely athletic and have strong arms to make plays down the field.

The Bucs really like Johnson’s poise and the fact that he rarely makes a mental mistake.

There was a lot of talk that the Buccaneers were ready to give up on Clayton and release him.

However, it seems as though such talk is premature, at least until after the end of training camp.

The Bucs may keep Clayton on as nothing more than insurance should a wideout go down with an injury in camp.

The team would also lose out on a lot of money should they cut Clayton, who was given a five-year deal worth $24 million.

The Buccaneers are hopeful that McCoy can become the next Warren Sapp for their franchise.

Tampa Bay has been built on defense for more than a decade, but a lot of the players that were the backbone of that strong unit have lost a step or two.

The Bucs still think defense is the way to build a team and want to get back to being a top unit.

McCoy was considered the best player in the draft by some and a perfect fit for the Tampa 2 defense.

The season begins with a home contest against the Cleveland Browns and a road game against the Carolina Panthers, but things get markedly more difficult after that.

The Bucs then host the Pittsburgh Steelers and travel to Cincinnati to face the much-improved Bengals before hosting the New Orleans Saints, the defending Super Bowl champions.

The rest of the schedule is a relative breeze for the Buccaneers, whose only other very difficult games are at the Baltimore Ravens and at the Saints.

Tampa Bay certainly wasn’t a good team last year, but the Bucs do have an opportunity to win a number of games this season thanks to a very weak schedule.

There was no denying the disappointment that flowed from the 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who struggled to a 3-13 season.

The road back up the mountain to respectability won’t be easy, but at least the schedule-makers have lent somewhat of a hand to the franchise.

The National Football League has released its list of home games and road games for all 32 of its teams. Dates and times will be announced later this spring.

Tampa Bay faces just one playoff team at home, that being division rival New Orleans, which won the Super Bowl. The rest of the home schedule includes visits by NFC South rivals Atlanta and Carolina, and games against Pittsburgh, Detroit, Seattle, St. Louis and Cleveland. The combined 2009 record of the last four: 13-51.

Away from home, the schedule gets tougher. Tampa Bay faces playoff teams in four of its eight playoff games: contests at New Orleans, at NFC West champion Arizona, at AFC North champion Cincinnati and AFC wild-card team Baltimore. The other four road games are at Atlanta, at Carolina, at San Francisco at at Washington.

Based on opponents’ win percentage from last season, Tampa Bay’s schedule ranks 25th toughest in the 32-team NFL.

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