Ending the 2010 season with a big win against the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints was not enough to propel the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into the 2010 playoffs. The team, which cam on strong as the season progressed, needed losses by Green Bay and the New York Giants to get a wild card spot in the NFC race. Tampa did not get the help it needed from those teams, but it may get some from the Minnesota Vikings for the 2011 season.
According to reports in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Karl Dunbar may be leaving the Vikings to take on the position as defensive line coach, his current position with Minnesota.In days past it was their league leading defense which kept Tampa alive in most games as they struggle to find the right mix on offense. This year quarterback Josh Freeman stepped up to lead the team to 10 wins in the regular season. Another standout for the year has been rookie running back LeGarrette Blount who literally leapt over defenders as he racked up yards.
It was defense which ultimately let the team down in several key games. In their last game against the Detroit Lions, the Bucs finished a late game scoring drive to put them in position to win. With only about a minute left however, the Lions were able to go the full length of the field against the Tampa defense to win the game. The Bucs appear hopeful that Dunbar could make the difference next season.