Bucs need to add urgency to their attack

Jackson hopes to be a bigger impact in Year Two./CARMEN MANDATO

Thursday, 3 a.m.

They have added defensive ends.

They have added running backs and corners and a kicker. They have added a safety and a nickel back and a center. They have added a guard and a linebacker and a wide receiver.

Oh, and this.

They have added urgency.

A year ago, in the team's 5-11 walkabout, the team didn't have nearly enough urgency. It lost close games. It lost games at the end.

"I think last year, we weren’t really being real with ourselves," said linebacker Lavonte David. "Everybody on the outside had these certain

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David says the Bucs need more urgencyr./CARMEN MANDATO

expectations about us, but we weren’t really looking in the mirror and focused on ourselves. This year, we really focused on that.

"I think Coach Koetter and his staff did a great job on that, focusing on getting that out of our past. Basically, saying that we were poor last year, we were terrible. We weren’t where we needed to be and we need to change that, we need to get better. From that day forward, everybody has been hitting the ground running. Everyone has been focusing on what they need to be focusing on, not worrying about anything but going out there head first and trying to better themselves and better the team. We’re just trying to get to that ultimate goal.”

Would urgency help? As they say, it couldn't hurt.

“When your record is 5-11, I would think everybody in the building has a sense of urgency to want to go out there and change that perspective, showing that our roster definitely doesn’t match up to our record," receiver DeSean Jackson said. "So, I think everybody has a responsibility to do, including myself. We’ll go out there and put the work in and hopefully it shows this season.”

David said it was familiar playing with Jason Pierre-Paul, his old junior college teammate, once again.

“Jason, we had that same kind of chemistry back in junior college," David said. "I played behind him a lot so there had to be a lot of communication going on. So, it just turned over into now. Nothing really changed. Throughout the process, he asks me about a play or whatever and I just told him, ‘Look man, just let me know before you do it and it will all work out for the both of us.’ So, that just goes to show that the chemistry is already there. So, that’s probably one person I can scratch off of my chemistry list.”

The Bucs' receiving corps already seems to be a step ahead.

“We have a good group at wide out," coach Dirk Koetter said. "Those first four guys are really good. They complement each other well. I think our second level guys, Freddie Martino and Bobo Wilson have really upped their games. That gets you to six. I would have liked to have seen Justin Watson. He’s going to have a lot of catching up to do come fall camp.”

According to Koetter, Mike Evans should already be considered as elite.

“I think he probably is considered with those guys (Julio Jones and Antonio Brown)," Koetter said. "The guys you’re talking about are the elite of the elite in the league and I think Mike is right there. Mike’s not the only guy we try to throw the ball to. He has been that guy before, he has been the guy we try to throw the ball to. But we’ve got other guys. The bottom line is we have to figure out ways to win. I’m not one bit worried about if Mike Evans is going to do his part. He’s going to do his part."

Jackson had praise for second-year player Chris Godwin.

“Since last year, Chris came in and was making plays," Jackson said. "He’s a big, physical receiver. He can get open and create space. This is year two for him. He’s probably a little more confident. I’ve liked him since last year, too. He’s a good addition to have with me, Hump [Adam Humphries] and Mike [Evans]. I think he’ll be able to make a big impact as well this year.”