Ask the expert: Jerry Angelo

Winston should be better, but can Bucs crack the top 10 offenses?/JEFFREY S. KING

Jerry Angelo is a former personnel director for the Bucs and former general manager of the Bears. Each week, Angelo answers your questions regarding the NFL. Send your questions to GarySheltonsports@gmail.com with "ask the expert'' in the subject line. The most interesting questions will be selected.

Thursday, 4 a.m.

I know it’s all on paper these days, but USA Today ranks the Bucs as having the seventh-best offensive personnel group. Since the Bucs have had only one season in which they were in the top 10 in scoring, do you think they can be that good?

The Bucs have done a good job of giving him the needed weapons to be successful. What they have to do is a better job of protecting him. If they can do that, then yes, they can make a big jump this season, but not into

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the top 10. The lack of consistency has plagued the Bucs and that isn’t going to be fixed based on a few more weapons.

Over the past few years, wide receiver has become even more important. But this off-season has seen several released, such as Dorial Green-Beckham. Is that the flip side of the new emphasis on the position?

No, it’s more a product of players fitting into certain schemes. Also, you can’t forget about the cap. Players have to play to the level they are being paid. I think you saw that in Kansas City when they released Jeremey Maclin and in New York when the Jets released Eric Decker. In both those cases “One man’s trash, becomes another man’s treasure”.

There is always discussion over whether rookie quarterbacks should start or sit. Chicago (Mitch Trubiski), Houston (DeShaun Watson) and Kansas City (Pat Mahomes) are all facing that question now. Where do you stand on the issue?

It’s based on where the team is. In Kansas City they can afford to have Mahomes hold a clip board for a year or two with Alex Smith still playing good football.

In Chicago they may not be quite as patient. The coach has to win now and if they aren’t getting good results from Mike Glennon, then it wouldn’t surprise me if they went with their prize rookie.

Houston is in a similar situation with Watson. The starter may not be good enough and they are built to win now, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Watson weren’t the starter on opening day. There is no formula for when you play a rookie quarterback. He better be ready and hopefully the stars aligned for him to be successful.

Former NFL quarterback Vince Young was astounded the other day that Ryan Fitzpatrick is still in the NFL and he isn’t. Fitzpatrick has a five-point higher quarterback rating. Is Young showing some of the lack of  maturity that doomed his career?

Young maybe showing some maturity, but he isn’t showing much common sense.

The only claim to fame he has on his professional resume is where he was drafted. Other than that, he never established himself as a legitimate NFL quarterback. Playing in the NFL isn’t all about talent; that’s what gets you in the door. It’s your character, maturity and ability to command the respect of your teammates, coaches and fans.

Unfortunately, Vince failed to do that and that’s what separates him from the less talented, but can be counted on quarterbacks like Fitzpatrick.

In ranking his all-time cornerbacks, Gil Brandt of NFL.com has Ronde Barber at No. 22, rated ahead of Aqib Talib. What, in particular, do you remember that helped him become a star in the league?

His amazing instincts. Ronde played  as if he were in the offense’s huddle and knew the play before they ran it. His uncanny ability to make a clutch play during a critical time of the game was unparalleled.

We’ve all seen successes from assistant coaches on the way to the Super Bowl. But the 1980 San Francisco 49ers won the Bowl with three rookie defensive backs under assistant coach George Seifert. Does that job get special mention? I also thought the Giants of Super Bowl XXV did a great job under an assistant named Bill Belichick.

I think you touched on maybe the two best assistants to ever coach in the NFL. They were both extremely intelligent coaches with great track records as defensive coordinators. There have been a lot of great assistant coaches. To say who was the best is impossible, but to say Seifert and Belichick wouldn’t be in the conversation would be ridiculous.

In our weekly division quarterback ratings, it’s time for the AFC East. Tom Brady is a gimme, but how do you rate Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Tyrod Taylor (Bills) and Josh McCown (Jets).

Tannehill would have the edge over the other two because of his resume. Taylor would be next, because McCown is done. This is the easiest group of quarterbacks to rate, other than Brady there really isn’t a legitimate guy at the position.

The Ravens lead the NFL in drug suspensions with 13 since 2010. The Cowboys have 12. Is there anything the franchises can do to cut down on those numbers?

Yeah, look at who they were in college. Leopards don’t change their spots.

Brian Urlacher says the Bears are suffering from a curse for firing Lovie Smith after a 10-6 year. Isn’t it just a matter of roster turnover?

I don’t believe in curses, but I do believe in bad rosters.

A report suggests the Cowboys were ready to trade Tony Romo for Brett Favre after the 2005 season. Are there other suggested trades that could have changed the face of the league?

I don’t know of any. Most talk of trades rarely happen. You know the old saying, “Talk is cheap” really is the mantra in the NFL when t comes to trades.

It’s time for our weekly game of your favorite player from a particular college: Today, why don’t we go with Notre Dame, whose alums include a) Joe Montana; b) Paul Hornung; c) Tim Brown; d) Jerome Bettis or e) Alan Page. Feel free to name a different player if you wish.

You have to go with the Golden Boy (Hornung). He’s the poster for ND football!