The Tampa Bay Bucs are stepping up their game, and I kinda like it.
They signed a good one _ make that a great one _ in defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who comes over to the Bay area after eight seasons with the Giants.
Bravo Bucs. For a while there, a lot of fans were thinking you were lollygagging during the free-agency period. Not a lot of news from One Bucs Place. That isn't acceptable for a team that won only five games last season.
This from a team that generated a ton of pre-season buzz, including being featured in the HBO reality series: Hard Knocks.
Segue to a Hard Knocks Life during a terribly disappointing season.
And then: Bazinga.
A lifelong Giant becomes a first-time Buc.
"I have a theory in life, you don't know what's suspected or what might happen to you, Pierre-Paul said during his introductory press conference on Friday. "Things happened to me in life that I wasn't sure were going to happen but you just have to embrace it and deal with it and be happy. You have to be blessed."
The Bucs now have a premier edge rusher to go along with the big anchor in the middle, Gerald McCoy. That's a priority for a team that stunk it up statistically, finishing last among 32 teams in total defense, allowing an average of 378.1 yards per game.
"Jason, we feel, is still a premier defensive end and still has a lot of gas left in the tank and still has a lot to prove," said Bucs general manger Jason Licht. "He has a chip on his shoulder. He wants to be the best. He is one of the best. He just falls in line with all of the other guys we've signed this year."
That would include center Ryan Jensen, who signed a four-year, $42 million deal to anchor the middle. All together now: Everything in football starts up front on both sides of the ball.
"We've very excited for all of the guys that we've had," Licht said. "But now to bring Jason in, it kind of just puts it over the top."
At least much better than 5-11.
