RENTON — Rookies make up more than one-third of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 53-man roster.

With 18 first-year players and 11 more with less than three years of NFL experience, the Bucs appear to have all the ingredients for a season of growing pains.

Even head coach Raheem Morris is a youngster. Morris, 34, is younger than veteran cornerback Ronde Barber.

But Tampa Bay has matured on the fly and, with an 8-6 record, is unexpectedly in playoff contention. Led by a young playmaking trio of quarterback Josh Freeman, running back LeGarrette Blount and wide receiver Mike Williams, the Bucs are perhaps the biggest surprise in the league heading into Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

“They’re going to be good for a long time,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Hopefully not this weekend, but they have a lot of firepower.”

That power starts with the bruising Blount, who leads the NFL’s eighth-best rushing attack.

The 6-foot, 247-pounder from Oregon punishes would-be tacklers. He leads NFL rookies in carries (164) and rushing yards (777) and is tied for first in rushing touchdowns (6). Blount’s production has made it easy to forget the issues he had in college — most notably punching Boise State’s Byron Hout on national television — which led to him going undrafted earlier this year.

“I’m sure — us included — that there are a lot of teams that didn’t get the chance to get him that are looking at it now and saying, ‘We must be crazy,’ because he’s really come along fast,” Carroll said.

The challenge looms extra large for the Seahawks’ defensive front, which has been hit hard with injuries this season. Rookie safety Earl Thomas thinks controlling Blount will be more than a one-man job.

“I’m thinking gang tackle, everyone fly to the ball,” Thomas said.

Due to the threat of Williams on the outside, however, cornerback Marcus Trufant warned that the Seahawks can’t get caught with their eyes in the Bucs’ backfield. Williams, a first-year speedster from Syracuse, has NFL rookie highs in receptions (58), yards (880), first downs (39) and receiving TDs (8).

“You can see the confidence (Freeman) has in (Williams) to go to him,” Carroll said. “He’ll put the ball at him in many situations, counting on him to make a play — might not even be open, might be against what the coverage tells you to do, but he’ll go to him.”

That isn’t to question the decision-marking of Freeman, the lone second-year player of the trio. His six interceptions are tied for fifth-lowest among NFL starters and his quarterback rating of 88.8 is nestled between the accomplished Jay Cutler and Eli Manning.

The Bucs’ first-round 2009 pick is also a run threat, with 330 yards rushing and an ability to keep plays alive in the face of pressure.

“We’ve got to cover the whole field,” Trufant said, “and cover the whole time. … They make a lot of big plays after the play breaks down. (Freeman) is running around, making things happen.”

Blount and Williams could be the first teammates since 1968 to lead the league in rookie rushing yards and rookie receiving yards.

“They’re not playing like rookies, none of them are,” said Thomas, himself a first-year player.

“Me being young, I know how hard it is in the league with all the stuff they throw at you, but (their success) is a credit to the coaching over there and a credit to the players catching on.”

NOTES

• LB Will Herring (hamstring) is questionable and is expected to be a game-time decision. DE Chris Clemons (ankle), LB Lofa Tatupu (knee), C Chris Spencer (shoulder) and Trufant (back) are all probable.

“This is as healthy as we’ve been in a long time,” Carroll said, “so hopefully we’ll be able to take advantage of that.”

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, December 19, 2010

TAMPA — They all saw this coming, the way meteorologists track hurricanes. Arrelious Benn was going to take a game by storm and leave destruction in his path.

For much of the season, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Benn was the second option to Mike Williams in what has been one of the best rookie receiver tandems in throw business.

The result: Benn had two or fewer receptions in 10 of his first 12 games for the Bucs, including getting shut out when the regular season began against Cleveland and at Carolina.

But Benn never tired of spending extra time after practice learning the difficult “Z” receiver position, which plays off the line of scrimmage on the tight end’s side of the formation. And he showed flashes with a 53-yard reception at Arizona and touchdowns against Atlanta and Carolina.

But last week in Washington, D.C., playing near his hometown in front of family and friends against a Redskins franchise he grew up rooting for, Benn put on a show. He caught a season-high four passes for 122 yards, including plays of 64 and 43 yards.

“Each week I saw it coming and started building up confidence in Josh (Freeman) and building confidence they had in me as far as calling my numbers and plays for me,” Benn said. “It’s great. I knew it was coming. I wasn’t going to get frustrated with it. I knew I was doing everything I needed to do to do my job for us to win. It came, and I’m just going to capitalize on it each week, and I’m here now.”

Benn is fifth on the club with 21 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns, although twice he has been ruled down at the opponent’s 1-yard line. His 16.4 average leads the team.

“This is exactly what we talked about since the day we got here, the two of us on the field, making big plays,” Williams said. “I’ve known for a long time it was coming. He kept telling me it was coming. And (last week), he just had an unbelievable game.”

Not a minute too soon, either.

With Williams drawing more double coverage, his numbers have declined as Benn’s have gone up. Opponents are keeping a safety over the top of Williams, and cornerbacks are giving him only the occasional slant route.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson has started to move Williams around, putting him in the slot or in motion. But Benn usually enjoys one-on-one coverage. And he’s beating it.

“We kind of see the same things you do; (Benn) looks fresher,” Olson said. “For whatever reason, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s the fact he didn’t have a significant role early; I just think he trains very well, takes care of his body, he’s strong. But he definitely looks like he has another gear than other guys on the field right now.”

And Benn has been effective as a ballcarrier. At Washington, he gained 17 yards on an end around and has averaged 5.8 yards on six carries.

“His size and his strength, that’s what makes him a little intriguing in terms of designing possible run plays for him,” Olson said. “We’ve discussed that with this guy. He has a running back type body and a physical style of running. He’s got a frame (sturdy enough) that you don’t worry about him running against a linebacker.

“A lot of people may not notice, but he’s helped us in our run game in terms of who he’s blocking. He blocks defensive ends; he blocks linebackers. He’s really helped out in the running game.”

According to receiver Sammie Stroughter, there’s no jealously in the receivers’ room at One Buc Place. “It’s more like, ‘Oh, you did that? Watch this,’ ” he said.

Benn agrees. “We definitely feed off each other. And the great thing about it is we’re so young in that room and on our team … we all get along,” he said. “We all love each other; we want to see each other do well.”

Williams is 23, Benn 22. What they’re producing as rookies has been good enough to get the Bucs to 8-5 this season. But it’s hard for the Bucs not to still daydream about the future.

“We’ve got two legit guys, and they’re explosive players,” Olson said. “A lot of things have to happen. They have to stay healthy, and there are a lot of things that go into it. But yeah, when you just look at them right now, they’re exciting to think about.”

[Last modified: Dec 18, 2010 10:25 PM]

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