Tampa Bay Bucs face familiar Atlanta Falcons in opener

TAMPA, Fla. — There are so many ties between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons that it’s hard to imagine emotions won’t be high when they kick off the 2016 season in Atlanta on Sunday.

Start with Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter, who was the Falcons offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Smith until 2014.

Smith, meanwhile, will be entrusted to improve a Bucs defense that allowed too many yards in the passing game last season. Opposing quarterbacks had a 102.5 efficiency rating with 33 touchdowns.

Smith has some additions on defense to help him. Defensive end Robert Ayers had 9.5 sacks last season in 12 games for the Giants. He is joined by Noah Spence, the second-round draft pick from Eastern Kentucky who will likely start at right end.

The Bucs’ secondary has been bolstered by the addition of former Dolphins free agent Brent Grimes, who is coming off three Pro Bowls and 13 interceptions in as many seasons with the Dolphins; and Vernon Hargreaves, the team’s first round pick from Florida.

As always, the Bucs are a little under the radar after five last-place finishes in the NFC South. The defense needs another draft but has improved. But last season, the Bucs managed to beat the Falcons twice with far less talent than they have in 2016.

Smith should be no stranger to Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who played for him in Atlanta. He should have an inside track to knowing how to rattle Ryan and possibly slow down other-worldly wide receiver Julio Jones.

Offensively, Koetter remains the play-caller and the continuity of the offensive system will be key to quarterback Jameis Winston.

However, the Bucs’ offense runs through running back Doug Martin, the NFL’s second-leading rusher who signed a $7.1 million per year contract as a free agent after rushing for more than 1,400 yards. Martin and backup Charles Sims combined for more than 2,500 yards from scrimmage in 2015.

Winston needs a strong running game to facilitate his down-the-field throws. He still has a few good targets to throw to in 6-foot-4 receiver Mike Evans, 6-foot-5 receiver Vincent Jackson and 6-foot-5 tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

“I will say when you’re the head coach and you’re the play-caller, you have a license to be a little bit more aggressive,” Koetter said. “That’s how I was as a high school coach, that’s how I was as a college coach. Now, that comes from inside me because you have the power to decide are we going for it on fourth and 1. You have the power to decide do we need to throw it deep four times in a row or give it to Doug Martin three times in a row. You don’t have to worry about the head coach second-guessing you. You are the head coach. You make your game plan and you stick to your game plan.”

Winston learned quickly he had to protect the football. His first NFL pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by the Marcus Mariota-led Titans. But after a four -interception loss to Carolina, Winston went more than a month without throwing a pick.

“I kind of got spoiled a little at Florida State where I had a couple early turnovers but I was able to bounce back and come back and lead us to a victory,” Winston said. “But every play matters in football in general but especially in the pros. You never know if you’re going to get that drive back. You never know if you’re going to score the next time because it’s tougher.”

When he got to the Pro Bowl, the Bucs quarterback looked soft compared to the hardened physiques of teammates such as Jones and Russell Wilson.

“The first thing I learned is that everybody — they look the part,” Winston said. “I was like, ‘I’ve still got this college body. I’ve got to get this body right.’” So Winston hired Tim Grover, Michael Jordan’s trainer, and lost 18 pounds.

But that doesn’t mean expectations aren’t weighing heavy on Winston in Tampa Bay.