NFL Football Views

The Bucs surprisingly released Rice at the start of training camp. Though Rice was coming off a disappointing year, with only two sacks in eight games, he had 69.5 sacks in his six seasons and ranks second among active players with 121. For a team that only recorded 25 sacks last season, replacing that kind of production will be difficult. First-round pick Gaines Adams has similar skills to Rice, but asking him to be an immediate difference-maker may be too much to handle as a rookie. Veteran Kevin Carter has 97.5 career sacks but has not tallied double-digit sacks since 2002. Unless an unheralded player on their roster emerges, the onus will be on Adams and Carter to fill the void created by Rice’s dismissal.