Newly acquired Bucs running back Derrick Ward has been having a successful offseason. Vacation Man expects that success to carry over to the regular season. On the field that is.

The Bucs acquired free agent Derrick Ward in the offseason to beef up what Raheem the Dream wanted as part of a punishing, physical offense. And while some could make an argument that won’t happen for a variety of reasons, Vacation Man of BSPN.com thinks otherwise.

In fact, in a recent NFC South chat, Vacation Man expects Ward to have over 1,000 yards rushing.

Brian (Salisbury, MD): Derrick Ward will lead the NFC South in rushing / be in the top 5 in the NFL / approx 1500 yards FACT or FICTION?

Vacation Man: I say 1,200 for Ward. Like him as a player and like the o-line. But defenses are going to be focused on him because they know Bucs will be running most of the time.

Joe isn’t so sure Ward will get over 1,000 for a couple of reasons: One is that he will be sharing carries with Earnest Graham. Second is that defenses will be keying on the run. A third reason would be that, with the Bucs defense not expected to get much done this season, it’s likely the Bucs will be behind in a lot of games in the second half, forcing the Bucs to throw the ball.

If Ward does rush for over 1,200, Joe expects the Bucs to have a solid season.