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The curtain will be drawn back on Friday night in Kansas City and you will get your first look at the 2011 version of your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If there is a recurring theme to the preseason, let's simply say that it time for youth to be served.

The average age for this football team is an eye-popping 25.9 years. There are three starters over 30, the oldest being the elder statesman, Ronde Barber. Barber is the "old man" of this football team at 36, he's older than the head coach, Raheem Morris, who turns 35 two days after the final preseason game at Washington.

This preseason is very important for the rookies who were not able to take in knowledge from OTAs and rookie camps, activities wiped out by the lockout.

No one knows better than Mark Dominik that there is a lot to watch over the next four weeks.

"I want to see where we're at with the front line, how we attack the quarterback," Dominik said this week, speaking to WDAE620.

Dominik also said he's interested in the special teams. "How well we play special teams," Dominik said, is a key.

The GM also said you should notice "a bigger, more physical team." That's the direction this team has moved with its past two drafts. "I'm looking forward to seeing that in the preseason."

These preseason games should give everyone a good read on the readiness of Mason Foster, who is the starting Mike linebacker on the depth chart with Tyrone McKenzie a close second.

Another key will be the running backs. Who will step up to provide depth behind LeGarrette Blount?

Finally, you'll get a large dosh of Josh Johnson. The "lifetime backup" as Raheem Morris has called him, is in a contract year and wants to be a starter in the league. If that's the case, he'll have to go elsewhere, which means watch Rudy Carpenter closely, he could be the backup in 2012.

Of course there's plenty to keep an eye on, so without further ado, let's look at the Buccaneer preseason opponents.