The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping new coach Greg Schiano can help revive a team that ended 2011 on a 10-game losing streak.

The Carolina Panthers are sensing they may be able to reach the playoffs after Cam Newton 's record-setting rookie season.

These NFC South rivals have finished in the division's bottom two spots each of the last three years, and they hope to change that in 2012 starting with Sunday's matchup at Raymond James Stadium.

The only winning season since 2009 for either of these clubs was Tampa Bay's 10-6 mark two years ago. Any cause for optimism, however, went away with last year's 10-game slide, which resulted in a 4-12 finish and the dismissal of coach Raheem Morris.

Schiano will make his NFL head coaching debut after posting a 68-67 record at Rutgers over 11 seasons, including five straight bowl victories. One of his first assignments will be to help Josh Freeman regain his confidence after the quarterback finished second in the NFL with 22 interceptions in 2011.

Freeman posted 25 touchdowns and six interceptions during the 10-win campaign the year before.

"I have an awful taste in my mouth from last season," Freeman said. "It's something I don't ever want to ever have happen again."

Carolina, meanwhile, has no doubts about its quarterback.

Newton won offensive rookie of the year honors in 2011, throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for 14 more - an NFL record for a quarterback. He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl and finished with 4,051 yards passing to break Peyton Manning 's record for a rookie.

The Panthers won four of their final six games to finish 6-10 in 2011, and expect to contend for the postseason this year.

"I think the whole vibe around this team is different this year," Newton said. "There's a sense in the air that everybody is anticipating something great is going to happen and that's exciting."

Carolina's strong play down the stretch included two December victories over Tampa Bay by a combined score of 86-35. Newton threw for four touchdowns and ran for four more in those contests, and Schiano is very familiar with such multi-dimensional signal-callers.

"He adds a dimension to the game that I'm probably more used to coming from college than some of the guys that have been in the league for a while," Schiano said. "Doesn't mean just because you're familiar with him, doesn't mean you can stop him. He proved that last year."

The Buccaneers have made numerous changes on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, former Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson was signed to a five-year deal and former Colts tight end Dallas Clark was also brought in. A running game that produced 1,458 yards for the league's third-worst total could be better with first-round pick Doug Martin of Boise State complementing third-year back LeGarrette Blount .

Bad news came when two-time Pro Bowl right guard Davin Joseph suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. The offensive line, though, got a boost from the signing of former Saints All-Pro left guard Carl Nicks .

Tampa Bay made defensive additions after yielding an NFL-worst and franchise-record 494 points a season ago. Second-round pick Lavonte David will start at linebacker while seventh overall draft pick Mark Barron will start at strong safety, with veteran Ronde Barber shifting to free safety.

The Panthers are treating this contest like a bowl game since they arrived in Tampa early due to the Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte this week.

"It's definitely different," coach Ron Rivera said. "A lot of guys are like, 'Hey coach it's like getting ready for a bowl game.' They have the right attitude and the right mental frame of mind going in."

Rivera said wide receiver Steve Smith and linebacker Jon Beason will play Sunday. Smith had been bothered by a left foot infection and Beason injured his hamstring early in training camp.

Smith thrived in his first season with Newton, finishing fifth in the league with 1,394 yards receiving - his highest total in three seasons.

Rivera is optimistic that Jonathan Stewart will play despite a sprained right ankle, though he is listed as questionable and hasn't practiced fully since getting hurt last month. The combination of DeAngelo Williams , Newton and Stewart helped Carolina average 150.5 yards on the ground for the league's third-best mark last year.

Defensively, linebacker Luke Kuechly of Boston College was drafted ninth overall and should boost a unit that struggled in 2011. Carolina allowed 429 points, the third-most in the NFC.

The Panthers were either ahead or tied in the fourth quarter in 12 of 16 games, but their 143 points yielded in the final period were the league's highest total.

"We have to finish," Newton said.

With playoff teams New Orleans and Atlanta comprising the rest of the division, these clubs know their head-to-head matchups take on an added importance.

"This game is huge for us," Carolina left tackle Jordan Gross said. "I know the Bucs are really wanting to rebound from last season's record that they had, and they're a good young team just like we are."

Bucs win debut under Schiano, 16-10 over Panthers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Tampa Bay's rejuvenated defense had all the answers for Cam Newton .

Ronde Barber celebrated his 200th consecutive start with an interception, sack and key stop near the goal line on the Carolina star, helping the Buccaneers open the season with a 16-10 victory over the Panthers on Sunday.

Newton paced a pair of lopsided victories over the Bucs last December, throwing for four touchdowns and running for four more in the two games. A defense eager to redeem itself gave the former Heisman Trophy winner fits this time.

"This ain't last year," cornerback Aqib Talib said. "We've got a ton of new players, new coach, new staff. A new attitude. It ain't last year, so we really didn't worry about last year."

Josh Freeman tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Mike Williams and Connor Barth kicked three field goals for the Bucs, who won in their first game under coach Greg Schiano.

Newton threw for 303 yards and one touchdown. But his second-half mistakes undermined the Panthers' chances of ruining what the Bucs had promoted as "Ronde Barber Day" as well as the debut of Schiano, who inherited a team that lost the final 10 games of last season under Raheem Morris.

"You can't win with turnovers," Newton said. "Without any of those interceptions, I think we find a way to win this football game."

Barber is lone holdover from Tampa Bay's Super Bowl-winning team of 10 years ago.

Schiano brought the 37-year-old back for his 16th season in hopes Barber can continue to play at a high level and have a positive influence on young defensive players such as Talib and rookies Mark Barron and Lavonte David .

"This was fun to watch this defense go out and play the way they played," the twin of former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber said.

"I don't think anybody really knew what we were going to get. We had one real good showing in the preseason against New England. I don't think I even knew how it would translate to Sundays," Barber added. "Today, the way we played is something to be proud of. My individual performance was just a reflection of the way the defense played as a whole."

Newton completed 23 of 33 passes, but Carolina's running game was nonexistent. The versatile Newton was limited to 4 yards on five carries, DeAngelo Williams gained minus-1 on six attempts and the Panthers finished with just 10 yards rushing as a team.

Schiano came to Tampa after spending 11 seasons transforming Rutgers from one of the losingest programs in college football into a Big East contender.

The new Bucs defense is similar to one the coach ran with the Scarlet Knights and - for at least one game - produced the type of results that reminded Barber of some of the units he played on earlier in his career.

"It felt like old times, when we were a great defense back in the day, when guys played so fast," Barber said. "You turned the film on and people would say, this film is sped up, it can't possibly be this fast. That's what it felt like out there. They have some very talented players, and we swarmed on them all day long, and kept Cam in check."

Newton threw for a league rookie record 4,051 yards and also set a single-season mark for rushing TDs by a quarterback, while accounting for 35 touchdowns - 21 passing and 14 on the ground. He threw a 22-yard TD pass to Brandon LaFell on Carolina's first possession of the second half, but couldn't get his team into the end zone again.

A late drive stalled at the Bucs 3, where Barber stopped Newton for no gain on a third-down run to force the Panthers to settle for Justin Medlock 's 21-yard field goal, trimming Tampa Bay's lead to 16-10 with 2:46 remaining.

Freeman didn't give Newton a chance to be a last-minute hero, running out the clock with help from rookie Doug Martin , who finished with 95 yards rushing on 24 carries.

"Sixteen teams lost," this week," Panthers receiver Steve Smith said. "The Super Bowl champs lost, and we lost. So what does that mean? It means everybody has to get back to work."

NOTES: Smith had seven receptions for 106 yards. ... After hitting his first eight passes, Freeman went 8 for 16 to finish with 138 yards. He was sacked twice. ... Barber is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 interceptions (44) and 25 sacks (28) in a career.

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