By Totals 4 U
Tampa Bay (9-4) The Buccaneers simply run over all night long by the Panthers Monday night by the Panthers, yielding 299 yards on the ground at 8.1 yards per carry with 4 rushing touchdowns, in a 23-38 loss that dropped them 1 game back in the NFC South. This from a team that had allowed a grand total of 1145 rush yards and only a single rush TD through their first 12 contests! Part of the debacle can be written off to injury with 6’2” 296 LDT Jovan Haye (27 T) sidelined for the game and fellow starter 6’2” 285 RDT Chris Hovan (36 T, S) not able to complete the game due to a bum knee but the truth is that sometimes when you face good teams in this league, you get knocked on your ass and we fully expect Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin’s squad to respond well. Age late in the season is a factor for the Tampa stoppers but the experience here may also help them regroup quickly. Star players LDE Kevin Carter (34 T, 4 S), WLB Derrick Brooks (56 T, INT), and RCB Rhode Barber (58 T, 2 S, 3 INT) have nearly 40 combined years in the pro pads and will have all three ranks breathing fire again come Sunday. Getting more pressure on the pocket this week (just 1 sack against Carolina) will be critical – not easy against the Falcons – and may require more creativity in Kiffin’s part. Typically, this unit doesn’t blitz that much with ends Carter and RDE Gaines Adams (31 T, 6 S, 2 INT) plus backups Greg White (25 T, 5 S) and Jimmy Wilkerson (17 T, 4 S) accounting for 19 of the team’s 26 total sacks. 6’2” 241 MLB Barrett Ruud (103 T, 3 S, 2 INT) has three but with good defensive backfield experience in guys like Barber, SS Jermaine Phillips (47 T, 3 INT), and LCB Phillip Buchanon (42 T, 2 INT) to back some risk we would like to see them send a guy like 6’1” 206 rookie nickel back Aquib Talib (18 T, 3 INT) who’s athletic ability could produce some havoc. Even after Monday night’s performance, the stats are pretty decent at 18.3 points and 293.7 yards per game allowed.
By Totals 4 U
Tampa Bay (3-1) tallied its third consecutive victory with a 30-21 win over the Packers last week at the Disney ride that is Raymond James Stadium, controlling the ball for 36:50 while forcing 4 turnovers and topping Green Bay 327 yards to 181. The Buccaneers’ line is young with only 6’3” 291 C Jeff Faine entering 2008 with more than a pair of NFL seasons under his belt but trap and pull extremely well, consistently keeping opponents off balance long enough for the running back duo of 5’9” 225 Ernest Graham (57 for 334 yards and 2 TD) and 5’9” 180 Warrick Dunn (42 for 97 and TD rushing, 10 for 82 receiving) to slip and slide for a ground attack that has averaged133.8 yards per game at a brisk 5.0 yard per carry clip. RG Davin Joseph has been battling through a foot injury but has practiced and his unit has given 6’3” 214 QB Brian Griese (71 of 128 for 716 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT) the time with just 4 sacks allowed through 4 games to get the ball down field to receivers 6’1” 205 Antonio Bryant (17 for 220 yards), 5’11” 210 Ike Hilliard (18 for 264 and 2 TD), and 6’4” 215 Michael Clayton (9 for 88) but his accuracy has been spotty at best so – especially with Galloway still sidelined with a foot injury – expect Offensive Coordinator Bill Muir to continue to rely on Tampa’s tight ends in the mid-range. When the running game is working, the trio of 6’4” 258 Alex Smith (9 for 98 and TD), 6’7” 260 Jeremy Stevens (5 for 61 and TD), and 6’5” 257 John Gilmore (4 for 53 and TD) create major match up problems in multiple tight end sets and are the guys you must focus on in the red zone.
2008 NFL Sneak Peek - NFC South
By TD at Totals 4 You
Welcome to week five of your 8-week series taking an off-season look at the National Football League. This week we head down to the nation’s southeast where the battle for attention from our country’s most rabid college football fans can be a bigger task than the foes they face on Sunday. Proud locals and snowbirds alike, let’s check out what’s shaking in the NFC South.