Bleacher Report - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Vs. Saints: Massacre Or Miracle?

Tom Edrington — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:19:15 -0500

Must be something wrong with my hearing.

Gotta be. I can't begin to fathom what's being said out there.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, yes those 1-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers could POSSIBLY upset the mighty New Orleans Saints on Sunday?

Wait one minute. These are the "we're really thinking long and hard about a top three draft pick" Buccaneers going up against the "we're totally eyeballing the Super Bowl" Saints.

Not sure this one could turn out well for the Buccaneers in my wildest dreams and trust me, the Buccaneers are NOT in my wildest dreams.

Perhaps in Raheem "The Dream" Morris' wildest dreams, maybe, somehow.

Nah.

Isn't gonna happen.

Let's face reality. Please.

For some reason, ever since Raheem took the cover off his new guy—Josh Freeman—Tampa is gushing with hope. Now, granted, the Buccaneers are fun again. They're not getting crushed, not getting slaughtered.

But Sunday, reality comes to town.

That's 9-0 reality.

Makes David vs. Goliath look like a coin toss.

A chance?

Someone please convince me. Convince me that this amazingly bad defense that Jim Bates and Morris have put together can withstand the Saints.

Not buying into it. Even Barack Obama might have a tough time finding "hope" in this one.

The audacity of a Buccaneer win?

That's a lot of audacity.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints Preview: A Puncher's Chance

JC De La Torre — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:36:06 -0500

A few weeks ago, the thought of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beating the mighty New Orleans Saints was unthinkable, even to the most kool-aid drinking fans.

It's amazing what a few weeks can change, isn't it?

With significant injuries to their secondary and perhaps losing a little bit of focus, the undefeated Saints have had to rally from behind in three of their last four games and had a close call with another of the Bucs' fellow 1-8 teams, the St. Louis Rams.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to have a new hope and have risen from the dead behind rookie first round quarterback Josh Freeman.

Under Freeman, the Bucs beat the Green Bay Packers and nearly pulled off another victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Across the league, the team is beginning to be noticed as one that might be finally coming around at at least be more competitive game in and game out.

Can the Buccaneers find a way to shock the league and end the Saints undefeated run?

It's happened before.

Back in 1998, the 7-0 and heavily favored Minnesota Vikings came in to Tampa to face a struggling Bucs team. The Bucs smashed the Vikings that day, the only loss of the season for Minnesota–until the NFC Championship game, that is.

This Bucs team believes anything can happen and with Freeman, they have a chance.

Series

New Orleans leads the series 20-14 but the Buccaneers have won three of their last four meetings, including a 23-20 win over the Saints in their last meeting.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Passing Attack against New Orleans Saints Pass Defense

One of the reasons the Saints are undefeated after nine NFL games is their improved defense. The defense has taken some losses in the injury department in recent weeks, losing both starting corners and strong saftey Darren Sharper.

Sharper and CB Jabari Greer will be game time decisions for the Saints secondary that is ranked 19th against the pass.

The Saints, however, lead the NFL in interceptions with 17–including seven by Sharper.

Meanwhile, the Bucs are a bit revitalized by the emergence of young Josh Freeman, whose brought a little bite to the Bucs passing game.

The Bucs hope to get franchise player Antonio Bryant back in the lineup this week after missing the last two games with his problematic knee.

If Freeman can avoid the turnover–he fumbled four times against Miami, losing one, and was charged for an interception–the Bucs may be able to get some plays against the drained Saints.

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Attack vs. New Orleans Saints Run Defense

As improved as the Saints defense may be, their run defense still leaves a lot to be desired.

New Orleans is 20th in the league at stopping the run, giving up an average of 115.3 yards per game.

The Bucs still haven't gotten their running game on track, now bottoming down to 25th in the NFL at 98.7 per game. As we say every week, a lot of it is due to the challenges at the quarterback position.

One thing the Bucs may want to consider is opening up with the pass to set up the run.

Tampa Bay has put kid gloves on their budding QB Josh Freeman, opting to ease him into the flow of games by using the running game.

Their opponents expect this and early on have loaded up against the run, causing ineffectiveness and an inability to sustain drives.

The running game will be crucial in this one for the Bucs as they try to keep that top notch New Orleans offense off the field.

Advantage: Push

New Orleans Saints Passing Game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pass Defense

Drew Brees. What more needs to be said about the Saints monstrous passing attack?

New Orleans averages a whopping 275 yards per game passing, best in the NFL.

While the Bucs, of course, lead the NFL in 20 plus yard passing plays surrendered.

Not a good combo if you're a Bucs fan.

The one issue Brees does seem to have in his game, is a Brett Favre-ian gunslinger approach to flinging the ball in to traffic. It can lead to turnovers and the Bucs are one of the best in the league at picking it off.

Unfortunately, the Bucs pedestrian pass rush doesn't help against arguably the league's best quarterback.

Advantage: New Orleans

New Orleans Saints Running Game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Run Defense

The Bucs run defense is simply abysmal. They can't stop anyone. With trouble rushing the passer and stopping the run, Bucs Head Coach Raheem Morris called out his front seven, saying this week he doesn't believe he has the players up front to be successful.

It will be interesting to see how the Bucs' players respond to that challenge.

Will they try to prove him wrong or will they say, "I've been bustin' my butt for you for nine games - to heck with you, Raheem"?

The Saints bring in the league's fifth best rushing attack.

Behind the trio of Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell, the Saints runners have provided balance to the formidable passing attack.

The Bucs may catch a break as the versatile Bush is listed as questionable for Sunday.

Advantage: New Orleans

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Special Teams vs. New Orleans Saints Special Teams

They say three times a charm, and the Bucs, on their third kicker of 2009, may have finally found a winner in Connor Barth. Barth became only the fourth kicker in NFL history to bang three 50-plus field goals in one game.

With Barth's big time leg, the decent punting of Dirk Johnson, plus top level coverage and return units, it's difficult for any team to match up with the Bucs Special Teams unit.

The Saints are dead last in kick coverage and aren't much better covering punts.

They're a middle of the road return team in both kick returns and punt returns, although Courney Roby broke through for New Orleans last week with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Veteran John Carney is New Orleans place kicker, while little used punter Thomas Moorestead holds down the fort in the punting game.

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Intangibles

The Saints are 9-0 for the first time in franchise history.
40% chance of rain is in the forecast for Sunday's game.
The Bucs have won seven of the last eleven meetings with New Orleans.
Since joining together in the NFC South in 2002, the Bucs have swept the Saints twice. The Saints have also swept the Bucs twice and the teams have split the season series three times.
Like the Packers before them, the Saints must guard against looking ahead. New Orleans faces the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football next week.
New Orleans has played three outdoor games this season, going 3-0 and winning by an average of 19.3 per game.

Advantage: Push

Coaching

Raheem Morris is in his first season as an NFL head coach and is now 1-8.

Sean Payton is in his fourth season as the Saints head coach. Payton is 34-23, he has led the Saints to one division championship during his tenure.

Advantage: New Orleans

Prediction

If the Bucs were to ever catch the Saints at a good time - this would be the week. New Orleans is hurting and isn't playing their best football right now.

They've managed to maintain their undefeated status despite having several close calls, including last week's nail-biter against the awful St. Louis Rams.

The Bucs players look at that Rams film and think to themselves, "Heck, if they can do it - why not us?"

Well, there's a big difference between being a bad team outside your opponent's division and a bad team within that division. Considering the Bucs history against them, the Saints won't overlook them as Miami and Green Bay may have.

Furthermore, it's the Saints. Arguably the best offensive football team in the NFL facing one of the league's worst defenses.

If New Orleans doesn't put up 40 points in this one, it's a testament to the improvement of the Bucs defense. Heck, the Saints put up 48 points on the Giants' defense.

Yes, the same Giants defense that held the Buccaneers offense without a first down for three quarters and without a point for the game.

With young Josh Freeman, this football team feels they have a chance in every game. It's tough to refute that, considering the results of the first two games.

If the weather is foul, the Bucs may have a chance to stay in this one. If not, then even the charisma of Freeman may not be enough to keep it close.

Final Score: New Orleans 34, Tampa Bay 20.

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Stadium Journey: Inside Raymond James Stadium

JC De La Torre — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:50:46 -0500

This article was originally printed at Stadiumjourney.com , a website dedicated to describing to fans what the experience is like at particular venues of stadiums. It was written by me and is provided to you here at Bleacher Report with the expressed written permission of the site owner. Thanks, JC.

Since it’s construction in 1998, Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium has been regarded as one of the greatest fan experiences you can have in the NFL.

From the music, to the videos on the two jumbotrons, to the uniqueness of the Pirate ship; the experience at “Ray Jay” definitely lives up to the reputation.

FANFARE Score: 31

Food & Beverage: 3

Raymond James Stadium offers the typical fare in regards to food and beverages. Pizza, Hot dogs, Pretzels, and the like are all available.

The stadium doesn’t really take advantage of the city’s heritage, offering no Spanish styled meals.

The prices are a little high, especially in this market, where the median salary is $35,000 a year.

Season ticket holders are offered perks like free refills on soda. There are plenty of concessions and vendors for you to purchase from.

Atmosphere: 5

Raymond James Stadium offers a unique array of interactive fan experiences.

It boasts two large jumbotrons at each end of the stadium. The jumbotrons provide videos that include funny anecdotes from Buccaneer players, video on Buccaneers history, bloopers, as well as the Buccaneer Ship race.

The ship race consists of Buccaneer “pewter parter” Coca Cola products racing ships and is quite entertaining during the first quarter to second quarter break.

Right before opening kickoff, the Buccaneers play a video of the Buccaneers ship fending off an attack from opponents. With “O Fortuna” blaring in the background, the pirate ship rams its opponents, culminating with the firing of cannons and sinking of the day’s opponent.

As the video fires its cannons, the cannons from the ship in the end zone fires as well. Once the video concludes, Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train blasts over the loud speakers.

The cannons on the Buccaneer ship will go off for the following situations...

One cannon shot for entering the red zone (a warning shot to the opponents).

Three cannon shots for a field goal.

Six cannon shots for a touchdown.

Also, when the team enters the red zone, around the stadium red flags bearing the Buccaneers logo are raised around the stadium.

Buccaneers fans themselves are very enthusiastic when the team is doing well. If the team is not doing well, it can be pretty stale.

Opposing fans can regularly get tickets to games because of some fan apathy about the current team’s performance.

In good seasons, Raymond James stadium can be rocking with an excited, vibrant crowd.

Neighborhood: 5

The stadium sits on the main thoroughfare of the city, Dale Mabry Highway that can connect you to a number of nearby restaurants and bars.

There is ample parking everywhere, including a parking lot next to the Buccaneers new state of the art practice facility, called “One Buccaneer Palace” by some.

Traffic can get a little congested getting out of the stadium, but that depends on the performance of the game. If it’s a lopsided game, many fans leave early.

Tailgating is great at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers offer fans the opportunity to participate in their sponsored tailgate for a price.

Or you can simply meander around the stadium and visit various radio station sponsored tailgates and other public tailgates where you’ll find brats, BBQ chicken and other tailgate favorites.

For nightlife, some say that Ybor City is like a miniature New Orleans.

One of the best restaurants is owned by Tampa Bay Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon.

Lee Roy Selmon’s (4302 W Boy Scout Blvd, South Tampa FL 33607) offers southern BBQ and plenty of high def televisions.

Fans: 3

Buccaneer fans are a strange lot. With Tampa Bay being a transient community (most residents were born in the Northeast or Midwest), some in the fan base have divided loyalty to the team and the old team they grew up watching.

It’s common place to see Buc fans arrive in an opponent’s jersey for one game and Buccaneers jersey the next.

You’ll typically see many opposing jerseys in the stands.

Fan behavior is usually good, but there are times when opposing team fans can provoke altercations (especially when Philadelphia or New York is in town).

The majority of Buc fans are passionate about their team, but there are some who will leave the game at the conclusion of the third quarter to beat traffic.

When the Bucs are playing well, the stadium can be loud and electric. When they’re not, there can be cursing and angry screaming heard from the stands.

Access: 5

Parking is relatively available and not overly expensive. You can park right next to the stadium for as little as $25.

Usually, you can get in and out of the area relatively easy.

Return on Investment : 5

The Bucs have a long string of sellouts, but with the economy and current state of the team, tickets are available for each game. Usually, the Bucs can make the amount up to avoid the blackout.

For fan experience and pure fun, it’s hard to beat going to a Bucs game, especially when the team is competitive.

Having sat in the nose bleeds and at the lower level 50 yard line, I can safely say there’s not a bad seat in the house.

Etc.: 5

From the pirate ship to the videos and music, Raymond James Stadium is one of the most unique and exciting atmospheres you can have at a football stadium.

While the crowd can be a bit fair-weather, when their team is playing well it can be one of the loudest stadiums in the league.

Night games at Raymond James Stadium are even more fun. With the crowd having hours to tailgate, it can be a rowdy, wild experience.

Raymond James Stadium is majestic in its aesthetic beauty as well as its cleanliness. The staff is friendly and helpful, security is tight and responds quickly to disturbances.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Stunner: Arron Sears Is Back!

Tom Edrington — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:29:28 -0500

So you think the lose-almost-every-game, quarterback-merry-go-round, lousy-defense-rebuilding, re-tooling season of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can't get any crazier?

Arron Sears is back!

The last we heard of the former offensive lineman, he was sequestered somewhere in Alabama and then was rumored to be seen in Tampa.

He will be seen, sooner or later. The Buccaneers reinstated Sears on Tuesday, according to official team news releases.

Speculation has been that Sears has suffered from depression or some other related problems. But now he's back.

General Manager Mark Dominik said the team had stayed "in close contact" with Sears throughout his absence.

No timetable has been set for his return to action.

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Back with a Bang: Tanard Jackson

Oliver Ellis — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:49:00 -0500

Tanard Jackson has made an enormous impact since returning from his season-opening suspension. In just four games, he has recorded 27 tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble, three passes defensed and two touchdowns. He scored for the second time this season, and the second time in his career against, clinching the game with his 35-yard interception return late in the fourth quarter.

Aqib Talib actually leads the Buccaneers in interceptions with five, but he had three in one game, which means both he and Jackson have picks in three different games.

That makes the first Buccaneer since Derrick Brooks in 2002 to have an interception in three consecutive games. Brooks enjoyed 2002 en route to the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Brooks eventually snared five interceptions in the regular season and returned them for a total of 218 yards and three touchdowns. So far, has 61 yards and two scores on his picks.

"Tanard had an immediate impact as soon as he got back," head coach Raheem Morris said. "It was 'welcome back' with a hit, a 'welcome back' with an interception for a touchdown—you name it. He's made big plays, he's made big tackles. He's been the guy he was before he left and has come back and developed a little bit of a hunger.

"Some things work out for a reason…I'm not sure if (the suspension) wasn't a good thing for Tanard Jackson."

“T-Jax” had been a regular in the secondary since he was drafted out of in the fourth round in 2007, becoming the first defensive player to start 32 consecutive games to begin his career. His ability made him one of the Bucs' best young players, and he expected to be one of the team leaders on defense this season.

"When you're away from the team, away from everything, away from what you've been doing for years, your livelihood, the approach is now a little more serious," said.

"Tanard has been great," linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "He's just a natural football player. You can play him at corner, nickel, safety, wherever. He's just a guy who goes in and loves to play, and makes a lot of plays when he's out there. You just know what he brings to a team overall. He is such a good all-around football player.

"You can line him up in the nickel; you can line him up at safety. You can have him in the box, you can have him as a hole player. You can do everything. It’s just so nice to have a guy that versatile back there."

“I was heavy on the table for Tanard Jackson and for picking that guy up,” Morris said, “I knew he would go down a little. It was a projection that worked out in our favour in a big way.”

When arrived in , the experiment at safety turned permanent. He won the starting free safety job from Will Allen in training camp and eventually became the first defensive player in franchise history to open all 32 games in the first two seasons after he was drafted. Jackson's third season was delayed by league suspension, but since his return he has played better than ever.

“It was a smooth transition," he said of that first summer in the NFL. "I always said that when I got into the league the transition from corner to safety is much easier than safety to corner. It was different in that I had never played the position.

"I think my ability coming out of college and the ability I have as a player, the natural instincts, fit more as a safety in this league. When Raheem told me that he sees me as a safety in the NFL, I took it and ran with it."

In his rookie year, ranked second on the team with 12 passes defensed with two interceptions. In 2008, he recorded a statistic in every defensive category while ranking fourth on the team with 102 tackles and third on the team with 18 special teams tackles.

“It was very difficult to sit knowing that I had that streak," said , 24. "I had to sit for a reason that didn’t have anything to do with football. It was something that I could have controlled. You learn from your mistakes, you wish you can get that time back but you can’t. All you can do is learn from it and move on. It definitely helped me prioritize my life, what's most important.

“During that time away from football, the time away from something you love; you have nothing but time to think about those things. You think about what you want and what’s best for you."

“You can’t make up for lost time,” said. “You can’t make up for the four weeks that I’ve missed. All I can do is come in day-in and day-out, week-in and week-out and perform my job at a high level and try to pick up where I left off and only get better.”

“Since he’s been back everything has been better," said cornerback Elbert Mack.

"I don’t know what it is; he’s just been making plays and flying around. He had some time to think about what was going on. He is more focused than I have ever seen him. He’s understanding the game more and is taking advantage of every opportunity he see’s on the field. That’s what we love about him. With him back there you get that natural comfort level."

Jackson’s former position coach concurs. “He is a good player. He is a really good player. He’s been that way since he’s been here. He’s been a splash player since he’s been here. When he gets the ball in his hands, he looks like a punt returner. He scores and finds a way to be around the ball. He is a splash play type of player. He is always going to be around the football. He has been since I’ve been here”, said Morris.

“He has the ability to make a play on you. It’s been no different every week that he’s been out there playing.”

The Bucs’ No. 36 agrees. “And my job, the game I love to play, is at the top of my list."

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Buccaneers-Dolphins: Analyzing the Michael Clayton Play

JC De La Torre — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:22:42 -0500

On Sunday, the NFL officiating crew ruled that Clayton did not have control of the football, it was tipped up into the air and intercepted by the Dolphins. The play caused a 10 point swing in the final 1:20 of the first half and had the Bucs rallying to recover the rest of the game. Is this man down? You make the call.

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Highway Robbery: Controversial Calls Cost Bucs Against Fins

JC De La Torre — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:16:08 -0500

Updated with a picture from the now infamous "Clayton Play". You make the call.

Fans always believe the referees are out to get their team. My own mother believes there is an international conspiracy of referees against the Buccaneers.

Most of the time I write it off as foolish homerism. Then when you see a game like today, when the calls were lopsidedly in favor of the home team, you have to pause.

Calls that were so confounding, confusing, and down right wrong, you just have to wonder if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will launch an investigation to see if Referee Tony Corrente or members of his crew had money on Miami's 25-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Of course, Corrente and his crew didn't allow the Dolphins to run for 199 yards on the ground. They didn't let pedestrian Quarterback Chad Henne drive his team 77 yards to the game winning field goal in five plays with only one time out and just 1:18 on the clock.

Corrente didn't fumble four times, including once deep in opposing territory.

That was quarterback Josh Freeman, who struggled in the first half of his second start.

Freeman has shown he's a bit of a slow starter, but the youngster displayed a little Brett Favre in him, too, turning it on in the second half, and leading the Bucs to a 17 point second half rally to take the lead.

Of course, the Bucs wouldn't have to overcome that wide margin had the biggest tragedy of justice not occurred in the final 1:20 of the first half.

Backed up deep in their own territory, Freeman hit wide receiver Michael Clayton for an apparent 10 yard completion and a first down. Clayton got both feet down, an elbow down, and his behind down with the ball in his possession, and under control.

A Dolphins player rolled over the downed Clayton, and batted the ball out of hands, and into the air. It landed in the hands of Jason Taylor who took it to the house for an apparent touchdown.

After initially being called a fumble, the ruling on the field ended up an incomplete pass.

Corrente went to the peep show under the hood and apparently saw something other than the play in question. Corrente came back onto the field and ruled, "The player had possession of the football, then went to the ground, the ball left his hands and as a result was intercepted by a defensive player. By rule, the player is unable to advance the football as a result of a replay, thus it's Miami football at the 15 yard line."

Raheem Morris lost his mind and apparently said something very naughty to one of the officials on the field, garnering a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

It's hard to imagine it was anything worse then the classic Jon Gruden explosion, "Are you out of your f---ing mind? Are you out of your g-d d---n skull?"

What adds to the confusion is earlier in the ballgame, the same exact situation happened with a Miami receiver. Almost immediately, he was ruled down by contact.

Whatever was said, the call was made and Miami cashed it in for a gut wrenching touchdown. It sent the young Bucs reeling. A three-and-out and couple more quick passes set up a chip shot Miami field goal and a three point game was suddenly a 19-6 deficit.

“Because the player in question, the player who was possessing the ball in the air, as he started to come down, was hit." Corrente is quoted by the Pewter Report , "As he is coming down, he is now going to the ground to complete a catch and by rule, if he’s going to the ground to complete a catch, he has to maintain possession of the ball completely through the entire process of hitting the ground and thereafter showing control. As he went to the ground, basically right when he went to the ground, the ball popped out, and went right into the arms of the Miami player. The ball had never touched the ground."

"This loss is solely on me," Morris said. "Getting a personal foul as a head coach is totally unacceptable. I'm taking those points; that's how much we lost by. I should take the blame for that. I used the wrong type of language to the official."

As we mentioned, replays clearly showed Clayton on his back in possession of the football when a Miami defender came in and batted the ball from his hands.

I can guarantee you if this happened during Patriots-Colts instead of 1-7 Bucs at 3-5 Dolphins, it would be story one on SportsCenter.

Tampa Bay was penalized nine times for 77 yards, compared to Miami's 3-for-30.

After Freeman led the Bucs to a 23-22 lead, Kellen Winslow, Jr. mouthed off to the same official that penalized Morris—and garnered yet another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that was enforced on the kick off.

Luckily for Winslow, Connor Barth knuckle-balled the kickoff past kick returner Ted Ginn, Jr. who recovered it at 15 yard line—setting up the Miami last drive from deep in their own territory.

Speaking of Barth, kudos to the youngster, becoming the first kicker in Bucs history to kick three 50-plus yard kicks in the same game.

The Bucs defense couldn't get to Chad Henne and he found gaping holes in the Bucs prevent defense.

Of course, Corrente's crew had to make sure they helped the youngster out, calling a pass interference on a Buccaneer defender at midfield when the call should have been at the very least, defensive holding and only a five yard foul.

One last burst by Ricky Williams put the Dolphins in point blank range for an easy Dan Carpenter field goal.

While the Bucs were certainly disheartened by the loss, for the second straight game, their young quarterback put them in position to walk out with a victory.

That, plus another big fourth quarter turnover allowed the Bucs to climb back into it.

You can see as the coaches allow Freeman to be Freeman, they gain more confidence in the kid's ability to move the team. The team itself continues to believe in their young quarterback and play hard.

"Man, with number five (Freeman) you know you have a chance," Carnell "Cadillac" Williams said after the game.

The Bucs certainly made their share of mistakes to lose this game. It isn't all on the officiating. Still, it's tough for a young football team to overcome a call of that magnitude that goes against them.

The amazing thing is behind the arm of Freeman, the Bucs managed to claw their way back into the game and give themselves a chance to win.

For a 1-8 football, that says a lot. It's also a good learning experience for the young Tampa Bay players. If something goes against you like that, keep your cool. The game's not over. It might be good for their head coach to lead by that example.

Notice to the rest of the NFL, the Bucs are no longer an easy out, even if you have the Zebras in your pocket.

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Buccaneers Teased, Pleased, Then the Defense Was Squeezed

Tom Edrington — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:59:59 -0500

Looked like Josh Freeman would do the impossible once again, didn't it?

There he was in his second NFL start, braving the crowd at Land Shark Stadium, braving the Miami defense, leading his Buccaneers from a double-digit deficit to what looked like a spectacular second victory for this young team.

The big guy handed off to Cadillac Williams who wiggled in mid-air and somehow found his way across the goal line and lo-and-behold, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were leading the Miami Dolphins 23-22 with a little more than a minute to play in their Sunday afternoon battle.

Looked like things were finally going the Bucs' way, eh?

Freeman did his part, Kellen Winslow did his part, Maurice Stovall helped out, Caddy scored, the defense made some stops, made some plays like that Quincy Black interception that set up what looked like the winning series.

And new place kicker Conner Barth did more than his part. He became the first Buccaneer to kick three 50-yard plus field goals (51, 50, 54) in a single game. It was the Birth of Barth.

It was looking good, wasn't it? Looked like 2-7 was in the bag.

Surely this defense could muster one good final effort. Surely this defense wouldn't let a rookie quarterback march his team down the field for the winning field goal.

But reality struck. This, after all, is the Tampa Bay Buccaneer defense, the Achilles' heel of all that is Pewter.

Reality was a 77-yard drive in that final 1:14 that doomed this hard-playing Buccaneer team.

Chad Henne passed and Ricky Williams ran the Dolphins close enough for Dan Carpenter to kick his fourth field goal of the day, a 25-yarder with 10 seconds left that provided the 25-23 Dolphins victory that sent these Bucs back to Tampa at 1-8.

"They played hard," coach Raheem Morris said of his team afterward. "Those guys played their hearts out."

Morris beat himself up afterward, blaming himself for getting that unsportsmanlike penalty that led to a Dolphin touchdown before the half.

"At the end of the day, I lost this one at halftime," Morris lamented. "It's all on me...a discipline issue."

Morris was wrong. He wasn't on the field playing defense in that final minute.

Put this one on them.

They teased us all day, played well enough to keep it close. Played well enough to set up Freeman for another great comeback.

Then, after almost 59 minutes, they didn't play well enough to win it.

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Is Josh Freeman Fantasy Football Ownable?

Eric Stashin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:17:05 -0500

Drafted out of Kansas State at No. 17 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, Josh Freeman was the third quarterback off the board (Matthew Stafford at No. 1 and Mark Sanchez at No. 5). At the time, there were many who believed that he was not going to be ready to make an impact in his rookie season, but things have certainly changed.

After sitting on the sidelines the first six weeks, Freeman got his first game action in Week Seven, going 2-4 for 13 yards. At 0-7, the Buccaneers turned the keys over to Freeman after their bye week and saw instant results against the Packers in Week Nine.

Freeman went 14-31 for 205 yards, three TD, and one INT in Tampa Bay’s first win of the season. After a successful first week as a starter there is the chance that he becomes usable over the next few weeks, right?

Let’s take a look at his upcoming opponents:

Week 10—at Miami

Week 11—vs. New Orleans

Week 12—at Atlanta

Week 13—at Carolina

Week 14—vs. New York Jets

Week 15—at Seattle

Week 16—at New Orleans

Week 17—vs. Atlanta

Carolina has been a good passing defense (27th) as has the Jets (31st), so those are two games that you are going to want to avoid using him. The Saints, who are 17th in the league in yards/game, actually lead the way with 16 interceptions. Those are going to be two tough games as well, including a potential fantasy football playoff matchup.

That’s four out of eight games where you definitely will not want to use him.

Now, let’s throw in the fact that he is likely to be wildly inconsistent. Let’s just look at Sanchez, who has games with three and five interceptions, as proof. Not enough?

How about Stafford’s five interception game in Week Nine against the Seahawks, a team that Freeman is also going to have to face?

The fact of the matter is, even in two quarterback formats, there are just too many questions around Freeman to trust him. With the bye weeks coming to an end, there is going to be little need to have him stashed away on your roster. Even if an injury were to occur, you should be able to find a better option for the one-week fill in.

What do you think? Is Freeman someone you think that should be owned in two-quarterback formats? Why or why not?

Check out our Week 10 Rankings: Quarterbacks , Running Backs , Wide Receivers , Tight Ends , Kickers . Defenses

This article is also featured on www.rotoprofessor.com/football

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Miami Dolphins Preview: One for the Road

JC De La Torre — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:09:09 -0500

The Josh Freeman Fun Train heads to Miami for the young quarterback's first taste of life on the road in the NFL. All is fine and dandy when you have the crowd behind you, but how will the rookie handle a hostile atmosphere?

If there was any city in the NFL the Bucs would want their young QB to get his first road start in the league—it's Miami. Many Dolphins fans masquerade as empty seats at Joe Robbie, uh, Pro Player, oops, Land Shark Stadium.

They're considered among the most apathetic in the league.

Still, if the Dolphins are playing well, they can make life hard on Freeman.

In addition, after having two weeks to prepare for his debut against the Green Bay Packers, Freeman now has to show what he can learn in just half the preparation time.

Freeman's ability to back the Dolphins secondary off the line of scrimmage may very well be one of the biggest keys to Sunday's game. That and the Bucs finding a way to stop the Wildcat rushing attack.

For Tampa Bay, this is perhaps the biggest game of the season. The Bucs got one on the Green Bay Packers, but if they can sustain the momentum and beat a team that isn't a juggernaut on the road it could go a long way to giving this team the confidence it desperately needs and begin the turn around of the franchise in earnest.

It's big for the Dolphins too, despite a 3-5 start, the Fins still hold some hope of a rebound and late playoff run. Considering the Patriots missed the AFC playoffs despite finishing 11-5 last year, such talk seems ridiculous at this point.

A loss to the Bucs would all but end their playoff hopes for 2009.

Let us take a look at the match ups for the Bucs and their cross state rivals.

Series

The series between the Bucs and Dolphins is split down the middle at 4-4. Tampa Bay won the last three regular season meetings, including 2005's 27-13 destruction of the Dolphins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Passing Attack against Miami Dolphins Pass Defense

Well, what else can you say about the opening act in the career of one Josh Freeman? The kid was poised, looking like a true veteran while throwing three touchdown passes in a windy game at Raymond James Stadium.

As we talked about in my article about rookie quarterback's early performances in the NFL, Josh's debut doesn't mean he's the next coming of Warren Moon (as Jerome Bettis said), but it certainly didn't hurt.

While Josh had a bigger impact than Matt Ryan in his rookie debut, we can look at Ryan to learn some tough lessons in the NFL.

From week one to week two, there's typically a drop off.

Luckily for Freeman, he'll be facing a weak Miami pass defense. The Dolphins are ranked 28th in the NFL in pass defense and have 21 sacks on the season, just four more than the Bucs much maligned pass rush.

The Dolphins also find themselves in the bottom half of the league for interceptions.

If Freeman can protect the football and hit some of those big plays he missed against the Packers, it could be a very good day in the passing game for Tampa Bay.

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Attack vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

As bad as the Dolphins are in pass defense, they're that good in run defense. Miami comes in with the fifth-ranked defense against the run.

That could be due to everyone wanting to attack the Miami secondary, but the Dolphins have fared pretty well against some good backs in the league.

Tampa Bay's running game still has yet to find itself. A lot of that is due to the Bucs typically trailing and forcing the team to abandon the run early, not to mention the uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Cadillac Williams can still be deadly, while Derrick Ward still has not found his place in the Buccaneers rushing attack.

Advantage: Miami

Miami Dolphins Passing Game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pass Defense

Since taking over for the injured Chad Pennington, Dolphins second year quarterback Chad Henne has done a decent job as the Dolphins new guy under center.

Henne is averaging 179.6 yards per passing while tossing four touchdowns and three interceptions on the year.

Since getting off to a good start, Henne struggled a bit, throwing just one touchdown in his last three games. Three of his four touchdown passes on the year came against the Jets.

After facing the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, and Tony Romo, the Bucs secondary gets much less of a challenge in Henne.

Tampa Bay's secondary still gives up the big play, but has played better in their last few outings and have risen to 15th in the league in pass defense. They've also begun to take the ball away from the opposing QB, rising to 5th in the NFL in interceptions with 11.

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Miami Dolphins Running Game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Run Defense

The worst part of the Buccaneers defense continues to be the run defense. Giving up an average of 163 yards per game, the Bucs can't stop any one.

That doesn't bold well while facing the league's fourth ranked rushing attack. Ricky Williams is revitalized while Ronnie Brown continues to display his versatile skills catching, running, and at times, throwing the football.

The Dolphins invented the NFL's version of the Wild Cat offense and continue to be the most prolific in running in the formation.

Still, in recent games, the Wild Cat has been contained by opposing defenses. Is it starting to be figured out?

The Bucs will study game tape of the Saints' and Jets' defensive game plans in shutting down the problematic formation.

If the Bucs can figure out a way to slow down the Dolphins rushing attack, they have a great chance at victory.

Advantage: Miami

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Special Teams vs. Miami Dolphins Special Teams

Miami and Tampa Bay boast two of the best kick returners in the game in Tedd Ginn, Jr. and Clifton Smith. Ginn, Jr. almost single-handedly beat the Jets with two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Smith is both a great kick and punt returner, returning one kick 83 yards against Green Bay last week to spark a Bucs rally. He remains the only player in Buc history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same season.

Tampa Bay, however, has the much superior coverage unit. The Bucs are ranked second in the NFL in kick return coverage, while Miami remains in the bottom half of the league in both kick and punt coverage categories.

Miami does boast Dan Carpenter, who is 11 of 12 on field goal attempts with a long of 52. Tampa Bay counters with Connor Barth, who's 1-for-2 on the season but is 11 of 14 during his short NFL career.

Dirk Johnson continues to punt fairly well for the Bucs, averaging 41.7 yards a punt while dropping 12 inside the 20 yard line.

Miami's Brandon Fields averages 45.8 and has 13 punts inside the 20.

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Intangibles

Miami is coming off a difficult loss on the road to division rival New New England, while Tampa Bay is coming off their best performance of the season, a 38-28 upset of Green Bay.
The Dolphins are starting three rookies in their secondary (S Chris Clemons, CB Vontae Davis and CB Sean Smith).
The Bucs are +0 in turnover ratio, Miami is a -1.
Miami hasn't beaten Tampa Bay in a regular season game since 1991
The Bucs are 1-2 lifetime in Miami

Advantage: Tampa Bay

Coaching

Raheem Morris is in his first season as an NFL head coach and is now 1-7.

Tony Sparano is in his second season as head coach of the Miami Dolphins and has a record of 14-11. In his first season, he led Miami to an 11-5 record and their first AFC East division championship since 2000.

Advantage: Miami

Prediction

Quite a few weeks ago I swore off predicting victories for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, feeling the team had no direction and little hope against a tough schedule.

What a difference a win makes. I'm not caught up in the euphoria of the Bucs victory over the Packers or in the superb play in Freeman. Still, you have to look at the Dolphins as an opponent that the Bucs can beat.

It's an opponent with a weak passing attack and a bad pass defense that doesn't apply much pressure on the quarterback or force many turnovers in the passing game. Good for a young QB to face.

Jets fellow rookie QB Mark Sanchez had two of his best games of the season against Miami.

The worst thing about Miami is their rushing attack. With it is their ability to bleed to clock and shorten games. It keeps them in ballgames with a chance to win.

Without an explosive offense and an average defense, the Dolphins play the old Tony Dungy style of keep it close, win in the fourth quarter.

It worked well in 2008 under veteran QB Chad Pennington, but hasn't worked out so well in 2009.

If Josh Freeman can take advantage of some mismatches in the Dolphins secondary and the Bucs can focus on the run, perhaps force a few turnovers, there's absolutely no reason why the Bucs can't win their fourth straight game over the Dolphins and their second win of the 2009 campaign.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 20, Miami 17.

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