Meet me at the line of scrimmage

Injuries

Injuries are part of the game of football, you just hate to see them. Cadillac Williams sustained a tear to his patellar tendon this Sunday in the game against the Carolina Panthers. Doctors have said it is season ending and potentially career threatening.

"That injury at the running back position is a tough one to come back 100 percent from," said Dr. Johnny Benjamin, chairman of orthopedics at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach. "Leg strength and drive are very important ... it's hard to generate after this type of injury."

The tendon usually tears off the bone of the kneecap, and to repair it, strong sutures are tied to the tendon and then passed through holes drilled in the kneecap. These strong sutures are tied in place to pull the torn edge of the tendon back to its proper attachment on the kneecap.

I hate to see it happen to Cadillac. Best of luck Caddy, and may you return, stronger than ever.

REDEMPTION

While in the spirit of bad news I guess it would be proper to announce that Bucs left tackle Luke Petitgout is also out for the season with what is believed to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Petitgout's injury, while serious, is not career threatening.

Where do we go from here?

Tampa Bay faces their toughest opponent yet this coming Sunday in the Indianapolis Colts. Micheal Pittman is going to be the teams feature back in place of Williams. Earnest Graham also will see more time with the ball. I was just talking about the depth of Tampa's backfield last week too. Tampa has promoted rookie running back Kenneth Darby from the practice squad to the team's 53 man roster.

I have a bright idea. Why don't we have Ronde Barber go ask his identical twin brother Tiki Barber for a little favor? How about one more go at it Tiki? Or does CBS have you locked down in your pretty little football analyst contract?

Tampa has some depth at the tackle position and will be able to replace LT Luke Petitgout. His successor is Donald Penn, a 6'5" 305 pound beast. Here's what he had to say about his shot:

"I always watch that Tiki Barber commercial when he's driving that Escalade and he's talking about his opportunity, Every time I see that commercial, I'm like, Man, I'm just waiting on mine and I've got to do it because you only get one." This guy feels like he has something to prove and I suspect he will fill in well for Petitgout. Tampa has promoted tackle Dennis Roland from the practice squad to the 53 man roster. Penn has even more to prove now.

This Sunday will be rough but I remain optimistic. I have echoes in my head of the 2003 Bucs Colts matchup in which the Colts scored 21 points with less that 4 minutes left in the game to go on and win the game in overtime, the biggest comeback in NFL history in the 4 minute timeframe. REDEMPTION

Peyton Manning is as solid as they come for a team leader. The only way, and I emphasize the word only, to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts is to keep pressure on Manning throughout the game. Good passing beats good coverage. Manning is so accurate and Colts wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are such good route runners that even the best coverage will not shut down the Colts pass attack.

Tampa Bay D vs. Indy Offensive line

If Tampa wins this battle they win the game. Tampa's D line has the opportunity to control the game Sunday. Peyton Manning has only been sacked three times this whole year. In 2006 Peyton Manning was 34th in the league in number of times sacked with 14. There are only 32 teams in the league. Other teams' backups were sacked more than Peyton last year! In 2005 Manning was 37th, in 2004 he was 35th, in 2003 he was 31st. Peyton Manning has been sacked less times over the past four years, 62 times sacked, than Lions QB Jon Kitna was last year alone, 63 times sacked. The Colts offensive line is solid, year in and year out. The upside of these statistics is that Peyton is not used to being sacked. He's not even used to being pressured. If Tampa can pressure him, they throw him out of his rhythm, next thing you know Mannings Mind is going nuts. This is when you see him and his huge shiny forehead on the sideline crying like a baby. As good as Manning is, he has it easier than any QB in the league. Manning has never had a concussion, he's hardly even been hit, yet he cries like a battered wife when something goes wrong. Tampa has recorded eight sacks this season. It is my prediction that if Tampa gets 5 this Sunday vs. the Colts they win the game.

Tampa Bay D vs. Indy pass attack

WR Marvin Harrison very possibly will be out with an injury for this Sunday's matchup. Harrison only makes up 22% of Indy's NFL 6th ranked pass attack but has been historically good vs. the Bucs averaging a touchdown and more than 100 yards each time he plays them. WR Reggie Wayne, now more dangerous than Harrison was when the Bucs last faced the Colts, is making up 29% of the pass attack. However, the guy to watch out for is the underrated Colts TE Dallas Clark. This guy is making up 24% of the Colts pass attack and has more touchdowns than both Harrison and Wayne. TE's are also very difficult to cover since TE's are usually covered by linebackers. Tampa has some great coverage linebackers however in Cato June and Tampa Bay legend and future HOF'er Derrick Brooks. If you look deeper into these percentages there is perhaps a more important observation. Peyton Manning spreads the ball around, 22% to Harrison, 29% to Wayne, 24% to Clark, and the other 25% distributed among Indy's other Wide receiver. Last week we saw a Carolina team that had one man, Carolina WR Steve Smith, as nearly half of their pass attack. Peyton Manning leads a versatile pass attack which calls for good all around defense. Tampa has the talent to shut this pass attack down. Ronde Barber will lead the coverage side of the D while the "lumberjack" Jermaine Phillips will lay wood to receivers, installing fear, and throwing them off their A games.

Tampa Bay D vs. Indy rush attack

Indy running back Joseph Addai will possibly be on the bench this week with a shoulder injury. Addai is nearly Indy's entire ground attack. 73% of the yards Indy have gained on the ground this season have come on the back of Addai. This leaves the Colts with RB's Kenton Keith, Luke Lawton, and Clifton Dawson. These three had zero NFL carries coming into the 2007 season, combined. What I see is a very inexperienced running back core against a Tampa D that is now 5th in the NFL in total defense. My instincts tell me these backs won't do well but you have to leave the possibilities open. If Addai does play that will pit Indy's NFL 7th ranked rush offense versus Tampa Bay's 20th ranked rush defense. In fairness to being 20th ranked the majority of rush yards against Tampa have come late in games when Tampa is winning.

Jeff Garcia and gang vs. Indy pass D

The Indianapolis Colts are 7th in the NFL this year in pass defense. in 2006 Indy was 2nd in the NFL in pass defense. Jeff Garcia will have to step it up this week if his NFL 24th ranked pass offense hopes to have success against this D. Tampa's offensive line will have to step it up especially. Tampa left tackle Luke Petitgout is out for the season and 2nd year player Donald Penn will get his first start. Penn will have to travel to hostile territory and guard QB Jeff Garcia's blind side against one of the best pass rushers in the game, Indy DE Dwight Freeney. Penn's first start will be a test for him and if he passes you can expect to see more of him as the season plays out. Indy is tied for 18th with eight sacks this year and Jeff Garcia has only been sacked 4 times. Garcia hasn't turned the ball over a single time this season, no fumbles, no interceptions, and will need to keep that up if he hopes for victory Sunday.

Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham vs. Indy rush D

This is the second most important battle Tampa will need to win if they expect victory Sunday. With Carnell out for the season these two know they need to step it up. Tampa's rush attack is ranked 8th in the league. Cadillac Williams made up 38% of the rush attack with 208 of the 548 rushing yards Tampa has this year. Pittman makes up 31% of the rush attack, and Graham 25%. These guys have much larger roles now but face an Indy D that was last in the NFL last year in rush D. Indy's rush D is 22nd this year. Indy safety Bob Sanders is, as a safety, important to Indy's pass defense, but is a huge component of Indy's rush D as well. Bob Sanders just might be out this week with a rib injury. The absence of Bob Sanders reverts Indy's rush D back to that 32nd ranked form. The loss of Bob Sanders equates to the loss of a leader, an anchor on your D, a guy whos willing to come up from the safety position to pop a running back uxexpectedly.

Recipe for Success:

This week we eat horse?

If Tampa sacks Peyton Manning five times this week they win. Those five sacks must equal pressure throughout the game however. Five sacks against Indy is a little far fetched so I'll leave it at pressure on Manning throughout the game. That would be a victory for the D line. A Tampa D line controlling their line of scrimmage coupled with a Tampa O line controlling their line of scrimmage, opening up holes for Pittman and Graham to run through, cooks up victory for the Bucs this week.

There's a lot on the line in this one. With a loss Tampa could fall out of first place, and Manning and his shiny forehead go into the bye week 5-0. A win and I get to see clips of Manning drooling and babbling like a two-year old on the sideline. It also spells redemption from the 2003 Indy comeback and resiliency after two huge injuries last week. A win this week puts Tampa Bay among super bowl contenders! I had to say it.

Final Score:

Tampa Bay 34 Indy 31

Head to Head

Tampa has won two of the last three against the Colts but hasn't beat them since 1997.

The Bucs and Colts have only played 5 times, Tampa leads the matchup 3-2.

QB Peyton Manning, in one career game vs. Tampa, is 34 of 47 passing with 386 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

WR Marvin Harrison, in 2 career games vs. Tampa, has 14 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

WR Reggie Wayne, in one career game vs. Tampa, has 4 receptions for 59 yards and no touchdowns.

None of the running backs on the Colts roster have faced Tampa.

QB Jeff Garcia, in two career games vs. the Colts, has a passer rating of 113.1.

RB Michael Pittman, in one career game against the Colts, has 16 carries for 106 yards.

None of the WR's on Tampa have faced off against the Colts.