Something to prove...

I think last week I was grossly mistaken at how good of a football team the Texans really are. I must apologize to Houston, my birth town. The Bucs were actually beat last week, for the first time since the Colts handed them their asses earlier in the year. The Texans controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage, for the majority of the game, and had a better game plan, bottom line. I dont think I even saw a game plan from Gruden in this game. The Bucs just looked like they didn't know what they wanted to do on offense. They wouldn't commit to the run, or the pass, and seemed to do both at inopportune times. How do you turn a second and one into a 4th down punt when you have a guy like Earnest Graham running the ball who most of the times falls forward for at least a yard. The Texans played the run well, but the Bucs never really commited to it. Instead on third and one you call for your backup quarterback to throw deep to Joey Galloway. McCown played well, but made just enough bad throws, two particularly big overthrows, to lose it. 2nd and one = run the ball!! 3rd and one = run the ball!! This has been what Tampa has been about all year, smart football, get first downs, trudge down the field, eat up clock, put points on the board.. They were unable to do this against a Texans defense that, statistically, is not very good. It goes to show that statistics aren't always the best measure of a team. I think Houston's D is a little underratted, especially with the rise of Mario Williams this year. I give Houston props, everyone was shouting at them last year, Mario Williams first round over Reggie Bush? It is turning out to be a good decision for Houston, and Reggie Bush is slowly beginning to prove to us that he does not have the balls to be an NFL starting running back... Back to my focus though, the Bucs need just win this week against a pathetic, in all phases of football, Atlanta Falcons..





This week the Bucs gameplan should be to have a gameplan, or at least one they will stick to. If the Bucs hope to have success in the playoffs this year, past the first round, they are gonna have to show that they can muster up some offense. The Falcons defense is 24th in the NFL is yards allowed per game (343.5 ypg) and 22nd in the NFL with points allowed per game (23.5 ppg). The Falcons pass defense is 19th in the NFL in yards allowed per game and 21st in the NFL in touchdowns allowed per game, while the rush defense is 27th in yards allowed per game and 12th in touchdowns allowed per game. The Bucs need an offense that is clicking going into the playoffs. Their defense has been excellent all year, but a good offense makes them that much better and takes some of the pressure off of them. Their defense is noticeably tired. We aren't seeing the big hits from guys like Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Phillips we were seeing earlier in the year. Barrett Ruud started the year off great, and was leading the NFL in tackles for the first four or five weeks of the season. Since then he has dropped to 15th in the NFL in tackles. The Bucs no doubt have a playoff quality defense, I would seriously consider them as the best defense in the league, with minimal bias, if not place them in the top 3. I dont quite see that playoff quality in their offense. The Bucs won the super bowl in 2003 with a sub par offense and great defense... However, there were no 2007 Patriots or Cowboys to beat that year. The Bucs defense is good but will not beat a Patriots team or Cowboys team without offense. So lets get some offense going against the Falcons, the momentum must begin somewhere, why not at home, against a division rival, to win the NFC South crown??





Jeff Garcia returns to the lineup and leads the Bucs NFL 19th ranked offense in yards per game, NFL 19th ranked offense in points per game against a weak Falcons defense... A Falcons team that is in shambles.. If the Bucs can't win this game, I am going to find it very difficult to place the Bucs past the second round of the playoffs, that is if they make it out of the first. This is a must win for the Bucs, not only to win the division, but for team morale, for momentum, for many reasons. I have a feeling they are gonna get it done..





The Bucs need to put their gameplan in place, and follow it.. I say the gameplan be pound the ball, pound the ball, pound the ball.. Garcia short pass, Garcia short pass, pound the ball, set up the deep play.. Tampa has done it effectively this year, with some consistency, but not with the consistency of teams like New England and Dallas. Coming down to the late phases of the season, consistency, momentum, rhythm are huge factors.. The Bucs need to start it here so it can carry over into the playoffs..



Jeff Garcia inserts leadership into the Buccaneer offense. There is no saying how important he is to the success of their offense. Garcia plays smart, and has all year. He hadn't thrown a pick going into week 6 I believe, and has only thrown 3 picks all year. Thats less than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. I don't put Garcia in their category when it comes to big times pass plays, although he has hit a few this year, but when it comes to smarts he is right up there with the elite QB's. Garcia will have to be the catalyst for a Buccaneer offensive surge if the Bucs hope to go deep into the playoffs. Teams have to pay extra attention to the Buccaneers pass game with Garcia in there, this opens up the Bucs rush game.. Earnest Graham will need Garcia to be consistent, and teams to recognize Tampa's ability to pass if he hopes to have future success, especially in the playoffs. Atlanta is the perfect place to get this started.



Tampa's defense will surely showup to play, but will the offense? The story of this weekends game, in Tampa Bay, 1:00 EDT, is the Buccaneer offense. They gotta show the football world something.

Final Score Tampa Bay 38, Atlanta 24