TSN: Week 1 Matchups Tampa Vs Skins

[bubba9497]

http://warroom.sportingnews.com/nfl/matchups/week1/buccaneers-redskins/away.html

Why To Watch

The 2004 Washington home opener marks the return of Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs to the Redskins' sidelines after an 11-year absence. Already the team has shown marked improvement under Gibbs -- on paper.

They brought in quarterback Mark Brunell and running back Clinton Portis in an attempt to stabilize their offense. They signed five free agents to start on their rebuilt defense -- tackle Cornelius Griffin, end Phillip Daniels, linebackers Marcus Washington and Mike Barrow and cornerback Shawn Springs.

The Redskins and their fans expect to win now. With the hoopla surrounding his return, and the tough NFC East which will come down to one game or less for the division title, Gibbs will treat this like a playoff game.

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden was not careful about what he wished for, and now he’s got it -- control over the organization. Will it be all it's cracked up to be? Since the end of the 2003 season, the Bucs completed their "worst-kept secret" pending divorce from GM Rich McKay and replaced him with Gruden’s friend from Oakland, Bruce Allen.

Gruden has control of the team now, but faced with salary cap scars from the past, he was limited in his remaking of the roster, able to acquire only a few of his preferred aging veterans such as running back Charlie Garner and wide receivers Joey Galloway and Tim Brown. The Bucs did sign a number of veterans to minimum salary deals, which improved their depth.

Thin at the skill positions, Gruden believes his system can overcome the personnel deficiencies. This game will start to tell the story. It’s Gibbs vs. Gruden -- it's a legend matched against a possible legend in the making.

Buccaneers Keys For Success

1. Establish the short passing game. Quarterback Brad Johnson must do this first to open up a downfield threat. Former Raiders Garner and Brown and their knowledge of Gruden’s offense might be just what the doctor ordered. Once the mid-range attack is effective, look for Galloway to challenge the Redskins' top pass defender, cornerback Fred Smoot.

2. Dominate with their front four. With Rice and fellow end Greg Spires and McFarland and fellow tackle Chartric Darby, the Bucs must neutralize Washington’s offensive line so that they can slow down Portis. The Bucs must keep the Redskins from running between the tackles effectively.

3. Pressure Brunell. To stop the Redskins' passing game, the Bucs must get in the face of Brunell, force him out of the pocket and make him throw without allowing him to set his feet. This is the strength of the Bucs' game. Speedy linebackers Derrick Brooks and Ian Gold can make big plays as the Bucs look to score on defense each week.

Redskins Keys For Success

1. Establish the run with Portis. The Redskins must attack the Bucs between the tackles as the Bucs think pass-rush first and run-stop second. Once past the line of scrimmage, Portis and his athleticism make him a threat to break a long play every time he has the ball.

2. Brunell needs to challenge the Bucs' secondary. He can do this by throwing downfield to talented receivers Laveranues Coles, Rod Gardner and James Thrash. Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly are physical at the corners, but the Bucs can be burned deep. Once the Redskins stretch the field, look for Portis as a receiver as the team attempts to neutralize the speedy Bucs. The offensive line must protect Brunell from Simeon Rice on the edge and Anthony McFarland up the middle.

3. The linebackers need to bump the Bucs' receivers. The Redskins must do this within the five-yard allotted zone to disrupt the flow of the Bucs' West Coast offense and take away key passing lanes.

The Bottom Line

The Bucs will spoil the return of Gibbs with defensive depth and speed being the key. They also will win time of possession by methodically moving the ball down the field with their running game as the "closer" in the fourth quarter.

Portis will be the best player on the field. He will dominate the Redskins' offensive game plan with his running and receiving. But in the end, the Bucs' defense and ball control will be the difference.

Pick: Buccaneers 17, Redskins 13

When the Redskins Have the Ball

STAT COMPARISON

Pts./game SCORED ALLOWED

17.9 16.5

Pass yds./game GAINED ALLOWED

187.9 169.4

Rush yds./game GAINED ALLOWED

103.3 109.8

Joe Gibbs wants to play a ball-control game, meaning Clinton Portis will run the ball 20-to-25 times. Using multiple shifts, the Redskins will make Tampa Bay’s front four react to their alignment in an attempt to slow down its aggressive upfield push.

Washington will trap with guards Derrick Dockery and Randy Thomas and run right at ends Simeon Rice and Greg Spires, who are both better pass rushers than run defenders. Once past the line, Portis is a threat to break a long run at any time. The Redskins' perimeter running attack is likely overmatched by the speed of the Bucs pursuit, led by perennial All-Pro linebacker Derrick Brooks.

In passing situations, quarterback Mark Brunell will operate a controlled attack, utilizing his athleticism with bootleg action to counter the Bucs' fierce front-four pass rush as well as the blitzing of cornerback Ronde Barber. Brunell will spread the ball around to Portis and wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner. With the Bucs in cover 2, the Redskins will run crossing routes in an attempt to split the seams of the defense and to free up deep go routes.

Tampa Bay will pressure Brunell with multiple blitz packages, forcing him out of the pocket and making him throw to the strength of the Bucs' secondary, Barber and fellow corner Brian Kelly. Advantage: Bucs.

Third-down battle: Brunell will attempt to get the ball to his playmakers (Portis, Coles, Gardner) and will concentrate in making first downs rather than getting the ball upfield. Because Washington wants to control the clock and field position, short play-action passes to Portis will slow down the Bucs' pass rush. The Bucs will employ a nickel package to get additional quickness in their coverage, especially because Barber is such a daunting blitzer.

When Washington pounds the ball between the tackles, fullback Rock Cartwright is a good inside runner and excellent lead blocker. Because the Bucs' 4-3 is so pass rush-conscious, the Redskins will run up the middle with Cartwright and Portis. Advantage: Redskins.

Red-zone battle: Washington ranked 11th in the NFL last season in converting 53.3 percent of red zone opportunities into touchdowns. The Redskins will look to Cartwright to pound the ball in short-yardage situations and look to tight end Walter Rasby to get open on short crossing patterns when Brunell uses bootleg actions in an attempt to spread the Bucs' defense as much as possible. The Bucs will press hard and cover with tight man coverage, with strong contain from their ends. Their front four should be able to handle the Redskins' offensive line most of the time in this area. Advantage: Bucs.

Special Teams:

Kickers: Martin Gramatica must improve on his mediocre 2003 if the Bucs are to be successful in close games. His low trajectory kicks make them prone to being blocked and may make the Bucs consider going for first downs instead of trying for the long field goal. Washington’s John Hall is solid and reliable. Advantage: Redskins.

Punter: Former Buc Tom Tupa enters his first season as a Redskin. He is very adept on both dropping kicks inside the 20 and booming long ones. Former Packer Josh Bidwell now handles the duties for Tampa. Advantage: Redskins.

Kick returners: Washington's Chad Morton is one of the NFL's premier returners. Frank Murphy is the leading candidate to return kicks for the Bucs. In his brief career, Murphy has averaged 20.4 yards per return, and it is the hope of the Bucs' faithful that he will be the one to return the first kickoff for a touchdown in franchise history. Advantage: Redskins.

Punt returners: Morton also returns punts for the Redskins. The Bucs are relying on rookie Mark Jones to achieve the same success he had at Tennessee in 2003, where he was third in the nation in this area. Advantage: Redskins.

Coverage units: Joe Gibbs focuses on controlling field position. If Antonio Pierce is pressed into starting duty and taken off of the coverage teams, it's potentially a big loss. But both teams are aggressive with their coverages, and the Redskins play better as a unit. Advantage: Redskins.

The Bucs will look to establish a possession passing game to open up the running game, with an occasional deep route thrown in to keep the defense honest. Quarterback Brad Johnson will throw short crossing routes to Tim Brown and rookie first-round pick Michael Clayton and running back Charlie Garner so that the Bucs can open up the deeper patterns for speedster Joey Galloway.

The Redskins will use cover-2 techniques so that they can get underneath pass coverage from linebackers Marcus Washington, Michael Barrow (or Antonio Pierce) and LaVar Arrington. Cornerback Fred Smoot will be their top cover corner and likely match up with Galloway.

When the Bucs run, they will use a backfield by committee, with the hope that Garner will become their feature back. They will look to run right at tackles Brandon Noble and Cornelius Griffin with blocking fullback Greg Comella leading the way for Garner or Mike Alstott, who returns after recovering from neck surgery. Advantage: Bucs.

Third-down battle. The Bucs will continue to use short crossing routes here. Johnson likes to get the ball to his receivers quickly so that they can play catch and run against the defense. Washington will need to use blitz packages with its linebackers because it interior defensive line is not effective as a unit with a consistent pass rush. On third-and-short, the Bucs will rely on Alstott to pound into the line of scrimmage. If the Redskins don’t get to Alstott deep into the backfield with a strong charge, he will gain the necessary four-or-so yards that are needed for the first down. Advantage: Bucs.

Red-zone battle: The Bucs had the 10th-best red zone offense in 2003, scoring 22 touchdowns in 40 attempts. Alstott, with his low to the ground, shoulders squared to the line running style, will be used again and again to pound out positive yardage. The Redskins will pinch with their interior defensive line and expect that the linebackers fill quickly at the point of attack. If the Bucs look to throw, Johnson will use quick play-action to find Galloway in the corner or Brown crossing the field. The Redskins need to pressure Johnson and not allow him time to throw. They will play straight up tight coverage, with a strong charge by the linebackers. Advantage: Bucs.

Special Teams:

Kickers: Martin Gramatica must improve on his mediocre 2003 if the Bucs are to be successful in close games. His low trajectory kicks make them prone to being blocked and may make the Bucs consider going for first downs instead of trying for the long field goal. Washington’s John Hall is solid and reliable. Advantage: Redskins.

Punter: Former Buc Tom Tupa enters his first season as a Redskin. He is very adept on both dropping kicks inside the 20 and booming long ones. Former Packer Josh Bidwell now handles the duties for Tampa. Advantage: Redskins.

Kick returners: Washington's Chad Morton is one of the NFL's premier returners. Frank Murphy is the leading candidate to return kicks for the Bucs. In his brief career, Murphy has averaged 20.4 yards per return, and it is the hope of the Bucs' faithful that he will be the one to return the first kickoff for a touchdown in franchise history. Advantage: Redskins.

Punt returners: Morton also returns punts for the Redskins. The Bucs are relying on rookie Mark Jones to achieve the same success he had at Tennessee in 2003, where he was third in the nation in this area. Advantage: Redskins.

Coverage units: Joe Gibbs focuses on controlling field position. If Antonio Pierce is pressed into starting duty and taken off of the coverage teams, it's potentially a big loss. But both teams are aggressive with their coverages, and the Redskins play better as a unit. Advantage: Redskins.

[inmate running the asylum]

Pick: Buccaneers 17, Redskins 13

Bullsh1t. The Redskins win this game 27-17. :laugh:

[SiCkSoULjA]

That was a good long read but had some errors. ROCK won't make the team, Rasby wont catch many passes, and of course the result will be different Redskins win this game.

[thinker]

Using our redzone statistics from last year is just Mike Martz stupid.

[afparent]

:bsflag:

[skinsfan51]

I say the skins win 28-7. The D has played very good, with the exception of the Rams game, and Tampa is no St. Louis speed-wise on offense. That aggressive D will give Brad Johnson trouble and if they can pressure him with LB blitzes and force INTs, then the game is ours.

[TheDarb]

They are just guessing at what the Skins will do tactically. They have no idea. Neither do we. Nor do the Bucs. I can't wait.

[Darth Tater]

I think the final score might have much to do with how the early part of the game goes. I think that the Redskins will be so hyped. If the aggression gets us to an early lead, look for a blowout. The only scenario I can see us loosing is if TB figures out how to use the aggression against us and jumps out to an early BIG lead. If the game is tight late in the 4th quarter, I guess it could go either way.

[AzSkinsFan63]

Skins 17-3.......

the surprise of this season is the Skins defensive performance..That's the good news...

the bad news is Greg Williams will get offered another HC position after learning how to coach under Gibbs.

[redskns21]

Though I don't think we'll be invincible this year, I do think we'll win this one. Just too much momentum going into this one with Joe's first regular season home game and the recent ass kicking of Atlanta being too much for the Bucs to handle.

Beyond that...We won our last 2 openers.

[Larry]

I definatly wouldn't mark this one into the "quaranteed-win" column, in fact, I think I'd list it as a toss-up, because both teams are somewhat mysteries right now. (More so the 'Skins, I'd suspect).

If I'm Gruden, I'd say the Skins secondary looks more fragile than their run D. (Which, to me as a 'Skins fan, is a welcome change. I'm tired of getting run over.)

I'd also say, from watching the preseason, that our O-line seems to be able to dominate teams with lousy d-lines, but that ain't the Bucs. If I'm Gruden, I stick with pretty basic pass rushing, and make Brunell, who hasn't been a model of consistancy, beat us with his arm.

The Bucs aren't the team I would've picked to open against. OTOH, it's likely that we know a lot more about them than they know about us.

[Zen-like Todd]

Some idiotic statements in there.

1) Antonio Pierce isn't coming off of the coverage unit if he has to start.

2) We're going to play cover-2? Somehow I seriously doubt it.

3) Why are they using last year's red zone #s? We have a completely different offensive scheme.

4) Rock Cartwright? He probably won't even be on the roster. And even if he is, you won't see him as a lead blocker, as suggested in this article.

Zzzzz....

[method man]

lol...rock an excellent lead blocker hahaha. even with that doesnt this idiot know gibbs doesnt use a fullback. every sportswriter should noe this because after all gibbs invented the h-back position. i think our corners can shut down their receivers. smoot has played galloway several times and galloway has not exactly dominated smoot. brown is washed up... i wouldn't even waste my time putting springs on him.... just stick harris on him and put springs on clayton. i am worried about garner. we may be underestimating him. he is a shifty quick guy that can kill us either by running or receiving.

[Snagletooth]

With good protection Brad Johnson can be efficient. His game really starts to fall apart when he gets some heat. I think we will bring alot of energy, defensively, into this first game and it may be to much for BJ and the Buc offense to handle.

If the running game gets going it could get ugly for Tampa. Can't wait to see Portis get some extended play.

[Potato Sack]

They also will win time of possession by methodically moving the ball down the field with their running game as the "closer" in the fourth quarter

So we won't be able to control the clock and methodically move the ball down the field with our offensive line finally coming to life and a running back like Portis? Give me a break. That was weak.

[bulldog]

I don't see how Portis is going to be the best player on the field, making plays in both the rushing game and passing game and then the Bucs are going to win because they play ball control?? :laugh:

If Portis is doing all these great things, aren't the Redskins in possession of the ball for fairly long stretches?

Also, I anticipate that Betts will be the short yardage and goal line back, not Cartwright.

Rasby as a receiver?

How about Chris Cooley as the surprise producer in the passing game? The Bucs can't cover everybody and Cooley is likely to be left unchecked until he proves he can make plays.

Final point. I don't see how the Redskins can so dominate the play on special teams (as the article seems to infer) and then not have the resulting field position game favor the Skins and their odds to win

This article has more inconsistencies in it than perhaps any other I have read the past couple of weeks on the NFL.

Seems as if the writers already had a final winner chosen and then went back to try and find some arguments to justify their selection

[REDALERT]

This is a toss up game and we cannot take the Bucs lighty. Frankly, after looking over the Bucs roster, they have some pretty descent veterans on offense that could surprise our younger defense of players. Also, Big Mike Alstott could defintely wear down our DL.

Sean taylor and our safeties are gonna be the key to this game IMO. You have Tim Brown, not a young pup anymore. But he's definitely a heads up player. "Respect the speed" This is what concerns me. Sean taylor better recognize the speed in the NFL and have his thinking cap on against these receivers, especially Galloway.

The only way i see us wininng this game is if we can stop the run and blitz Brad Johnson effectively. We have to constantly raddle Johnson in making bad decisions and forcing the ball. But again, if the Bucs wear down our DL with Garner and Alstott. I see Brad Johnson being very productive in the passing game and making our DB's pay.

[bulldog]

This is going to be a low scoring game and field position is key. If the Redskins special teams can make plays I think that is going to make the difference. The only way that the Bucs get to churn out the yards on the ground and wear down the defense is if they are working with a lead and have decent field position.

The Redskins defense will be much faster this season, particularly at linebacker and safety. We are deeper at corner with Harris as the #3.

I don't see Williams sitting back and allowing Brad Johnson to get comfortable in the pocket. Johnson is not a mobile 35 year old, like Drew Bledsoe he is a sitting target and I think we will hit him early and often.

Garner concerns me more than Alstott. Galloway more than Brown.

[Skinned]

It was as if he was reviewing last years redskins team (just add in the Broncos Portis knowledge)....

[Octane67]

I agree w/ bulldog this will be a low scoring game... bucs defense is not too shabby and williams will have his boys ready...

The west coast offense requires timing and most teams do not have very good timing the first game. The team with the better running attack will win.

[goldenster95]

You missed one thing in the matchup stuff: a majority of the TSN 'experts' has the 'Skins winning a close one against the Bucs.

[Destino]

I don't know what this crack pot was smoking but he's got the skins all wrong. Having said that this game will be a tough one for the skins. Short WR routes are going to be tough to deal with for our blitz for pressure defense. Also their D-line is mean.

Having said that I don't think they'll be able to stop our passing game. They'll be able to stop Portis at first, but their CB's are physical, not fast. In case you guys didn't know this: Coles is one fast SOB. So is Thrash, and he'll be covered by CB numero 3. Then of course you have Cooley, who if he can produce early, will force the Tampa Linebackers to cover and not blitz.

I like how we match up in this one. If we win, it will be tough but I don't think it's unreasonable to say we can do it.

Go skins.

[Dallsux]

The Bottom Line

The Bucs will spoil the return of Gibbs with defensive depth and speed being the key. They also will win time of possession by methodically moving the ball down the field with their running game as the "closer" in the fourth quarter.

Portis will be the best player on the field. He will dominate the Redskins' offensive game plan with his running and receiving. But in the end, the Bucs' defense and ball control will be the difference.

Pick: Buccaneers 17, Redskins 13

Someone explain to me how the Bucs are going to control the clock if PORTIS is the best player on the field? I have a hard time believing that the Bucs are going to "methodically" move the ball against such an aggressive defense that won't allow Brad Johnson to get a clean pass off for most of the game or allow Charlie Garner to get 5 yards past the LOS on most plays.

Pick: Bucs 3, Redskins 31

Third-down battle: Brunell will attempt to get the ball to his playmakers (Portis, Coles, Gardner) and will concentrate in making first downs rather than getting the ball upfield. Because Washington wants to control the clock and field position, short play-action passes to Portis will slow down the Bucs' pass rush. The Bucs will employ a nickel package to get additional quickness in their coverage, especially because Barber is such a daunting blitzer.

Ok, so now this clown knows what Gibbs is gonna do? Uh-huh...

When Washington pounds the ball between the tackles, fullback Rock Cartwright is a good inside runner and excellent lead blocker. Because the Bucs' 4-3 is so pass rush-conscious, the Redskins will run up the middle with Cartwright and Portis. Advantage: Redskins.

What happened to Betts & Sellars? Is Sellars no longer at the H-Back position? And I thought Rock was on his way out? What's going on here? I'm so confused! :whoknows:

Red-zone battle: Washington ranked 11th in the NFL last season in converting 53.3 percent of red zone opportunities into touchdowns. The Redskins will look to Cartwright to pound the ball in short-yardage situations and look to tight end Walter Rasby to get open on short crossing patterns when Brunell uses bootleg actions in an attempt to spread the Bucs' defense as much as possible. The Bucs will press hard and cover with tight man coverage, with strong contain from their ends. Their front four should be able to handle the Redskins' offensive line most of the time in this area. Advantage: Bucs.

:doh: :laugh: What the hell? Again with Rock? And now Rasby? What the hell is going on? Is Chris Cooley not going to be playing all of a sudden? Who is this azzclown, anyway?

My feeling on this article: :bsflag:

Sounds to me like someone has a biased view about this game. Why would he be using stats from Spurrier when Spurrier is no longer here. Does he really think that he knows what Gibbs is planning to do? How is that possible? All in all, this article is garbage & isn't worth the "paper it's printed on."

:finger: :nutkick: