Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2011 PFF All-NFC South Team
I’m not sure if this article wouldn’t be better titled “All-Saints offense” and “All-Falcons defense” because of the majority each team is featured in those respective units.
It’s not all good news for New Orleans, however, as three of their best players are set to become free agents. The fact the Bucs have just two participants here goes a long way to explaining why Raheem Morris no longer has a job. The up-and-coming Panthers have four entrants which, while still pretty poor, at least helps to avoid Tampa Bay’s embarrassment.
With that said, lets train our gaze on the PFF All-NFC South team for 2011.
Re-Focused: Buccaneers @ Falcons, Week 17
The Blowout Bowl. Atlanta entered this game with the number five seed still needing a victory to seal, so they came to play. Tampa Bay entered this game with nothing at stake, with no reason to play, and with pride long since evaporated away from the season. The results were predictable, as the Falcons steam rolled their way to a 42-0 lead before putting backups into the game in the second quarter.
In the end the Buccaneers were able to claw their way back to within three scores in the fourth quarter, thanks to some Falcons mistakes and the cumulative weight of passing against garbage time defenses. The truth is that the end result of 45-24 dramatically flatters a team that was frankly embarrassing for much of the game.
If Raheem Morris wasn’t already for the chopping block heading into this game, he was a dead man walking at halftime.
Three to Focus on: Buccaneers @ Falcons, Week 17
Neither one of these teams are where they want to be right now. The Falcons have lost their chance at the division, and didn’t look good against the Saints last week. The only way they can avoid a rematch against the Saints is if they win and the Packers beat the Lions, or if the Saints can get a first round bye. No matter what, if the Falcons want to make a run it won’t be going through Atlanta.
Tampa Bay last won a game way back in Week 6, and haven’t been very competitive in any of the games since then. We could be seeing Raheem Morris’ last game coaching the Buccaneers, and a win or a loss probably won’t make much of a difference. Tampa Bay’s best chances involve Atlanta resting some of their players. Since they have a later kickoff time, the Falcons will know if they have something to play for by the time this one kicks-off. Here are three matchups to keep an eye on.
Re-Focused: Buccaneers @ Panthers, Week 16
Two teams heading in opposite directions at a rapid rate met this week and as you might expect, there was no change in either trajectory. The Buccaneers got off to a poor start, allowing a touchdown for the Panthers on their opening drive, and then losing a fumble on their first offensive play.
The Panthers took advantage of the 10-0 lead early and never looked back, eventually putting up a 38-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter, by which stage the Bucs were simply mailing it in. This game had all the hallmarks of a poorly coached team for Tampa Bay, and Raheem Morris must be coming under ever increasing pressure now that the gloss has worn off his 10-6 season.
Carolina is trying to build some momentum under rookie phenom Cam Newton, so that they can head into 2012 looking to seriously challenge in the NFC South again. Let’s see how the game went.
Three to Focus on: Buccaneers @ Panthers, Week 16
Divisional games were moved to the final weeks of the season to try and eliminate the meaningless games that the final weeks were littered with. Looking at the records of Tampa Bay and Carolina it’s hard to see how this game will have much to it outside of some interesting individual battles.
Tampa Bay heads into the game with a Head Coach beginning to come under increased pressure after a season in which his young team came apart at the seams and never came close to building on 2010’s surprise 10-win season. The Buccaneers have had some players regress badly and have some major work to do if they are going to get back to winning ways in a tough division.
For the Panthers, things have been looking up with the sensational rookie season of Cam Newton, and the resurgent play of star wide out Steve Smith. At the moment these two teams would seem to be moving in different directions, can the Bucs do anything about that?
Re-Focused: Cowboys @ Buccaneers, Week 15
He may be unpopular outside of the dressing room, but we’ve been told all week how Tampa Bay Buccaneer head coach Raheem Morris has the support of the players. Words from Kellen Winslow before the game reinforced this idea, with the tight end adamant that he and his team would fight for their HC.
Either those were empty words or the Buccaneers are just not very good.
The Dallas Cowboys dominated from the get-go and it was only a lax third quarter that allowed the Bucs any sniff of getting back into the game–before the Dallas defense tightened-up and turned Josh Freeman into a check-down machine. The scoreline, if anything, flattered a limp and idealess Tampa Bay team who must be scratching their heads and wondering how this group of players earned victories over both the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Cowboys @ Buccaneers, Week 15
The Buccaneers were very close to the playoffs last year, and–after seven straight losses–they will be watching from home again this time around. Their passing game just isn’t what it was last year, and their defense has been equally as bad.
Common sense says that it should be Dallas who wins this game, as they need to fight for their playoff spot, but they’ve been one of the hardest teams to predict, though they’ve typically pulled out victories when facing the weaker teams in the league. The loss of DeMarco Murray at running back certainly doesn’t help and every year we see a handful of games where the team playing for pride pulls it off, so this one’s far from in the bag for Dallas.
Can the Buccaneers be one of those teams that has a late-season upset to hurt someone else’s playoff chances? Here are three matchups that can help answer that question. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Buccaneers @ Jaguars, Week 14
At a glance, its hard to believe the Buccaneers and Jaguars combined for 41 points, let alone one of them hitting 41 by themselves. Tampa Bay turned the ball over a whopping seven times and Jacksonville converted those takeaways into 21 points. Compounding their lack of ball security here was the fact the Bucs were flagged 12 times for 97 yards and their return units contributed minus 2 yards on punts and zero yards via kick returns. While the Jaguars only had a pair of turnovers, one was inside the Bucs’ 10; inexcusable in any game.
In this meeting of two underwhelming and injury-depleted franchises, each toting a struggling quarterback, it was the Jaguars who made fewer mistakes. They also hit a couple of big plays to really put the game out of sight and left with the first win for interim Head Coach Mel Tucker while having scored more points than in their previous three games combined. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus On: Buccaneers @ Jaguars, Week 14
It’s time to audition for the 2012 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into the game reeling from a six-game losing streak and they’ve fallen to last in the NFC South at 4-8. Rumors are circulating about second-year Head Coach Raheem Morris’ job status for next season, so a strong finish is essential to keep his seat from getting too warm.
In addition to sending players to the injured reserve in droves, the Jacksonville Jaguars have experienced as many changes as an organization can handle as they’ve picked-up a new owner and Head Coach in the past week. Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker got the “interim” label as the top man, and like Morris, he is hoping to show he is future head coach material by instilling some life into the Jaguars’ disappointing 2011 season.
With the playoffs long out of reach for both teams, let’s take a look at some key players who are hoping to be part of the rebuilding process for their respective teams. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Panthers @ Buccaneers, Week 13
In a game with no real postseason implications, the Carolina Panthers built an early 14-point lead and never looked threatened from that point on, eventually doubling up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-19. With Bucs starting quarterback Josh Freeman out injured, the Panthers were widely expected to win this one despite being the road team. However, it was mainly Tampa’s defensive struggles that cost them this one.
A win would have kept Tampa within two games of the last wild card spot with four to play but, realistically, both teams were already looking ahead to next year. With both teams now 4-8, Sunday’s game would suggest that Tampa has further to go to get back to being a good team.
Let’s look at some of the individual performances to see if we can identify anyone that is going to make an impact for either of these teams next year.
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