Buccaneers Stuff....
- Thread starter boozeman
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 122,448
[h=1]DeSean Jackson “hopeful” of playing this week[/h] Posted by Charean Williams on December 18, 2018, 3:05 PM EST
Buccaneers receiver DeSean Jackson is “hopeful” of returning this week after missing the past three games with a thumb injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jackson revealed last week that he originally injured his left thumb in the season opener. He played through the injury until aggravating it in the Week 12 game against the Giants.
He had the thumb immobilized as recently as last week.
In 11 games, Jackson has made 40 catches for 750 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2016, his final season in Washington.
Buccaneers receiver DeSean Jackson is “hopeful” of returning this week after missing the past three games with a thumb injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jackson revealed last week that he originally injured his left thumb in the season opener. He played through the injury until aggravating it in the Week 12 game against the Giants.
He had the thumb immobilized as recently as last week.
In 11 games, Jackson has made 40 catches for 750 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2016, his final season in Washington.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 52,639
Yeah this is why Garrett and the enitre offensive staff just need to go. They are totally incapable of recognizing a problem and fixing it. They just want to continue doing the same thing hoping that it just fixes itself. Well it's not going to. We don't have the O-line to do what we used to get away with.
p1_
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 26,562
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 52,639
p1_
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 26,562
yeah, we need to win this game. I wonder how that knee is.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,043
[h=1]How can the Cowboys stop Tampa Bay’s explosive offense? We have some ideas[/h]
By Marcus Mosher Dec 20, 2018
After a disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Cowboys will get another shot to clinch the NFC East. This shot comes in the form of a home contest against the 5-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas enters the game as a seven-point favorite, but this game will be far from a walk in the park for a number of reasons.
While Tampa Bay’s defense certainly isn’t anything to write home about, it’s their offense that makes them a potential playoff spoiler. On the season, the Bucs lead the league in the following offensive categories; third-down conversion percentage, net passing yards, and plays of 10 or more yards. They are averaging 24.6 points per game and are third in yards per game (416.6). Tampa Bay excels at throwing the ball down the field.
Tampa Bay leads the NFL in air yards this season with 3,125 per 360sportradar. The Atlanta Falcons are second at 2,460. If you aren’t familiar with air yards, the concept is quite simple; they’re a factor of the total distance the ball is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage. While some teams rack up a lot of yardage after the catch, the Buccaneers throw the ball down the field more frequently and more efficiently than any other NFL team.
It’s not hard to understand why they do so. With their talent at receiver, it makes sense for the Bucs to push the ball down the field. When they are at full strength, they have two receivers in Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson who can stretch defenses vertically and another in Chris Godwin who is starting to grow into a reliable No. 3 option. But to be clear, as talented as Jackson and Godwin are, this offense runs through Evans.
Through 14 games, Evans has 74 receptions for 1,328 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging nearly 18 yards per reception, yet somehow, didn’t make the Pro Bowl. But I digress. Evans has quickly turned into one of the NFL’s best downfield threats. According to 360sportsradar, no receiver has more yards on “go” routes than Evans (542). His combination of size and speed make him a difficult cover for even the best cornerbacks. Anytime Evans is matched up one-on-one on the outside; you can bet the ball is going his way.
Here is an example in Week 8 where the Bengals brought pressure, and the read was to Evans down the field against single coverage. Anytime Tampa Bay gets into a jam; you can bet they have Evans in mind, hoping that he can make a play. Most of the time, their superstar receiver answers the bell.
Time and time again, you see Evans beating coverage down the field on go routes. Defensive backs just don’t realize how fast he is. Evans, who is listed as 6’5 and 231 pounds, doesn’t look like a player who should be able to run a 4.53 40-yard dash. Teams will often play a lot of off-coverage against Evans, but that can be a mistake. He eats up that cushion quickly, and by the time the cornerback has a chance to react, Evans has already built up enough speed to blow by the coverage. Against the Giants a few weeks ago, we saw a perfect example of this.
On this play, cornerback Janoris Jenkins is playing with outside technique, trying to force the action back to the middle of the field. The safety on his side of the field took one false step, and the play was over. Evans had outrun the coverage, and it resulted in an easy touchdown for Winston and his receiver.
Evans isn’t just a one-trick pony. He can run every route and does so at a high level. But it’s the deep routes and receptions that can flip a game instantly. Like Terrell Owens during his time in Dallas, Evans is one of the more dangerous receivers when the play breaks down. He just has a great feel for how to execute the scramble drill.
Each week, the Bucs seem to create big gains off busted plays. Even against one of the league’s best defenses in the Baltimore Ravens, the Bucs were still able to create an explosive play on a scramble drill. Check out this 64-yard reception to Evans from Jameis Winston.
Evans is the star, but Tampa Bay has other weapons more than capable of hurting you. If you devote two defenders to Evans, that leaves one-on-one matchups with Chris Godwin or DeSean Jackson. And the Bucs are a very different team when Jackson is on the field. He hasn’t played since November 25th due to a thumb injury, but he is “hopeful” to return in Week 16. When Jackson plays, he opens up things underneath for secondary receivers in Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate. However, he still has the “juice” to make plays down the field himself.
If Jackson does wind up playing, it’s going to become even more important that Dallas takes away the deep passing game. They can’t allow Tampa Bay to hang around by making big plays down the field. So how do I expect Dallas to handle the Buccaneers’ potent offense? Allow me to explain.
There are two ways to slow the Tampa Bay offense. The first is to make them drive the length of the field. On the season, the Buccaneers have just 21 drives of at least 10 plays, which is tied for 22nd in the NFL. If you take away the big plays and force Tampa Bay to dink-and-dunk their way down the field, typically, their offense will stall out.
Despite all their weapons in the passing game, the Bucs don’t have much of a run game. On the season, they are averaging just 3.97 yards per carry. Their leading rusher is Peyton Barber, who is averaging only 3.77 yards per carry. To make matters worse, his success rate is just 43.6 percent. This is the second-worst success rate in the NFL for a running back who has at least 175 carries. Barber just doesn’t have the speed to threaten a defense, and it is one reason Tampa Bay has become such a pass-heavy offense.
That leads me to the second way to beat Tampa Bay; turnovers. The Buccaneers have the most giveaways in the league at 32. They just can’t get out of their own way; quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston are a little too “aggressive” at times. Combined, they have thrown a league-high 25 interceptions. The Buffalo Bills are second, with 20. If you can take away the big plays down the field, the Buccaneers get anxious, and that is when turnovers start to rain down.
For Dallas to win this game, they need to take a page out of the Indianapolis Colts’ game plan from last week and dare the Buccaneers to run the ball. If Tampa Bay wants to play a conservative brand of football, Dallas will gladly allow them to do so as long as they can limit big plays. I fully expect Dallas to back up their safeties and dare the Buccaneers to run against five- and six-man fronts.
Eventually, Winston will get impatient and force the ball down the field. It’s in these situations that Dallas needs to capitalize on the aggressiveness of the Bucs’ offense. If the Cowboys can bait the Buccaneers into a few turnovers, Dallas should have no problem in this contest. The turnover margin and the number of big plays allowed will likely determine the final outcome of this game.
This is a very winnable game for the Cowboys. However, Tampa Bay has enough talent on offense to make two or three plays that can change the momentum of the game. If Dallas can hold Mike Evans in check, I expect them to come away with the NFC East on Sunday. If not, the Cowboys will go to New York for the final game of the season likely needing a win to secure a playoff spot. Taking on a division rival on the road would not be an enviable position for Dallas, should they fail to win the division on Sunday.
By Marcus Mosher Dec 20, 2018
After a disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Cowboys will get another shot to clinch the NFC East. This shot comes in the form of a home contest against the 5-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas enters the game as a seven-point favorite, but this game will be far from a walk in the park for a number of reasons.
While Tampa Bay’s defense certainly isn’t anything to write home about, it’s their offense that makes them a potential playoff spoiler. On the season, the Bucs lead the league in the following offensive categories; third-down conversion percentage, net passing yards, and plays of 10 or more yards. They are averaging 24.6 points per game and are third in yards per game (416.6). Tampa Bay excels at throwing the ball down the field.
Tampa Bay leads the NFL in air yards this season with 3,125 per 360sportradar. The Atlanta Falcons are second at 2,460. If you aren’t familiar with air yards, the concept is quite simple; they’re a factor of the total distance the ball is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage. While some teams rack up a lot of yardage after the catch, the Buccaneers throw the ball down the field more frequently and more efficiently than any other NFL team.
It’s not hard to understand why they do so. With their talent at receiver, it makes sense for the Bucs to push the ball down the field. When they are at full strength, they have two receivers in Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson who can stretch defenses vertically and another in Chris Godwin who is starting to grow into a reliable No. 3 option. But to be clear, as talented as Jackson and Godwin are, this offense runs through Evans.
Through 14 games, Evans has 74 receptions for 1,328 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging nearly 18 yards per reception, yet somehow, didn’t make the Pro Bowl. But I digress. Evans has quickly turned into one of the NFL’s best downfield threats. According to 360sportsradar, no receiver has more yards on “go” routes than Evans (542). His combination of size and speed make him a difficult cover for even the best cornerbacks. Anytime Evans is matched up one-on-one on the outside; you can bet the ball is going his way.
Here is an example in Week 8 where the Bengals brought pressure, and the read was to Evans down the field against single coverage. Anytime Tampa Bay gets into a jam; you can bet they have Evans in mind, hoping that he can make a play. Most of the time, their superstar receiver answers the bell.
Time and time again, you see Evans beating coverage down the field on go routes. Defensive backs just don’t realize how fast he is. Evans, who is listed as 6’5 and 231 pounds, doesn’t look like a player who should be able to run a 4.53 40-yard dash. Teams will often play a lot of off-coverage against Evans, but that can be a mistake. He eats up that cushion quickly, and by the time the cornerback has a chance to react, Evans has already built up enough speed to blow by the coverage. Against the Giants a few weeks ago, we saw a perfect example of this.
On this play, cornerback Janoris Jenkins is playing with outside technique, trying to force the action back to the middle of the field. The safety on his side of the field took one false step, and the play was over. Evans had outrun the coverage, and it resulted in an easy touchdown for Winston and his receiver.
Evans isn’t just a one-trick pony. He can run every route and does so at a high level. But it’s the deep routes and receptions that can flip a game instantly. Like Terrell Owens during his time in Dallas, Evans is one of the more dangerous receivers when the play breaks down. He just has a great feel for how to execute the scramble drill.
Each week, the Bucs seem to create big gains off busted plays. Even against one of the league’s best defenses in the Baltimore Ravens, the Bucs were still able to create an explosive play on a scramble drill. Check out this 64-yard reception to Evans from Jameis Winston.
Evans is the star, but Tampa Bay has other weapons more than capable of hurting you. If you devote two defenders to Evans, that leaves one-on-one matchups with Chris Godwin or DeSean Jackson. And the Bucs are a very different team when Jackson is on the field. He hasn’t played since November 25th due to a thumb injury, but he is “hopeful” to return in Week 16. When Jackson plays, he opens up things underneath for secondary receivers in Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate. However, he still has the “juice” to make plays down the field himself.
If Jackson does wind up playing, it’s going to become even more important that Dallas takes away the deep passing game. They can’t allow Tampa Bay to hang around by making big plays down the field. So how do I expect Dallas to handle the Buccaneers’ potent offense? Allow me to explain.
There are two ways to slow the Tampa Bay offense. The first is to make them drive the length of the field. On the season, the Buccaneers have just 21 drives of at least 10 plays, which is tied for 22nd in the NFL. If you take away the big plays and force Tampa Bay to dink-and-dunk their way down the field, typically, their offense will stall out.
Despite all their weapons in the passing game, the Bucs don’t have much of a run game. On the season, they are averaging just 3.97 yards per carry. Their leading rusher is Peyton Barber, who is averaging only 3.77 yards per carry. To make matters worse, his success rate is just 43.6 percent. This is the second-worst success rate in the NFL for a running back who has at least 175 carries. Barber just doesn’t have the speed to threaten a defense, and it is one reason Tampa Bay has become such a pass-heavy offense.
That leads me to the second way to beat Tampa Bay; turnovers. The Buccaneers have the most giveaways in the league at 32. They just can’t get out of their own way; quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston are a little too “aggressive” at times. Combined, they have thrown a league-high 25 interceptions. The Buffalo Bills are second, with 20. If you can take away the big plays down the field, the Buccaneers get anxious, and that is when turnovers start to rain down.
For Dallas to win this game, they need to take a page out of the Indianapolis Colts’ game plan from last week and dare the Buccaneers to run the ball. If Tampa Bay wants to play a conservative brand of football, Dallas will gladly allow them to do so as long as they can limit big plays. I fully expect Dallas to back up their safeties and dare the Buccaneers to run against five- and six-man fronts.
Eventually, Winston will get impatient and force the ball down the field. It’s in these situations that Dallas needs to capitalize on the aggressiveness of the Bucs’ offense. If the Cowboys can bait the Buccaneers into a few turnovers, Dallas should have no problem in this contest. The turnover margin and the number of big plays allowed will likely determine the final outcome of this game.
This is a very winnable game for the Cowboys. However, Tampa Bay has enough talent on offense to make two or three plays that can change the momentum of the game. If Dallas can hold Mike Evans in check, I expect them to come away with the NFC East on Sunday. If not, the Cowboys will go to New York for the final game of the season likely needing a win to secure a playoff spot. Taking on a division rival on the road would not be an enviable position for Dallas, should they fail to win the division on Sunday.
p1_
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 26,562
I guess he's just so good that playing at less than full health is better than most at full strength.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,043
Michael Gallup thinks the Cowboys 'definitely' have advantages on the outside vs. Tampa Bay
By Tyler Dragon, Staff Writer
FRISCO -- On the heels of being shut out for the first time since 2003, Michael Gallup and the Cowboys' offense don't foresee a repeat performance in Week 16.
Gallup is confident the Cowboys' receiving corps will have the upper hand against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary.
"Respectable defense, they play a lot of man but they've been switching to a lot of zone lately. It's a good defense but I don't think we should have a whole of problems with them," Gallup said. "[Amari] Cooper on the outside, me on the outside and definitely [Cole] Beasley on the inside and then [Allen] Hurns, definitely."
Statistics back up Gallup's claim. Tampa Bay has the 27th-ranked pass defense in the NFL, giving up an average of 259 passing yards a game. Couple that with the fact that quarterbacks have a 111.1 rating going against a leaky Bucs secondary.
Individually, Gallup is coming off his worst game as a rookie. The 6-foot-1 receiver failed to get a target in the Indianapolis Colts' 23-0 shellacking of the Cowboys last week. His performance typified that of the entire offense.
Dallas doesn't have a potent aerial attack by any means, though the team's struggles through the air shouldn't be as pronounced this Sunday at AT&T Stadium. On the outside, Cooper, Gallup, Beasley and Hurns have a clear edge over a Bucs defense with just eight interceptions and 46 pass deflections.
The Cowboys have talked all week about how the Indianapolis game was a learning experience. There shouldn't be an issue clinching the NFC East this weekend playing at home against a team already making vacation reservations.
By Tyler Dragon, Staff Writer
FRISCO -- On the heels of being shut out for the first time since 2003, Michael Gallup and the Cowboys' offense don't foresee a repeat performance in Week 16.
Gallup is confident the Cowboys' receiving corps will have the upper hand against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary.
"Respectable defense, they play a lot of man but they've been switching to a lot of zone lately. It's a good defense but I don't think we should have a whole of problems with them," Gallup said. "[Amari] Cooper on the outside, me on the outside and definitely [Cole] Beasley on the inside and then [Allen] Hurns, definitely."
Statistics back up Gallup's claim. Tampa Bay has the 27th-ranked pass defense in the NFL, giving up an average of 259 passing yards a game. Couple that with the fact that quarterbacks have a 111.1 rating going against a leaky Bucs secondary.
Individually, Gallup is coming off his worst game as a rookie. The 6-foot-1 receiver failed to get a target in the Indianapolis Colts' 23-0 shellacking of the Cowboys last week. His performance typified that of the entire offense.
Dallas doesn't have a potent aerial attack by any means, though the team's struggles through the air shouldn't be as pronounced this Sunday at AT&T Stadium. On the outside, Cooper, Gallup, Beasley and Hurns have a clear edge over a Bucs defense with just eight interceptions and 46 pass deflections.
The Cowboys have talked all week about how the Indianapolis game was a learning experience. There shouldn't be an issue clinching the NFC East this weekend playing at home against a team already making vacation reservations.
BipolarFuk
Demoted
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 11,464
JAP PLAYS!!!