TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Roy Cummings' Keys To Bucs-Texans

ADVERTISEMENT

By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2007

Bucs Must Stop The Run

This is always Job One for the defense anyway, but it bears an underscore here because of the way the Texans attack. They want to run a balanced offense, primarily to set up play-action passes to Andre Johnson. To keep defenses off balance, they often run out of one-back sets using three and sometimes four receivers spread wide. That forces defenses into nickel and dime packages that are easier to run against.

The key for the Bucs is to bottle up the Texans rush while playing in those nickel and dime schemes. With a player like Ronde Barber, that shouldn't be a problem. But the Bucs cannot take Ron Dayne for granted if he's the primary ball carrier today. Dayne has run well in Ahman Green's absence and could be the go-to guy in the red zone. The Bucs have to respect his ability to slow that Texans rush.

Limit Johnson's Yards After Catch

Monte Kiffin's vaunted Tampa 2 defense is not perfect. There are some holes in it - literally. Because it is a zone scheme, windows are left open around the field and receivers such as Andre Johnson will find those windows and exploit them. To keep Johnson from doing that and making big plays, the Bucs probably will have to assign two men to him at all times. The corners will be the first line of defense, but Johnson's excellent burst off the line means they'll probably play back a few steps. That will allow Johnson to make plays in the short and intermediate zones, and that's fine as long the Bucs keep him there. The goal is to keep Johnson from turning short gains into larger ones, and that means getting help from the safeties and linebackers and limiting Johnson's yards after the catch.

Keep Up The Pressure

The Bucs' defensive line has really come alive the last few weeks. It will need to turn in another exemplary performance today. Sage Rosenfels is not an exceptional quarterback, but he has an exceptional arm. To keep Rosenfels from beating them, the Bucs have to limit the time he has to set up, look for receivers and deliver the ball. The Texans run a lot of four-receiver sets, but the Bucs can force them to keep their fullback in as a chip blocker if they can generate enough of a rush to keep Rosenfels from executing properly. That would further limit the Texans' ability to make plays and move the ball, so the Bucs' objective should be to force the Texans into using max-protection schemes that limit Rosenfels' options and make the Texans more predictable.

Load Up Against DE Mario Williams

Bucs first-year LT Donald Penn has been given another tough assignment today. Though he has yet to establish himself as the consistent pass-rushing threat the Texans expect, DE Mario Williams is improving rapidly and gaining confidence with virtually every snap. He has tremendous athleticism, and he uses that to get an excellent jump off the ball and turn the corner. He could give Penn fits today, so the Bucs have to account for the times when Penn doesn't win the battle and have someone working with him to keep Williams off the quarterback. Using a tight end or a chip blocker is the best approach, because they have the quickness and athleticism necessary to stay with Williams when he makes his counter moves. Even if it reduces the number of passing targets, the Bucs must account for Williams and keep him out of their backfield.

Win Turnover Battle

The Texans haven't lost a game when they have won the turnover battle this year. The Bucs haven't won a game when they have lost the turnover battle. Add it all up and it stands to reason that this game will go to the team that does a better job of securing the ball. For the Bucs, that means their quarterback has to play smart and protect the ball, their backs have to hold on tight in piles and their defenders have to fly to the ball and make game-changing plays. The Bucs are third in the league with a plus-11 takeaway ratio overall and are 8-1 when they have either won or tied their opponent in the turnover battle. The trend must continue today. The Texans are a tough team at home, but the Bucs can cut into their home-field advantage by taking the ball away and capitalizing on turnovers.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT