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Notebook: Red-Zone Play Is A Concern

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2007

TAMPA Bucs QB Jeff Garcia said he has felt for some time now that the Bucs would be a playoff team. He fears, though, that the Bucs won't be a playoff team for long if they don't clean up their red-zone play.

What concerns not only Garcia but Bucs coach Jon Gruden is the problem the Bucs seem to have finishing scoring drives. It wasn't necessarily a problem last week at Houston, but it has been a problem almost everywhere else.

The Bucs go into this weekend's game ranked 22nd in the league in red-zone efficiency, having scored 17 touchdowns on 36 possessions inside their opponent's 20-yard line.

That works out to a red-zone touchdown percentage of 47.2 percent that is the worst among the 12 teams on pace to make the playoffs this season. Only two teams with better-than-.500 records (Buffalo and Tennessee) have a worse touchdown percentage inside the red zone.

"Especially when the playoffs come around, you can't afford to settle for three points when you get in the red zone," Garcia said. "Especially when you're playing on the road in the playoffs, you need to find seven when you get there."

Garcia said the Bucs' poor touchdown percentage is mostly a result of their own gaffes. He said eliminating turnovers, penalties and communication breakdowns will help correct the problem.

"I just think if we concentrate on that area and eliminate certain mistakes at certain times it will give us a chance to be better," he said. "No matter what, we need to take advantage of those opportunities."

It's not just the offense that needs to be a little better in the red zone. The Bucs defense hasn't necessarily excelled in that area either. In fact, the defense has struggled in the red zone more than the offense.

Through last week's games, the defense had allowed opponents to reach the end zone on 18 of their 30 (64 percent) red-zone opportunities.

NOW YOU SEE HIM: You didn't have to look hard to find Michael Clayton last week at Houston. For only the second time this season he was in the lineup at the start of the game and near the top of the stat sheet at the end of it.

"I had no idea I was going to start," Clayton said. "I think Coach Gruden does that sometimes just to keep everybody alert and ready to play."

Clayton caught a season-high four passes for 39 yards, including one for 19 yards on third-and-6 to keep a drive going.

Clayton says he doesn't know whether he'll start this week, and it really doesn't matter. What does matter, he said, is getting into the game regularly and contributing.

After another disappointing season, Clayton is out to finish strong and prove the Bucs made the right call drafting him in the first round (16th overall) in 2004.

"That's been my thing — just go out and focus and play hard all the time and be productive," Clayton said. "If I can do that, especially in the playoffs, that would be great."

GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK: As well as Luke McCown played, the Bucs admit they're eager to have Garcia back under center against the Falcons this week. No one seems more excited than Garcia's head coach.

"I've been through enough quarterbacks for 14 different coaches," Gruden said. "And I was happy with Luke, it was exciting and all that, but you miss your starting quarterback. I was in the tank [without him]."

BUCS BITS: Sunday will mark the second time during the Gruden era that the Bucs have faced a Falcons team coached by an interim head coach. The first was in 2003, when then interim coach Wade Phillips led the Falcons to a 30-28 victory at Raymond James Stadium. … There was good news Friday on the injury front, where WR Ike Hilliard (back) was listed as probable for Sunday's game. The Bucs will wait until game time to make a decision on whether their injured players will play, but it looks like only B.J. Askew (ankle) will sit out. If Askew misses the game, either Michael Pittman, Byron Storer or Zack Crockett will work at fullback for the Bucs. With TE Jerramy Stevens serving a suspension this week the Bucs are likely to employ Keith Heinrich as an extra tight end.

Roy Cummings

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