TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Roy Cummings' Keys To Bucs-Falcons

ADVERTISEMENT

By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 16, 2007

PICK UP THE BLITZ

LB Michael Boley has become the Falcons' biggest playmaker on defense. He has the ability to make plays all over the field, much like Derrick Brooks and Cato June, but his best trait may be his blitzing. He is fast, and the Falcons make good use of his skills. They line him up on the strong side much the way the Bucs do with June, so the Bucs should have a tight end there to help when he attempts to invade their backfield on a blitz.

With a chip-blocker left in as well, the Bucs should be able to pick up not only Boley but Keith Brooking and the occasional blitzing defensive back. It's imperative that the Bucs are sound against the blitz this week. The Falcons take a lot of chances on defense, and Boley, in particular, has the ability to get to the quarterback and make him pay with a heavy hit.

STOP THE RUN WITH SEVEN

With all due respect to Warrick Dunn, who continues to produce at a very high level, the Falcons' best offensive weapons are their wide receivers. The problem is, they don't have a quarterback who can consistently get the ball to them. As a result, the Falcons lean mostly on the run in an effort to set up play-action passes they hope will catch defenses committing an eighth or sometimes ninth player to the run. The key to beating the Falcons, therefore, is to stop the run up front without additional help from safeties moving into the box.

The Falcons should know by now that it makes little sense to run outside against the Bucs' speedy defense, so it will fall to DT Jovan Haye, NT Chris Hovan and LB Barrett Ruud to slow the Falcons' backs as they run between the tackles. That will allow the safeties to stay back in coverage, which will further thwart the Falcons' attack.

RUN, RUN, RUN

The Bucs ran the ball 31 times for 149 yards against the Falcons during their first meeting this season. The result was a 31-7 victory. The Bucs, though, are just one of several teams that have succeeded in running the ball effectively against Atlanta, so it would make plenty of sense for the Bucs to adopt a similar game plan and attack the Falcons on the ground again. Though they have some playmakers at the second level, the Falcons have become susceptible to a strong rushing attack because of the play of their front four.

Players such as RDE John Abraham appear either incapable or disinterested in stopping the run, and they're being targeted as a result. With strong run blockers across their offensive front, the Bucs should lean on a growing strength, mix up the carries between Earnest Graham and Michael Bennett and attack the Falcons where they appear weakest.

RESPECT THE FALCONS' PASSING

The Falcons have an emerging deep threat in WR Roddy White. He's strong enough to break press coverage at the line and fast enough to get open downfield. They also have a quarterback who can get the ball to him if given time to set up and throw. Chris Redman hasn't played much, but he has displayed a knack for accurately delivering the ball to his intended targets downfield. Redman is a smart quarterback. If given time, he'll look off a well-covered deep target and throw underneath to TE Alge Crumpler or dump the ball off to a back such as Warrick Dunn.

The Bucs will play a bend-but-don't-break style against the Falcons and count on defenders flying to the ball to make the tackle and limit yards after the catch. They have to be good at this because the Falcons have the weapons necessary to beat a team through the air if those weapons are not respected.

PLAY LIKE IT MATTERS

The Falcons are coming off one of the worst weeks an NFL team has experienced. They appear to be a franchise in disarray, but no one should be surprised if they come out today and play harder and with more intensity and passion than they have all season. That stunt former coach Bobby Petrino pulled last week has the ability to galvanize this team and leave it with a greater sense of purpose. Hearing the players speak, you got the feeling they want to show Petrino they deserved better treatment and weren't worthy of abandonment.

They very well may use this game to send that message. What better way to show Petrino that he made a mistake and show the NFL that they'll rebound quickly than by delaying or even derailing the likely division champion's title plans.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT