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Cummings' Keys To Today's Game

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2007

Updated: 12/29/2007 09:44 pm

Bucs Can't Get Spoiled
The Panthers have little to play for today outside of pride and a spot on next season's training camp roster. There is little question, though, that they would love to finish off this forgettable season of theirs by knocking off the division champs and thus becoming the only division rival to beat the Bucs this season. It's not quite the spoiler's role they're looking to play today, but they can spoil a perfect (at least in the division) season for the Bucs and send them into the playoffs with some doubts about their ability to win there. A winning effort by the Panthers will do that, so the Bucs have to be sharp today. Though their regulars will see limited playing time, they must treat this game like any other when they are in there and use it as a tune-up for the playoffs. This is no time to get into sloppy habits. It's time to keep pounding the rock and working toward a strong finish.

Need To Take An Early Lead
Granted, no one was laughing when Cadillac Williams and Luke Petitgout went down within a few plays of each other a couple months back. However, the Bucs did manage to turn their first meeting of the season with the Panthers into a laugher relatively early on. Doing the same thing today - minus the injuries, of course - would no doubt benefit the Bucs immensely as they gear up for the playoffs. A lot of Bucs regulars will get some time off to heal nagging injuries and general bumps and bruises today. The best way to get them some time on the sideline is to start fast and post a couple of quick scores, much like they did against the Falcons a couple weeks back. Not only would that take the life out of the Panthers, but also it would help demoralize them and that would give the Bucs a chance to finish off the season with a victory.

Mix It Up; Use The Bench
Let's say the Bucs get into a dogfight today. Let's say the Panthers are all riled up for some reason and give the Bucs a battle. There is still a way to get some key players some much-needed rest and win the game at the same time. The key is distribution and substitution. The Bucs have a deep bench. They've been getting contributions from it all season long. Players such as RB Michael Bennett, TE Jerramy Stevens and DT Ryan Sims are examples of those who have stepped in and kept the level of execution and production high. By moving the ball around to different targets on offense and substituting even more than usual on defense, the Bucs can further reduce the chances key players could suffer an injury and still win the game. They may not run away with the game this way but this approach should allow the Bucs to rest their key players and still win the game.

Finish Better On Offensive End
We're mentioning this yet again this week because this is a point that just cannot be emphasized enough. This is the last chance the Bucs will have before the playoffs to build some confidence in their red-zone play and erase this as an area of concern prior to the playoffs. This is the one phase of their offensive attack that has been truly deficient this season. The Bucs have wasted far too many good scoring chances, settling for field goals when touchdowns are possible. If the problem is not corrected, and it wasn't a week ago at San Francisco, it almost assuredly will cost them when the playoffs begin. Even if it means trying out some new plays, the Bucs must find a way to finish off their red-zone chances with touchdowns and develop some confidence that they can do that consistently. This problem will not go away unless the Bucs erase it themselves and the time to erase it is now.

Polish Up The Defense
You have to do two things rather well on defense to advance in the playoffs in this league: stop the run and get to the passer. The Bucs have been good in both areas this year, but not great. They have a tendency to give up a lot of yards against powerful runners and they tend to let gifted passers pick them apart. A shutdown effort against the run coupled with a big sack day for the front four would boost the unit's confidence and maybe even force their first playoff opponent to adopt a new way of attacking them. The Bucs have become a team that wins by taking the ball away from their opponents, and that's fine. But they must find a way to shut down teams that don't give the ball away. Getting off the field on third down is the key. That means stopping first- and second-down runs, forcing third-and-long situations and getting to the quarterback on those critical third-down plays.

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