TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Mixed Results Add Up To 4-4 In 1st Half

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2007

TAMPA - They have placed 12 players, including three offensive starters, on injured reserve, yet they are still alive in the NFC playoff race with half a season to go.

Not bad for a team many thought would win less than eight games.

The Bucs still could wind up meeting the lowly expectations many had for them, but when you consider the adversity they've faced, it's hard to say their first half was anything other than a success.

Sure, their record is 4-4, but the Bucs are still in the hunt for the NFC South title. Here are some reasons they are at .500 as they begin their second half today:

•Biggest surprise: Maybe it's because we've been watching him since he was a Gator. Whatever the reason, a lot of us tend to look at WR Ike Hilliard as if he's 40. He's not; he's 31. Still, no one expected him to emerge as this team's best flanker. He was an afterthought in training camp, but Hilliard was arguably the Bucs' most consistent offensive performer in the first half.

•Biggest disappointment: He's only a rookie, but there were some within the Bucs organization who expected DE Gaines Adams to be starting by Week 4. This is Week 9. And if Adams starts today, it's only because Greg Spires is hurt and the Bucs expect Arizona to come out throwing. Adams is a raw talent who needs lots of refining, but Coach Jon Gruden expected him to lead the league in effort. So far, he's not even leading his team in effort.

•Most improved player: There were some who thought Jermaine Phillips warranted being released during the offseason. That's how poorly he played last year. Phillips has bounced back remarkably well, though, and is finally playing with the reckless abandon that got him the job at strong safety in the first place. He'll never be a super cover man but he is superb against the run. When he hits receivers the way he has hit them this year, no one wants to cross paths with him.

•Top rookie: Prior to the 2007 draft, a lot of scouts thought Tanard Jackson would top out as a nickel corner on a team using a zone-based scheme. Bucs scouts saw things a tad differently. They saw Jackson as an ultra-physical safety whose ball skills eventually would improve to where he could start in their secondary. They didn't necessarily see him starting as a rookie, but Jackson has done that, and he seldom has looked like a first-year player.

•Best offseason move: No one wants to acknowledge it, but the secondary was a real mess after last season. Brian Kelly was hurt, Phillip Buchanon couldn't tackle and the safeties had completely lost their way. It didn't seem as if one man could rectify all the problems, but one man did. New secondary coach Raheem Morris has brought new energy and old principles to the secondary meeting room. A Mike Tomlin clone, he has tightened every leaky valve the secondary had a year ago and, like Tomlin was, he seems to be on the fast track to bigger coaching endeavors.

•Worst offseason move: The Bucs found out how important it is to have a good pass rush last year when they chugged along without one and finished 17th in total defense. In terms of getting to the passer, this year hasn't been much different. It might have been, however, had the Bucs held on to Simeon Rice. No, Rice is not playing at his usual high level in Denver. Still, he was the best pass rusher the Bucs had when they dumped him the day before training camp opened. If he was here today, he still would be their best pass rusher.

•Best in-season move: It hasn't paid full dividends yet, but the trade for Michael Bennett eventually will prove to be one of the best moves GM Bruce Allen has made. Bennett has loads of versatility, and he gives the Bucs the home-run hitter they had before they lost Cadillac Williams. He also might take over as their kick returner.

•Offensive MVP: He has fallen back to earth a little bit the last two weeks, but it's hard to imagine the Bucs having four victories without Jeff Garcia at quarterback. Not only has Garcia made the offense more productive, he has energized the entire team. Early in the year, when his head-first dives and win-at-all-costs approach were still new, he was even amping up the guys on defense. Like the defense, Garcia gives the Bucs a chance to win every time he hits the field.

•Defensive MVP: Shelton Quarles was not a legend. He was, however, the best middle linebacker to play for the Bucs since Hardy Nickerson. Replacing him didn't figure to be easy, but Barrett Ruud has done a better job than most everyone thought possible. Ruud has been nothing short of superb against the run and solid in pass coverage. He's calling the defenses without issue, and he has been doing it with a minor knee injury that has been bothering him since training camp.

•Best clutch performance: With Williams out with a knee injury, the Bucs had no choice but to turn their running game over to Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham during their Week 4 game at Carolina. Pittman and Graham responded by running a combined 32 times for 138 yards and a touchdown, helping the Bucs control the clock for more than 34 minutes while finishing off a pivotal 20-7 victory.

•Biggest victory: The NFC South is still anyone's race - anyone except Atlanta, that is. It probably will stay that way all the way to the end of the season, but the Saints are on the rebound. They're good enough to catch Carolina at the top of the division, so it appears the Bucs' Week 2 victory over New Orleans will only increase in importance as the season progresses.

•Toughest loss: That loss at Detroit was tough, but not as tough as last week's home loss to Jacksonville. Against a first-time starting quarterback, the Bucs had plenty of opportunities to keep a losing streak from developing but couldn't do it. Now they're 4-4 instead of 5-3. At this stage of the season and in this conference, that's a big difference.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT