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Run Into The Ground

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2008

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Falcons RB Michael Turner on Sunday did to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers what Panthers RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart did to them the previous game. Like a bull charging a red cape, he ran right through the middle of Tampa Bay's defense, gaining 152 yards on 32 carries, including one that went for a touchdown. The outing probably would have been better - or worse if you're the Bucs - if Turner hadn't been asked to run outside of the tackles on five or six occasions. The Bucs, as they will with their speed, had little trouble stopping Turner on those jaunts. The runs up the middle and the cutbacks gouged them as the Falcons attacked an area weakened by the absence of starting tackles Jovan Haye and Chris Hovan. The Bucs will say backups Jimmy Wilkerson and Ryan Sims played well in their stead, but the two combined for just five tackles - a sign the Falcons, and especially Turner, outplayed them.

UNSUNG HERO

Who needs practice? Obviously Falcons DE John Abraham doesn't. Abraham missed the entire week of practice leading up to Sunday's game because of a series of injuries but showed up on game day. He didn't show up on every play, just the key plays. He finished with three tackles and three sacks, including the one that all but forced the Bucs to settle for a game-tying field goal late in regulation. He also bull-rushed his way through Jeremy Trueblood for a key sack of Brian Griese in overtime, one that forced the Bucs to punt. Atlanta then mounted its winning drive. Without Abraham on defense Sunday, the Bucs probably find a way to overcome their mistakes yet again and win.

KEY DECISION

Bucs coach Jon Gruden really didn't have much choice. After watching Jeff Garcia try in vain to run and throw effectively with his sore lower calf injury, Gruden knew he had to make a switch at quarterback. His decision to go with Griese, who has clearly been affected by the tendinitis in his right elbow, was a controversial one. Griese did work during the week, but Luke McCown got most of the work with the first team. Gruden said he based his call on the fact that Griese had played against and beaten the Falcons before and that he's been tossed into must-win situations before. That's all true, but McCown has been healthy all year, working consistently with the Bucs pass catchers, and been thrown into the fire in must-win situations and won before, also. The Bucs didn't lose because Griese was their quarterback Sunday, but they might have been more potent had McCown been their man.

QUIRKY PLAY

The Falcons appeared to take control of this game midway through the third quarter, but an apparent touchdown pass to tight end Jason Rader turned out to be a takeaway for the Bucs. After being beaten on the play, Bucs SS Jermaine Phillips hustled back to knock the ball loose from Rader just before he crossed the goal line. Phillip Buchanon recovered in the end zone, and after a review the touchdown call was reversed and possession awarded to the Bucs. The turnover came in part because of a rule change a couple of years ago in which it was deemed a change of possession can be allowed in such situations, even though the play had been called dead by the officials.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

The Falcons went into the game converting 45 percent of their third downs. They pretty much kept up the pace against the Bucs, converting six of 14 third downs, or 43 percent. The Bucs, meanwhile, converted just three of 14 third downs. ... Falcons RB Michael Turner's TD run in the first quarter was his 15th of the season, the most in a single season for a Falcons back. The previous record was set by Jamaal Anderson in 1998. ... Antonio Bryant's 4-yard catch on a third-and-5 play in the second quarter was his 70th of the season and established a single-season high for him. ... The Bucs were penalized four times for false starts, including once on a critical third-and-1 play in the fourth quarter.

INJURY UPDATE

Gaines Adams left the game with an ankle injury in the second quarter. He returned but was limited after that. ... SS Jermaine Phillips left the game in the fourth quarter with an arm injury. He has likely been lost for the season as the report coming out of the locker room was that of a break near the plate in his right forearm. This is the second time since 2004 that he's broken his right forearm. Phillips missed several games earlier this year with a broken left forearm.

OUR TAKE

The Bucs have been a resilient team all year. They were resilient in this game, too. Just not enough. They need to bounce back in a big way now. With two games left against very beatable teams - San Diego and Oakland - at home, the Bucs are still in good shape to make the playoffs. They can't do much about the injuries they've been hit with, but they can do something about the penalties, the slow starts and the poor finishes inside the red zone. Some of these problems have been ongoing since the start of the season. It's time they are cleaned up.

Roy Cummings

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