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Bucs-Panthers: 5 Keys To The Game

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 11, 2008

START FAST
Every team likes to use an offensive series or two to get a feel for what its opponent is doing defensively. What the Bucs have been doing at the start of games has bordered on the ridiculous, however. In five opening-game drives the Bucs offense has gone three plays and out three times, two plays and out with an interception once. The exception was a five-play touchdown drive after an interception set the offense up at the opponent's 19-yard line. The Bucs have not scored more than seven points in the first quarter this season and haven't scored a first-quarter touchdown since Week 3. Scoring first is something every team wants to do, but the Bucs would benefit from putting together a good opening drive. Not only would that take pressure off the defense, but also it might set up a successful second drive.

CREATE MORE HAPPY RETURNS
The Bucs have done a good job in the return game just once this year. That was two weeks ago against the Packers. They were back to their old non-productive selves last week at Denver, and the horrid field position that resulted from it was too much for the Bucs to overcome. Better blocking up front is part of the solution here, but rookie return man Dexter Jackson has to perform better. Jackson seemed to figure it out against Green Bay, but he was tentative and clumsy again against Denver. It might be a lot to ask of a rookie, but Jackson has to come through here or the Bucs are going to continue to struggle offensively. They would really benefit from driving 60 yards instead of 80 on every possession, and a lot of the responsibility for making that happen falls on Jackson's shoulders.

ADOPT A MORE AGGRESSIVE GAME PLAN
Reaching the end zone is no easy task in this league. You usually have to attack it pretty aggressively to do it, but the Bucs seemed to back away from that approach last week at Denver. On one critical occasion, late in the first half, the Bucs clearly settled for a field goal when they could have taken a couple of shots at the end zone first. The Bucs have to be prudent and get points whenever they can, but they have the weapons to take a shot at the end zone on occasion and must take advantage of that. The Bucs have the luxury of a great defense that can get the ball back for them if an aggressive offensive approach falls short. There is no reason, then, to be tentative. The phrase is goal to go, not go for the field goal.

TIGHTEN IT UP
Let's face facts here, folks. The Bucs just aren't doing a good job of stopping opposing passing attacks this year. They've given up a lot of big plays, and even when they're not giving up big plays they are allowing opponents to move the ball through the air. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme is the kind of QB that can pick a defense apart if given a chance, and he has a lot of weapons to work with now that Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett have joined Steve Smith. To stop the Panthers' passing attack, the Bucs will have to tighten up their coverages, close quickly on pass catchers and tackle well. These are the basics, and the Bucs usually do an excellent job of executing the fundamentals. They've been a little lapse in that area so far this year, though, so it's time to tighten things up a bit.

TAKE THAT BALL AWAY
We really hate to lay so much on the defense, but you saw what happened last week when the unit failed to produce a takeaway. The defense doesn't have to score every time it gets its hands on the ball, but it will probably need to take the ball away from the Panthers at least once in this game in order to win. Carolina is too strong on both sides of the ball to beat by simply winning the battle for field position. The Bucs have to find a way to kill a drive and steal momentum, and that means creating a fumble or an interception. The Bucs have plenty of playmakers on defense, but some of those who were prominent a year ago have yet to appear in that role this year. It's time they showed up and made something special happen.

Roy Cummings

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