The day after a mostly lackluster performance by the Bucs defense, coach Jon Gruden had a bright spot he could address: the continued strong play of DE Greg White. ...more

December 11, 2007

Guests are supposed to bring gifts, not accept them. The Bucs flew home in a grateful mood Sunday after the breach in etiquette at the Superdome, where a Tampa Bay defense that had feasted on turnovers in recent weeks registered a bizarre late takeaway that proved decisive. ...more

December 3, 2007

We're talking offense here. That game last week against Washington would have been over in the first quarter had the Bucs finished their scoring drives properly. Instead, the Skins were allowed to hang around, and the Bucs had to rely on their defense to save the day - again. Yes, this has been a problem all season for the Bucs. They come into this game ranked 24th in the league in red-zone offense, having scored 13 touchdowns in 29 red-zone opportunities, so finishing drives with field goals instead of touchdowns is not a new problem. The Bucs won't keep winning if this trend continues, so the offense has to do a better job of maximizing its scoring chances no matter how they're created. The defense will greatly appreciate it. ...more

December 1, 2007

The Bucs keep saying it's their quarterback who's winning all the games for them this year, but it was their defense that won the game Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. ...more

November 26, 2007

Monte Kiffin looked like he had just competed in a marathon. In a sense, he had. ...more

November 26, 2007

The Bucs' day ended up on an up note for two reasons: Jeff Garcia returned, albeit not until the fourth quarter, and the Bucs held on to beat Washington 19-13. ...more

November 25, 2007

This is probably the most basic fundamental of the Bucs defense. It is a concept that coordinator Monte Kiffin preaches every hour of every day, and it has long since been ingrained into the mind-set of his players. We mention it here again because it cannot be overemphasized, especially when you're facing a running back like Clinton Portis. He's not a football player; he's a locomotive who can change direction faster than Harry Potter on his broomstick playing Quidditch. The only way to shut him down is to throw a lot of bodies at him and plug all the gaps he will consider slicing through. Portis usually starts running to his left, but he'll cut back to his right away from the pursuit, so the Bucs have to seal off the cutback lanes and tackle low to keep Portis from beating them. ...more

November 25, 2007

The majority of the stats he posted on Sunday weren't all that impressive. For once, they didn't have to be. ...more

November 20, 2007

It hit Derrick Brooks as he watched game film. It's Falcons week, the first of this Bucs season. Suddenly it occurred to Brooks, though he'd known all along. ...more

November 15, 2007

Its starting lineup last week consisted of two rookies, two other first-year starters and a comeback player of the year candidate. ...more

November 10, 2007