It can happen in an instant, in the time it takes a quarterback who spent a season not making mistakes to make a big one, in the time it takes a now former fairy-tale kick returner to cough one up. ...more

January 6, 2008

TAMPA - It can happen in an instant, in the time it takes a quarterback who spent a season not making mistakes to make a big one, in the time it takes a now former fairy-tale kick returner to cough one up. ...more

January 6, 2008

There's no sense trying to dress this one up. Job 1 on defense in the NFL is to stop the run, especially come playoff time, and especially when your opponent is a Giants team that ranked fourth in the league in rushing. The Bucs' ultimate objective will be to make the Giants' attack one-dimensional, which means forcing QB Eli Manning into a situation where he must throw the ball to win the game. If the Bucs can't do that, they could be in for a long day. Brandon Jacobs is a powerful runner who can break off large gains and keep the chains moving. He'll follow his guards and his center on an attack that goes right through the middle of the defense, so the Bucs have to fill well from the secondary and get top-level play from DTs Jovan Haye and Chris Hovan. ...more

January 5, 2008

No more starters in ball caps wandering the sideline. ...more

December 30, 2007

Micheal Spurlock was running into Buccaneer history at 1:29 p.m. Sunday and all eyes at Raymond James Stadium were on him. ...more

December 17, 2007

After a one-week hiatus, the Buccaneer defense returned to form Sunday and wasted little time announcing its cruel intentions. ...more

December 16, 2007

LB Michael Boley has become the Falcons' biggest playmaker on defense. He has the ability to make plays all over the field, much like Derrick Brooks and Cato June, but his best trait may be his blitzing. He is fast, and the Falcons make good use of his skills. They line him up on the strong side much the way the Bucs do with June, so the Bucs should have a tight end there to help when he attempts to invade their backfield on a blitz. With a chip-blocker left in as well, the Bucs should be able to pick up not only Boley but Keith Brooking and the occasional blitzing defensive back. It's imperative that the Bucs are sound against the blitz this week. The Falcons take a lot of chances on defense, and Boley, in particular, has the ability to get to the quarterback and make him pay with a heavy hit. ...more

December 16, 2007

As he left the locker room following the Bucs' loss at Houston on Sunday, nose tackle Chris Hovan was reminded that Tampa Bay still could clinch the NFC South title on Monday if Atlanta upset New Orleans. ...more

December 11, 2007

Who said it's hard to mail something at Christmas? ...more

December 10, 2007

The Bucs have set themselves up for a potentially glorious finish, but nobody seems to want to talk about the possibilities. ...more

November 22, 2007