Bucs down Cardinals 17-10

It was not as close as the score made it look.

Key mistakes by the Bucs kept the score from ending up 24-10 or worse. Case in point was a second half drive that ate up about 10 minutes on the clock but ended in a third-down incompletion off the hands of TE Alex Smith and a missed chip-shot FG by Matt Bryant.

The Bucs offense controlled the ball, owning time of possession with over 40 minutes to less than 20 for the Cardinals.

Offense
QB Jeff Garcia did not turn the ball over, but quite a few of his throws were inaccurate. Garcia had a decent excuse, as the Cardinals mounted a pretty decent pass rush. Garcia wasn't on his A-game with respect to accuracy but did everything else up to standard. RB Earnest Graham had his first day rushing over 100 yards as a professional, toting the rock 34 times for 124 yards. Enjoy the whirlpool tomorrow, Graham.

Defense
Despite its trouble mounting an effective pass rush this year, the Bucs' defense suffocated the Cardinals for most of the game. How did they do it? First, they stopped the run. Edgerrin James picked up just 15 yards on 9 carries. Second, they rushed the passer well enough to force Kurt Warner to adjust. Rookie Gaines Adams had a number of pressures. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the back seven--especially safeties Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Phillips--hit like speedy little Mack trucks. A number of well thrown passes went incomplete because of great hitting in the Tampa Bay secondary. Jackson and Phillips share the game ball from me; fittingly each recorded an interception in the game as well.

Special Teams
Matt Bryant missed a chip shot field goal, as mentioned above, as well as an attempt from about 60 yards in the first half. Other than that, special teams were solid and wideout Maurice Stovall made a momentum-sustaining hit on Arizona's punt return man late in the game. Stovall split the blockers to hit Steve Breaston in the chest just after he fielded the punt. The play help draw the home crowd back into the game after a troubling offensive series.

Home field crowd
Looked like quite a few no-shows from where I was sitting, and many did not feel like making noise today. One fan in my section never made a peep except to criticize the performance of the home team after the least successful plays. He objected to other fans making noise by pounding on seats in his row because it caused him to vibrate. Good grief. Sell your ticket to a real fan and watch the game on television.

At 5-4, the Bucs stay in the driver's seat in the NFC South ahead of slumping Carolina and resurgent New Orleans. Given Tampa Bay's injury woes, New Orleans probably has the inside track. The Bucs figure to have an easier schedule, however, so they might as well play the games to determine the winner.

*****

Bucs thump Rams 24-3

I intended to post after doing a review of the game video, but evidently a power outage truncated the recording.

Big win for the Bucs, given the difficult start to the schedule (Indy and Seattle among the first five games).

Special Teams
Special teams were huge. St. Louis had no return game, and that's saying something when Dante Hall returns most of the kicks. The Bucs' Mark Jones, on the other hand, had a number of big returns on the day. Special teams play set up field position in the Bucs' favor throughout the day.

Huge credit goes to ST coach Rich Bisaccia, who has got a young and very speedy group of backups living up to their responsibilities on special teams.

Defense
Some say the Bucs' defense is "back," but this defense isn't yet driven by the defensive front four, unlike Buccaneer teams of the past. That may yet happen, but so far the defensive line is doing just enough. They haven't dominated anybody. The linebackers and defensive backs have made the defense effective. They're all hustling to the ball and hitting, and providing generally excellent pass coverage.

Jermaine Phillips has finally started to fill John Lynch's shoes, making a big hit on tailback Stephen Jackson and snaring a nifty interception along the sideline. Philip Buchanon has played brilliantly in relief of Brian Kelly, who has been dinged up a bit this season.

At linebacker, Cato June has provided the splash play that we haven't seen since the Ian Gold experiment a few years ago, and Barrett Ruud has made the middle linebacker position his own taking the place of the retired Shelton Quarles. Derrick Brooks might be a shade slower, but he makes up for it with game savvy.

Offense
I can't say I've been any sort of Jeff Garcia fan, but the guy deserves a great deal of credit for the way the Bucs offense has played the past two weeks. Garcia has an excellent sense of what is going on around him in the pocket, and he has a knack for finding the open receiver--something the Bucs sorely missed last year.

The offensive line has been almost totally remade since two years ago (center John Wade is the lone remaining starter). The unit has been pretty solid so far and should only get better if it can stay free of injuries. Even if injuries occur, the backups seem pretty solid (especially the surprising Donald Penn at right tackle--just don't let him drive your SUV).

Summary
Excellent team effort today. The Bucs stuck to their defensive scheme and took advantage of the breaks. Next week Tampa Bay visits Carolina. That's a great test for the offensive line. If the line gives Garcia time, he'll carve up Carolina's secondary. On the other side of the ball, Steve Smith will give the secondary its toughest test so far this season. I expect Smith to have trouble getting deep. Smith is a huge threat with a short reception, of course, so I hope to see a continuation of the Bucs' crisp tackling. Carolina's using a new zone blocking scheme on offense, and it remains to be seen how well their personnel can carry it off.


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