How dem Bucs think they gonna beat dem Saints?

by Paul Mueller on Nov 20, 2009 2:30 PM EST

Cadillac Williams and the Buccaneer running game will play a key role if they wish to have any success against the undefeated Saints on Sunday.

The road is long. The season is tough and the competition, fierce. And when the Saints come marching into Tampa Bay on Sunday, it won’t get any easier.

So how do you beat those Saints, anyway?

Well, we can’t ask anyone who has faced them this year, because none have succeeded. The Saints may know, but I doubt they’d share with us. And the Buccaneers have hardly drafted a foolproof formula for victory in their 2009 campaign, so I’ve called upon Captain Obvious to aid in the discussion.

"Run the football," says Obvious, "and when the play is over, get up and run it again."

Thank you, my wise friend. You are truly a cornucopia of strategical knowledge. After all, wasn’t that the plan from the beginning of the year? A three-headed rushing attack led by a resurgent Cadillac Williams with Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham not far behind to keep fresh legs in the game for a full 60 minutes?

On average, Greg Olson’s offense throws the ball 33 times per game while rushing just 24 times. Of course, this is largely the result of playing from behind more often than they would like, so we can’t hold that against them. However, ball control will play a key role in Sunday’s game if the Bucs want any shot at stealing a win.

On paper, match-ups don’t get much more lopsided than this. It’s the team with the best record against the team with the worst. The Saints are among the tops in the NFL in all major offensive categories, and the Bucs are hiding near the bottom defensively. On the NFL map, the Saints are coasting to the playoffs in the warm gulf waters while the Bucs are caught in an arctic snowstorm, far from any reasonable level of respectability.

At this time I would like to interrupt and take a moment to thank the Cleveland Browns, simply for existing. It keeps the heat off the Bucs. Thanks, boys.

The Bucs have just four rushing touchdowns this season and average just over 28 minutes of ball control each game. They also average under 100 yards on the ground. These statistics must improve to have any chance at their second win. While the passing game has shown signs of life with Josh Freeman and Kellen Winslow developing some chemistry, it’s certainly not enough to keep up with the Saints’ high-flying offense in the event of a shootout.

The Bucs have not done a great job protecting the ball, but they’ve had some success taking it away, with a turnover ration sitting at zero through nine games. They’ll need to protect the ball and keep it out of Drew Brees’s hands this Sunday to put them in a position to beat a Saints team that has had difficulty getting an early lead in recent weeks.

The road is long. It’s a tough job, this professional football gig. However, if the offense can keep the ball away from the Saints and in the hands of the Buccaneer backfield, they just might have a chance to send the Saints marching home with their first loss of the season.

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good

article.

by Luckydabney7 on Nov 20, 2009 2:59 PM EST reply actions

Thank

you.

Paul Mueller

by Paul Mueller on Nov 20, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

Nice...

Im just not sure we will be able to run the ball the way we want to, but then again, it is at home and we do run better at RayJay…

Viva la Bucco Bruce 1976-1996 (reincarnated 2009)

by Niko Houllis on Nov 20, 2009 3:56 PM EST reply actions

Good Article

As much as I would love to see Cadillac break loose for a 100 yard rushing, the run game although scarce, has really suffered. Every week I am waiting for the second gear from Caddy and seems like he can never get the parking brake loose. We need some open holes made at the line of scrimmage and a play book that consist of more than 24 rushes.

by IceyPirate on Nov 20, 2009 4:40 PM EST reply actions

We pass to set up the run

I don’t think its the other way around.

Why do you kill threads????

by 4QB on Nov 20, 2009 5:15 PM EST reply actions

Teams have always looked for the run first against us.

It’s just that this year, we can’t seem to power some yardage from it. So the other option would be to make opposing defenses be aware of what the QB to do.

by NewLogic on Nov 20, 2009 6:35 PM EST up reply actions

We don't try to run the ball. That's the problem.

We fail to play to our strengths.

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by MNeilson on Nov 21, 2009 8:51 AM EST up reply actions

Funny enough

Outside opinions say that Freeman should have a nice showcase against the saints, especially if Bryant can go.

by NewLogic on Nov 20, 2009 6:38 PM EST reply actions

I'd sure like him to

And I think he can. The run game will still be key. If they can mount some long drives and keep that ball away from Brees and Co., they may have a good shot at pulling one out. After all, it’s a division game, and anything can happen when two familiar teams get together.

Paul Mueller

by Paul Mueller on Nov 20, 2009 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

Bryant is listed as probable on injury report

He should be all systems go.

Cannons... fire them.

www.BucEm.com - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

by Craig T on Nov 20, 2009 7:24 PM EST up reply actions

Nice

I’d like to see what he can do alongside Freeman.

"I'm throwing rocks tonight. Mark it, Dude"

by Paul Mueller on Nov 20, 2009 7:27 PM EST up reply actions

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

run the ball. There is no reason why we can’t be like the Panthers running attack, the 08 Cowboys or Jags. Run it, give it time, the holes will open up.

Keep the game close, shorten it, don’t let them open it up.

Signature space available for rent - Got to pay the bills somehow

by Buc Wild on Nov 20, 2009 7:39 PM EST reply actions

Saints

are beat able. They squeeked out of some close ones against fairly bad teams this season. Maybe this is the week where nothing will go their way, everyone knows going undefeated is tough because you have those weeks where nothing seems to go right, maybe that will be this sunday for the Bucs to ruin thier undefeated season. The Dolphins website will thank us.

Not only are they looking to go undefeated, their QB is also looking to break one of the few records Marino has left.

by Hook85 on Nov 20, 2009 8:51 PM EST reply actions

Yes beatable

But not by the bucs

by mississippisaintsfan on Nov 21, 2009 8:35 AM EST up reply actions

Why not?

Rams almost got it done. Don’t take any game for granted, guy, especially on the road.

Cannons... fire them.

www.BucEm.com - SBNation's home for discussion of all things regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

by Craig T on Nov 21, 2009 10:58 AM EST up reply actions

Saints fan here...

Hope i’m not out of line posting here. But i would like to put in my 2cents for what its worth.
1. Drew is a great QB, and i wouldn’t want anybody else. However, his fault or not, there have been too many INT’s and fumbles lately. If the bucs can put some kind of points on the board after they come away with turnovers, that will help alot.

2. We will be missing our starting cb’s. I would definetly pick on whoever is not on Sharper’s side of the field.

3. Come out running in the first half, because after Gregg Williams makes his half time adjustments, our d should be ready to stuff it. Seams like the trend so far this year.

Well, good luck on Sunday. Hope we have a good game with no injuries on either team.
GEAUX SAINTS! WHO-DAT!

by D.P.M. on Nov 21, 2009 12:48 AM EST reply actions

Def. not out of line.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pretty sure a HS CB could cover our WR, so you having your 2nd team corners in shouldn’t effect it too much.

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by MNeilson on Nov 21, 2009 8:53 AM EST up reply actions

haha

Thats harsh, if they saw you write that, and it didnt motivate them, I dont know what would.

"Why does bottled water have an expiration date?"

by Hook85 on Nov 21, 2009 7:22 PM EST up reply actions

If professional football players are being offended by what fans say or believe

they are in the wrong profession.

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by MNeilson on Nov 21, 2009 7:32 PM EST up reply actions

I wasnt serious

I wish they would read it and be offended.

"Why does bottled water have an expiration date?"

by Hook85 on Nov 21, 2009 9:38 PM EST up reply actions

Saints fan here

sup TB, the GGM knows one thing for sure, the Buc’s have owned us more than not, ya got your first ever against us and worked us over last year….of course that does not count this year but…
The Saints have been on a slide, we have played a little worse each week no for about 4 games, the Saints are either going to continue to slide this week in which case you guys if ya have some momentum well ya could win it.
Or as I hope, even with the injuries and everyone has them this time of year, we get back what we had going the first 4 games…and then you don’t probably win not so much.
It’s going to be an ‘any given Sunday’ and we all know what can happen then….Good luck and we’ll see what happens but we are not taking this game lightly I assure you guys…

Gris Gris Man, Voodoo Surgeon General and Master of Witch Doctory

by Gris Gris Man on Nov 21, 2009 1:43 AM EST reply actions

and sorry about the spell...I got to justify my existence right?

and all spells by the GGM are performed by a professional on a closed circuit and are cast without malice or harm, no animals depicted in the spell were actually harmed and please DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
well I shoot all those lil monkeys I can find around the mausoleum and feed them to my gators… but they nasty lil monkeys and get into my home made wine and a drunk monkey is a real nasty lil thing!

Gris Gris Man, Voodoo Surgeon General and Master of Witch Doctory

by Gris Gris Man on Nov 21, 2009 1:49 AM EST reply actions

It's actually worse than this

33 times per game while rushing just 24 times

A conservative estimate would be somewhere around 40-45X a game when you include sacks, scrambles and fumbles. About 65/35 pass run ratio.

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by MNeilson on Nov 21, 2009 8:50 AM EST reply actions

Yeah

I got the stat from NFL.com, so I don’t know if they take those into account or not. It could be worse. Either way, I hope it balances out this week!

"I'm throwing rocks tonight. Mark it, Dude" - Donny

by Paul Mueller on Nov 21, 2009 10:39 AM EST up reply actions

NFL.Com

accounts how many pass attempts, not designed plays. To get those numbers you have to use their play-by-play feature. Regardless, it’s unacceptable. I wouldn’t bet on it balancing out this weekend. We have only seen it once this year. I gave up on hoping for it.

"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"

by MNeilson on Nov 21, 2009 11:05 AM EST up reply actions