The Talking Plank - Week 12 (Small Edition)

The Talking Plank - Week 12: At Dallas

The Bucs are coming fresh off a victory against the Redskins, who were also banged up. The Bucs offense looked to make some key advances in the play of younger players, with Gradkowski having a solid game, but having some drops and misses that could have had the Bucs up big in the first half. The defense also played well against a banged up offense, but continued to struggle with stopping deep passes. With not much more than pride left to play for, what can we expect this week?

On Offense, look for the Bucs to try to hit the Cowboys deep early and soften up the front 7. Dallas runs a 3-4 defense, something the Bucs have, at times, struggled against lately. The Bucs offense, is one whose inherent design can regularly beat 3-4's, but you need a veteran QB, or a rookie that happens to be in the zone on that day. The Bucs will need to be able to find a way to soften Dallas up and get the running game going, something that will be very tough, but very necessary. If they can't it will be a long day. I expect mixed results on offense. They'll have some opportunities, however. If they cash in it will be a good day. If not, it's going to likely be a tough game to stomach.

On Defense, the Bucs will be facing a rookie QB for the second straight week. They'll need to stop Jones and Barber running the ball, or they will be in deep trouble. What really has me concerned is our secondary against T.O. and Terry Glenn. I don't like the match-ups for our defense, not while it's in this condition. If Bolden doesn't play, it could get ugly unless Zemaitis turns into a real winner at corner. I expect the Cowboys to be able to light it up against our secondary, and that could cost us the game.

On Special Teams, the Bucs will have some chances in punt returns, and should be able to cover the Cowboys' punt and kick return teams quite well. What we'll get out of the Bucs' kick return team is likely what we've seen all year: solid, but not spectacular. The teams are pretty much in the same but with field goals, so it's hard to say who'll have the better day here, but I think Bryant has finally gotten back into the groove and could help us out.

Overall, I think the Bucs have a shot at beating the Cowboys, simply because they've been able to handle the NFC East teams pretty well. They had some chances against the Giants that were missed, which could have led to big play TD's and a possible win. Against the Skins and Eagles, the Bucs won. However, the Cowboys are on a roll, and look pretty strong. The Bucs might win, but the good money is on the Cowboys by a sizable margin.

Cowboys 27 Bucs 17