The Talking Plank - Week 9

The Talking Plank - Week 9: Vs. New Orleans




The Bucs are on life support. Having lost last week, they now need to put together a 3 game, or better, win streak just to keep hope alive. The Saints come in of a tough loss. Which team wants this win more?

On Offense, the Bucs had some good success against the Saints the last time they played them. This go around, the Bucs will be looking to finish the game out on a high note. The Bucs nearly pulled off the win against the Saints, but a late punt return and a penalty on Galloway all worked to prevent the win. This time around, with Bruce getting his first chance to see the same team twice, it should give him the leg up on moving the ball more consistently. I think this will be Bruce's break-out game. He's due, and this would be the best situation for him to do it. I also expect to see a heavy dose of the running game. Caddy should be able to run the ball effectively against the Saints. The Bucs will likely take advantage of the secondary, much like last game. Keeping Grant and Smith off of Gradkowski will be the key. The Bucs offensive line must hold up in pass pro. I look for a big game from the offense.

On Defense, we saw the real Bucs' defense last week, and I expect more of the same this week. McAllister had his way with the Bucs the last time, but that was when the Bucs' defense was at it's worse, takcle wise. I expect the defense to fly to the ball like last week, and to keep it up. The Bucs failed to pick or sack Brees last time. Expect a change to happen there, especially since we have a new UT that's actually making plays. Of course, if the early season defense shows up, it could get ugly. Horn may be on the bench as he's running around with a groin injury. Conwell is out, which helps us a lot. Should be interesting to see if our defense can continue to play top notch, like last week. I think they will hold the Saints offense down.

In Special Team, the units are roughly even, though Bush returned a fateful punt against us. If we stop that, we should be OK in this area. I don't expect anything major, but if we can't get good field position, it could hurt us. I think this unit will continue to do well.

Overall, I think the Bucs match up well with the Saints and will bring it, as they know they need to win for any hope to remain alive. That, and a break out game for Bruce, will give the Saints a loss, and the Bucs a win.

Bucs 20 Saints 17