The Talking Plank - Week 6

The Talking Plank -





Titans At Bucs:

After a horrendous loss at Indy, the Bucs return home hoping to return to the type of play that got them to 3-1 before last week's loss. The Titans, are coming to town having managed to hold off against the pathetic Falcons. With the Bucs in the midst of their toughest stretch of 4 games against 4 teams with winning records. If the Bucs can get through this quarter with at least 2 wins, they'll be in great shape heading into the second half of the season. So let's look at the prospects of this game.

On Offense, the Bucs, ranked 25th (295.6 y/g) in total yards, 20th in points (19/g), 15th rushing (113 y/g) and 26th passing (182.6 y/g), are hoping to rebound from a bad showing against the Colts' defense. The Titans' defense is ranked 5th (275.8 y/g), 3rd against the run (72.2 y/g), 10th against the pass (203.5 y/g), and 6th in points allowed (14.8/g). This is a tough defense to play, but they have a so-so secondary and a poor pass rush. Their main strength is stopping the run, which is primarily a product of Haynesworth in the middle. He will, however, be on an ankle that kept him out of practice for most of the week, which means he may have trouble planting and driving against our o-line and in stopping our backs. The Bucs will have to, clearly, attack the Titans through the air and take advantage of the talent and size advantage that they have against the secondary. This is a game that Galloway may be able to get free in, and expect the third receiver, whether Clayton or Stovall, to have a chance to make an impact. Garcia should be able to set up and pass with a lot more time than last week, unless Haynesworth becomes difficult to stop in the middle. If the Bucs can hit some big passes and force the Titans to back off the line in an effort to slow the passing game, then the Bucs should be able to get some running going with a running by committee approach. It's hard to say which back will make the biggest impact, but someone will need to step up and take advantage of any holes the line creates. Whether or not the Bucs can get a consistent ground game going is the biggest question mark with Pittman and Caddy out. If Haynesworth has problem generating leverage off his foot, and the Bucs' passing game hits some big plays, the running game could open up for the Bucs. The rest of the Titans' defensive line is average in size and can be pushed around if our offensive line is aggressive and getting off the line. The Titans don't have the speed that the Colts had so we'll see if the line can play more like it did the first 4 weeks of the season. While I think the offense will struggle at times, I think it will hit enough plays in the passing game to allow the team to move the ball and score.

On Defense, the Bucs dropped in rank down to 12th overall (313.4 y/g), 8th in points (15.4/g), 22nd against the run (124 y/g), and 9th against the pass (189.4 y/g). The Titans' offense comes in ranked 24th overall (299 y/g), 16th in points (21/g), 4th rushing (153.2 y/g), and 30th passing (145.8 y/g). The Titans are all about the run with their big backs Brown and White, and with Young running from the QB position. Young is sort of a smarter, more accurate Vick, though he hasn't had to deal with a lot of pressure. When you can run as often as the Titans do, you can generally keep the game out of the hands of their young QB. The Tampa 2 scheme gave Young a lot of fits when he played Indy. If the Bucs can limit the running game and force Young to try to beat them in the passing game, then the Bucs will have an excellent chance at beating the Titans. This could be the game where Adams finally gets to the QB, as he should have a distinct speed advantage against both the left and right Tackles. The Bucs need to maintain a steady pass rush without giving up the running lanes for Young to scramble out of trouble. They'll be unlikely to have to deal with Young a lot, however, if they can't stop the running game. This may be a good game for Trotter to come in and get his feet wet, as he can hold up very well against the bigger backs. If the Bucs do slow down the run and force Young to beat them in the passing game, the Bucs should be able to deal with the Titans' receivers, with Moulds past his prime, and Brandon Jones opposite him. The Tight Ends aren't very active in the passing game either. Even without Kelly, the Bucs have the DB's to deal with these threats, so long as they don't play a passive, back off style that they did last week. If the Bucs slow the run down, it should be a long day for the Titans' offense. I think the Bucs will have some issues against the run at times, and shut them down at others. If the Bucs' offense can stay on the field, or hit some big plays to run the score up, they'll be able to handle this offense. If not, it could be along day for our defense.

On Special Teams, the Bucs come in off a sub par week in which their coverage teams were a little soft at times, and which their return teams on had a couple of decent returns amongst many chances. The Bucs are still a very good return and coverage team, and the Titans have a good punt return and punt coverage team, as well as a good kick return team. Their kick coverage isn't very good at all, however, allowing over 30 yards per return (even allowing 27 per return when the 76 yarder is removed from the stats). This could be one of those opportunities where Jones might be able to break a very long kick return, and maybe even have a shot at taking it the distance. The return game will be crucial for the Bucs. The Bucs have a better kicker and punter and that could be a huge difference in a game that looks to be a big defensive battle.

In the end, I think the Bucs will be fired up and ready to come out playing lights out after having been embarrassed by last weeks pitiful effort. The home field advantage will also come into play in this game, and I see the Bucs pulling out the win in a defensive slug fest.

Bucs 13 Titans 10