“That Does Not Scare Them”
November 22nd, 2012
The Bucs’ secondary doesn’t strike fear into NFL teams, and Sunday against Atlanta will not be an exception.
But even if the Bucs had the 2000 versions of Ronde Barber and Donnie Abraham starting at cornerback, the Falcons wouldn’t be intimidated. Speaking at One Buc Palace yesterday, Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan explained that Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan is so dangerous because he confidently throws into coverage successfully and doesn’t get spooked.
“No matter what coverage you’re in, you can take your corner and run him straight back when the ball is snapped, that does not scare them from throwing the ball down the field because they think their guys can go up and get it. And they do.” Sheridan said. “
Load up on Tums and prepare for the Bucs’ secondary to get roasted like a good Thanksgiving turkey on Sunday.
“We’re going up in class, for sure, right? It’s going to be some challenge.” Greg Schiano said yesterday.
Joe’s mentally prepared for a beating, but Joe’s also prepared for the Bucs to outscore the Falcons and wear them down physically as the game presses into its final minutes.
November 22nd, 2012 at 9:09 am
Knock that Roddy White’s smile off his face…would you Barron or Barber?! Gotta have this one….Go Bucs!
November 22nd, 2012 at 9:35 am
The Bucs need to keep the ball away from the dirty birds offense as much as possible and win the time of possession. With Martin, Ware, and Blount’s running and the poor run defense the birds have, a win can surely happen. I’m a little concerned about the recent fumbles we have seen from Martin. He had two against the stinking panthers. He was down by contact on one one and of course everyone remembers the goal line fumble. If you hold onto the ball, there is no need for a ref to make some bad decision. Perhaps we can get some pressure on Matt Ryan and force him to make some bad throws. Good passing QBs tear up our secondary. Go Bucs.
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:18 am
Not worried in the least. The media of course has us losing already. This town really sucks when it comes to that. Look at Atlanta’s schedule, ( everyone looks at ours) they played some real cheese puffs..(chiefs, raiders, eagles, panthers, skins), all have losing pathetic schedules. Only good team they beat was they self imploded game againt Denver in week 2 when Peyton threw all those picks in the 1st qtr. Atlanta’s QB is and always will be overrated IMO. I predict an easy win by our Bucs.. It’s all about Believing and there’s no doubt Schiano, the team, and I believe we are going to win.. The media can go suck eggs today. Pretty sad…
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:29 am
We’re not taking a beating, Joe. Atlanta is the most overrated team in the NFL. They can’t stop the run, they don’t run well, their OL isn’t made for pass protection. Yes, their WRs and top TE are dangerous threats, but Ryan has shown throughout his career that he makes poor decisions when under duress. They can be had on D.
Offensively, the Falcons don’t match up well with us. Dunta Robinson is small Asante Samuel is injured and past his prime, Weatherspoon is hobbled, and Abraham is still a one man gang.
Atlanta has played what is by far the league’s weakest schedule, and although they haven’t lost, they haven’t exactly feasted on the weak teams either.
They were neck and neck with the pathetic Chiefs before finally pulling away in the 3rd quarter. They ended up giving up 24 points, a total the Chiefs only matched or surpassed one other time this season (in their OT win over the Saints and their horrible defense).
They hung on by the skin of their teeth against the Broncos in what was probably their biggest win of the season in week 2. They forced 3-4 Denver turnovers in the 1st quarter alone and still almost managed to give the game away.
They crushed the Chargers at home, which at the time was impressive, not so much now as San Diego has proven to not be up to recent Charger standards.
They squeaked by Carolina at home in a game that Carolina had multiple opportunities to win (sound familiar?). A Cam Newton fumble on 3rd and 1, Rivera not going for it to put the game away on 4th and inches inside Falcon territory, Nakamura woefully playing a deep ball… any one of those plays happen differently and the Falcons lose.
Then they trail halfway through the 3rd quarter against the Redskins, a game the Redskins have in their control until Robert Griffin gets hurt and then the Falcons squeak by in that one. Griffin stays in that game, Falcons lose.
They squeak by the Raiders at home on a last season FG.
They beat the Cowboys by 6 points in a game the Falcons only managed 6 points through 3 quarters.
Their luck finally ran out against the Saints in New Orleans the next week.
Then last week they nearly lose at home in a game where Ryan threw 5 INTs.
My contention is not that the Falcons are a bad team, but they’ve been damn lucky. And as the season has gone on, they haven’t improved, they’ve gotten worse. An early win against the Broncos followed by a dominant win vs. the Chargers has been followed up by near losses every week. Near losses to teams with losing records. Only one win on the season agaisnt a team with a winning record and that was during the stretch where the Broncos began the season with a 1-3 record (4-0 since then). With a little bad luck… Buc luck you might call it, the Falcons are 3-7.
As for Tampa, they’ve gotten better and better since the season began. They dropped game against the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, and Saints they were decided by less than a TD and could’ve/should’ve/might’ve gone our way if it weren’t for bad officiating (Giants, Cowboys) or bad luck (Redskins, Saints). We get better officiating and a little Falcon luck in those games and the Bucs are undefeated.
Obviously, you can’t revise history, but the point is that Atlanta isn’t as good as their record, and the Bucs could be, or at least currently, are playing better than their record. I expect the Bucs to win and would be surprised and severely disappointed if they didn’t.
If the Bucs do win the game, I do expect them to come crashing to Earth the next week in Denver, but with games at home vs. the Eagles, at New Orleans, home vs. the Rams, and at Atlanta I definitely can see this team getting to 10 wins. I predicted before the season began that the team would finish 9-7… I’m hoping I underestimated a little bit there and it certainly looks possible.
For the Falcons, their remaining schedule is filled with games that could go either way. Playing at Tampa is a toughie, then the Saints come to town, they travel to Carolina (where we all know can be tough, espeically when Atlanta only beat them by 2 at home earlier in the season), then the Giants come to town and the Giants will almost certainly be playing with a ton on the line, they then travel to Detroit (where the Lions may not be playing for much, but they are still extremely dangerous, especially at home), and then they finish at home against the Bucs. I think even in a best case scenario, the Falcons finish the season 3-3…though I wouldn’t be surprised to see them seriously limping down the stretch.
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:40 am
@Brandon.. Well said and researched. It was too early for me to get that detailed but I’m so glad you did. I agree you with 100%. Atlanta has everyone blinded by their record which as you documented is the biggest mirage ever. I really believe in my heart we will crush Atlanta Sunday forcing the local media ,(embarrassing) national media, and the world to take notice this Bucs team is damn good and you better try and over prepare for them or they will kick your arse..
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:43 am
5 INT throwing Matt Ryan? The same Falcons team squeeking by crap opponents all yr? Frightening! Unfortunately I think we got our beating coming to us when the Bucs go to Denver next, but I feel good about the ATL game. Look at the spread for the game. Vegas doesn’t think very high of Atlanta either. ATL should be getting 2 – 2 1/2 points for this game.
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:44 am
HasBenn to IR.
I believe he is history.
November 22nd, 2012 at 10:45 am
I look for the Hamster to have a big day running the ball against the “birds” and V-Jack and Williams to have their way . Hope Josh shreds their defense and the Bucs to pull out a BIG win . Of course if the Bucs win we’ll have to listen to all the so-called experts to give the tirds an excuse . Go Bucs and let’s set the stage early .
November 22nd, 2012 at 1:12 pm
I’m pleasantly surprised that the majority of the national dudes at the 4 letter network are picking our Bucs. Thank God those guys are smarter than our own clowns that call themselves media for the Bucs. It’s obvious that zero research is done by anyone. I’m going to make an early prediction and guess Ira picks the Falcons. How this fat arse hasn’t been run out of town yet is astonishing. I’m going to be so excited to the likes of Ira and marshmallow fat arse Shaun King eat crowe and watch both of their credibility go down the drain. Throw sour graped Keyshown Johnson in their too who seems to always pick against us. Go Bucs!!
November 22nd, 2012 at 4:54 pm
After all that media talk, the nay-sayers, and all that, I still believe we can win this game, Joe. I know the NFL is very unpredictable, but me, as a fan I look at realities. That said: my Buccaneers have been playing some great damn futball since the season opener, I always look at the positives, and again I believe we can easily, easily, take care of the them Dirty-Birds, whom have won only to half-ass teams, and we (the Bucs) keep getting better every game!! I’ve said earlier in the season, that the Falcons were winning, because they have not played us yet. Today I still say the same, and that day is almost here!! Will see about that 9-1 record this weekend, believe me, even the Falcons know what’s coming, and that’s the Pewter Power!! (enough said)