The Redskin Report

Being another out of division game, we’ll take a more in-depth look at the players and trends in this week’s TWV column.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on a serious downswing. They started the 2005 season on a roll. There were 5-1 and looking like a true contender. But a Brian Griese injury has put a halt to the momentum. They’ve lost 2 straight in sad fashion. A loss to the horrible San Francisco 49ers was followed up by a pummeling by the Carolina Panthers. They now sit at 5-3, and if they don’t turn things around soon, they’ll be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

If you take a deeper look at the early Buccaneers schedule you notice they’ve really had it easy to date. There doesn’t appear to be one playoff team in their 1st seven games. Now as things fall apart, their schedule has turned much tougher. The only team they have remaining on their schedule that isn’t a playoff contender is New Orleans. This season has the potential to turn downright ugly if things don’t change fast. Let’s take a closer look at who to look for and what we’ll see from Tampa Bay.

Quarterback: When Griese went down, they Buccaneers turned to their ‘Quarterback of the Future’ Chris Simms. To say things haven’t gone well have been an understatement. I’d look for the crowd to turn on Simms very quickly in this game if things don’t go well. He’s thrown 4 interceptions, lost 2 fumbles, and been sacked ten times in his two starts. Not exactly the path to success. On the bright side he has moved the ball, passing for over 250 yards in both games. He also has 2 touchdown passes. The listed backup is still Luke McCown. He has played in the past with Cleveland Browns. The 3rd QB that everyone is expecting to play shortly is Tim Rattay, who was recently acquired from San Francisco.

Running Back: Cadillac Williams began his rookie season in historic fashion. He was on his way to being the next big thing, but a foot injury has derailed his progress. After missing a few games, his return hasn’t matched his early production. In the last 2 games, he’s rushed for a combined 49 yards, with a long carry of only 15 yards. Tampa needs Williams to find his form soon. The backup runner is Michael Pittman, who has been the starter in Tampa in the past. He’s a good pass catcher. Mike Alstott also gets a few carries a game, and may be used in short yardage situations. Pittman is listed as questionable on this week’s injury report, if he doesn’t play expect Alstott’s role to increase.

Receivers: The big gun in the receiving corps is former Cowboy Joey Galloway. He is having a tremendous season. He has 44 receptions for 731 yards for 16.6 yards per catch. He also has 6 touchdowns. After Galloway there has been a big drop off. Michael Clayton had a strong rookie season, but is suffering from the sophomore slump. However Clayton is hindered by a knee injury and Ike Hilliard will start in his place. Hilliard, the ex Giant, had 17 catches so far this year. He’s a pretty limited receiver but has had some decent games against the Skins in his past. Edell Shepherd will also see more time if Clayton doesn’t go this week. As for the tight end position, Anthony Becht and Alex Smith share time. Smith gets more balls thrown his way, as he has 19 catches and 2 touchdowns. Becht has 11 catches and zero TDs.

Offensive Line: This unit hasn’t been strength of the team in a long time. This year is not an exception. As mentioned earlier, the last few weeks have been extra rough for these guys. The rushing numbers have decreased and the sacks have increased. The most well known player along the line is Kenyatta Walker. I’d expect Gregg Williams and the Redskins defense to attack this unit with a lot of blitzes this week.

Defensive Line: One of the strengths of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is one of the best units in the league. Along with the linebacker core the Buccaneers have a lethal front seven. The most well known player on the line is Simeon Rice. Assuming he doesn’t miss any meetings this weekend, his match up with Chris Samuels will be huge this week. Samuels shut out Rice last year, but in the Spurrier years Rice destroyed the Redskins with 4 sacks in a game. The other 3 players also have some name value. Greg Spires is an all around defensive end who is very strong against the run. Ex-Viking Chris Hovan is a tackle trying to resurrect his career; he is having a decent year to date. Anthony ‘Booger’ McFarland is the other tackle, who does a good job keeping the blockers off the linebackers.

Linebackers: Derrick Brooks is the big name here. He is a perennial pro bowler and is still an impact player. He may have a lost a step and can’t run from sideline to sideline anymore, but he is as smart of a football player as you’ll see. Sheldon Quarles is having a good year as well. He leads the Buccaneers with 59 tackles. The youngster of the unit is Ryan Nece. He is tied with Brooks for 2nd in the team in tackles. This is a good unit and one of the main reasons why the Buccaneers are so hard to run against. Teams have been having the most success running directly at Simeon Rice and Nece behind left tackle. Expect Portis’ tough ride to continue.

Secondary: Ah, finally a weak link in the defensive chain. The secondary has been having troubles this season. A quick gander at the numbers shows the Buccaneers struggle against number one wide receivers and tight ends. Luckily those are the two best receiving players the Redskins have. Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly are the corners. Kelly is having an especially tough year. The safeties are Dexter Jackson and Jermaine Phillips. Jackson is listed as questionable if he doesn’t play look for Will Allen to step in. If the Redskins are going to succeed offensively against the Buccaneers it will be through the air.

Special Teams: Kicker Matt Bryant is having a good season. He is at 85% on his FGs with his missed coming from 46 yards and beyond. His kickoffs are decent if not inconsistent. Josh Bidwell, the punter, is having a massive year. He is averaging over 47 yards a punt. The return game isn’t performing this year. The punts are handled by Mark Jones who’s averaging a respectable 8.6 yards per return. Jones shares the kickoff return duties with Torrie Cox. Neither is averaging over 20 yards/return. With the Redskins’ good coverage units, I wouldn’t expect Cox or Jones to be much of an issue.

Breakdown: Tampa Bay, without Griese, is heavily reliant on their defense. They don’t have the offense to withstand Chris Simms giving the ball away 3 times a game. The Redskin pressure defense causing big troubles for young inexperienced quarterbacks (see Alex Smith and Kyle Orton this year). Offensively the Redskins match up fairly well against the Buccaneers weaknesses on defenses. I expect a long touchdown or two to either Moss or Patten. The Buccaneers woes continue.

Washington 21 Tampa Bay 3