The Breakdown of the Buccaneers

The ‘09 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking into the eyes of their worst season in almost 25 years…. They have atleast won one game, which saved us from going winless( thanks Packers), so they can’t be as bad as the Lions in modern free agent era…. Still they have to overcome the fact that they are not finishing games….. Tampa Bay comes out explosive and fired up….. But by the time the fourth quarter rolls around…. The teams slowly gets fatigued and the plays aren’t being made….. Since businessmen are making athletic decisions in the organization, Tampa Bay released one of the best LB’s in Derrick Brooks…. Him alone could change the play of Tampa’s LB’s on the roster….. Tampa Bay’s trouble comes from a weak LB corps…. Nothing against the starting LB’s…. It’s just without Brooks…. They become average at best….. Tampa is open to crossing and short routes across the middle…. Which inturn pulls up the strong safety for support and it leaves Tampa open for the deep pass…. There is a reason that they have a defense named after them…. Tampa 2….. With a good player in each level of the defense, an offense has to assure good blocks are created in each level…. If not, the offense will spend 4 qts guessing where the opening is….. Very difficult for inexperience coaches…..

My ‘10 prediction is if Tampa drafts a Defensive Tackle and a Linebacker in the first two rounds…. We will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back to being the measure of a good defense and a playoff contender.

Domers

How important is a dome field to a team looking to advance in the playoffs? Very important…. I mean who really wants to play in the “cold” states in the winter time? Think about Pittsburgh, New England, Baltimore, and other cities that don’t have a dome, how well they tend to do against opponents not used to the cold weather…. Especially teams that play in a dome and have to go on the road to an outside field…. They don’t tend to do well….
Now when teams reach the playoffs that play in a dome, players tend to get excited and elevate their game, but for those that have to “suck it up” and play in EXTREME weather… Some tend to fold like a poker hand…. I can’t blame them I would too… But they are getting paid millions to play so there shouldn’t be hesitation… Dome Teams that are in the hunt of the playoffs as of week 12 are Indianapolis, New Orleans, Minnesota, and Arizona when they want to be….
Playing in domes brings out more of the athelete and his abilities during playoff time

Week 11 breakdown

This is my week 11 breakdown of the match-ups this week….
TD Breakdown(Rushing – Passing-Returns-Defensive)

Miami: (DEF)10-11-0-3 (Off)14-7-2-2
Carolina:(Off)13-7-0-1 (DEF)9-11-2-4
Winner: Miami

Pitt:(DEF)2-9-3-4 (Off)6-15-0-3.
KC:(Off)1-12-0-1. (DEF)9-14-0-1
winner:PITT

SF:(DEF)8-9-1-1 (Off)7-11-0-4
GB:(Off)8-17-0-2 (DEF) 3-17-0-2
winner:SF

NO:(DEF)12-8-0-2. (Off)16-19-1-7
TB:(Off)4-12-1-3. (DEF)10-19-0-2
Winner:TB

ATL:(DEF)8-13-1-1. (Off)12-14-0-2
NYG:(Off)7-16-0-2. (DEF)12-15-0-0
Winner:ATL

BUF:(DEF)14-7-0-3. (Off)2-10-0-2
JAC:(Off)15-7-0-0. (DEF)6-16-0-3
Winner:Jac

WAS:(DEF)5-9-0-3. (Off)4-11-0-0
DAL:(Off)9-14-2-1. (DEF)4-14-0-1
Winner:WAS

SEA:(DEF)8-14-1-0. (Off)4-14-0-2
MIN:(Off)12-17-2-1. (DEF)2-14-1-4
Winner:MIN

IND:(DEF)7-7-0-0. (Off)9-21-0-1
BAL:(Off)12-12-1-3. (DEF)5-10-0-1
Winner:BAL

ARI:(DEF)6-15-0-1. (Off)8-18-0-2
STL:(Off)2-8-0-1. (DEF)13-13-1-5
Winner:ARI

NYJ:(DEF)6-6-2-4. (Off)13-9-0-0
NE:(Off)9-19-0-1. (DEF)3-13-0-2
Winner:NE

CIN:(DEF)4-10-0-2. (DEF)7-14-1-2
OAK:(Off)5-2-0-0. (DEF)14-8-1-0
Winner:CIN

SD:(DEF)7-13-2-0. (Off)7-16-1-3
DEN:(Off)4-11-2-1. (DEF)4-9-2-1
Winner:SD

PHI:(DEF)7-14-0-1. (Off)7-16-1-2
CHI:(Off)5-14-1-1. (DEF)8-16-0-0
Winner:PHI

TEN:(DEF)8-23-0-0. (Off)11-7-0-3
HOU:(Off)7-17-1-1. (DEF)12-10-0-1
Winner:TEN

I forgot one team… CLE over DET

Week 10 Results

Going back and looking at my “hunches” for week 10 predictions, I noticed I started off busted…. These are the teams I picked for week 10….

Bears…lose… C’mon Son!!! No offensive TD’s… Crazy… But Cutler did throw two picks in the redzone… Where was the running game for the Bears? The Bears did better when their QB was average… Can Cutler play under pressure?

Vikings….won
Broncos…lost.. Kyle Orton was knocked out the game
Panthers…won
Dolphins…won
Jets…lost
Saints…won
Titan…won
Steelers…lost
Chiefs…won
Packers…won
Eagles…lost
Patriots…lost
Ravens…won

8-5…. Wow not good, but hey the numbers didn’t lie…. The intangibles is what stained my record…. You can look at my loses and pick out a game changing situation….

Week 10 predictions

Here we go for week 10 predictions:

-Bears
-Vikings
-Broncos
-Panthers
-Dolphins
-Jets
-Saints
-Titans
-Steelers
-Chiefs
-Packers
-Eagles
-Patriots
-Ravens

DISCLAIMER: picks are not meant to be used to gamble your home in week 10 action…. But if u win a pool cuz of the picks…. Donations are GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!’

Good luck

FANTASY FORECAST week 10

In this segment, i will go thru all match-ups for week 10 and break down offensive and defensive stats and rankings for each team so that you can get an idea of who can help your  fantasy team…. I broke it down into DEF Sacks… turnover ratio….touchdowns given up by the defense…offensive touchdowns…. and the teams offensive and defensive rankings according to TOTAL YARDS…..

*TRNOV= TURNOVER RATIO/ *PTD= PASSING TD/*RTD=RUSHING TD/         

                                                    (DEF)             (OFF)                  (YARDS)

               SACKS   TRNOV   (PTD - RTD)   (PTD- RTD)  OFF RANK   DEF RANK

BEARS     16             -1             (16 - 7)              (14 - 5 )                17                  14                                        

49ERS      17             -3             (9 – 8)                (11- 6)                26                  17

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

LIONS    16              -7              (19 -7 )               (6 – 6 )              25               26

VIKINGS  31            +5              (13- 2)               ( 16 - 10 )             11                19

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BRONCOS   26       +5           ( 7-  3 )              ( 9 -  4)                20                3

REDSKINS  21       -8             ( 7-  5)               (  9-   3)                24                4

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

FALCONS   19       +4           ( 11-  6)              ( 13- 11)              19                 25

PANTHERS 18      -9            ( 10- 8)              ( 5 - 11)               18                   7

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BUCS          17        0        ( 18- 9)            ( 11 - 3 )          28                 29

DOLPHINS   21     -1          ( 10- 9 )           ( 6- 13)          23               21

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

JAGUARS       8       -3         ( 15- 5)            ( 6 - 13)           9                22

JETS       14            0            ( 5 - 4)             ( 8- 12)          14               1

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

SAINTS  19        +8             (6 - 11)            (17  - 15)        1                 16

RAMS      14        -7             (11- 12)           ( 6 -  1)        27           24

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BILLS    17       +3             ( 6- 12)           ( 8- 2)            29               27

TITANS   19       -4          ( 21- 8)            ( 6 -  9 )             22               31

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

BENGALS     21      +2        (10- 4)            ( 14-  7)             13              15

STEELERS   23     -2          ( 9 - 2)           (15- 6)               8             5

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

CHIEFS   10       +2        (14- 8)             (12-  0)                30               30

RAIDERS  17     -9           (8- 13)             (2- 4)                 32               28

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

COWBOYS          21          0            (13- 3)           (13- 9)           5            18

PACKERS             13        +10      (16- 3)           (16 - 7)             7           2

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

SEAHAWKS        20          0           (12- 6)        (13- 3 )      21        13

CARDINALS       21         -6           (14- 5 )        (16- 6 )      15       20

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

EAGLES                27       +11        (12- 5)       (14- 7 )          12         11

CHARGERS         22       +1       (11- 7)           (14 - 5 )          16         9

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

PATRIOTS          15          +8      (9- 2 )     (16 -8)         4          6

COLTS                    22      +7       (4- 6)        (17-8 )         6          8

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

RAVENS                17             +2    (10 -  5)     (12 -11)      10       12

BROWNS                16           -11     (10-12)       (3- 2)         31        32

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Da Big Boyz

YES…. Week one of the NFL is finally in progress and now our wifes have 3 whole hours of “them” time….
There were many great games and dominating games in week 1…. What really stuck out in this weeks actions were the play of the offensive linemen For all teams….. OL recognition is on the rise…. To me, the offensive linemen are like the songwriters and screenwriters of a popular piece of art…. The team goes as far as the 5 up front….
To say the least 15 teams gave up 3 or more sacks…. 5 of those teams won( S.D, GB, SF,MINN,DEN,)….
***11 teams had over 100 yards rushing… 7 teams won….
The game play of the OL is crucial to the success of a play….. Tampa OG Davin Joseph, in my opinon, elevated the position…. Agile guards allow teams to trap and pull to create an unbalanced mismatch… Also allowing 2nd level blocking and minimize double teams….
***KC had the fewest yards rushing(29)
CAR,CLE gave up the most sacks(5)
***BUF gave up 4 sacks and had the game won

So shout out goes to all OL that have ever played the game…. Even though I am a DB in stature…. I am an OL at heart….

Power football v.s. Finesse passing

“Power running is an art and an attitude!” , says coach Pete Arnold head coach of the A.Y.I.F.C champion jr. Buccaneers of Tampa, Fl….”You can throw for 400 yards and lose, but rush for 200 yards and win every time!”…..
So I looked back at all the great runningbacks and see that all rumningbacks that rushed for more than 200 yards in a game hasn’t lost….
My research was done from ‘83 to the present……”rushing for that many yards controls the clock” says coach Arnold….
Which Is true….. Ball control, a majority of the time, wins games…..unless you have multiple turnovers….. The power running game has to consist of OL that can be brutal for four quarters….. The running game wears you down physically and mentally…. Frustrations builds for a defense when the offense is gaining at least 3 yards a carry…..

To some, the passing game is just as important to the offense as the running game….. The passing game puts pressure on the defense to execute precisely…..even though the defense has no clue where the player or ball is going…. Many people say “More things happen bad than good when you pass”….. Which sounds agreeable……but in this situation to me, the good outweighs the bad…..the worst that can happen on a pass is a “pick6″….. The worst thing that can happen on a completed pass is?
My point exactly…. The good outweighs the bad….. Then an effective passing game can open up the running game…. Barry Sanders was a great RB…. So being on a team that ran the spread…..it helped him even more…..Look at Marshall Faulk and his success….. He was on a pass oriented offense the dominated most defenses thru the pass…. His abilities added to this formula allowed the Rams to win Superbowl XXXV….. Throughtout history of the NFL, a team with a strong passing game and an effective running game has gone deep into the playoffs….. Bills of the late 80’s…..Cowboys of the early 90’s…..
Rams in the millenium….

So the verdict of this discussion is left open because these offenses can only go as far as the OL

4-3 v.s. 3-4

One of the biggest debates in football conversations everywhere is Whats a better defense 4-3 or 3-4? Both defenses have it’s advantages but only one can produce an uneven match up…..
The 4-3 allows you to occupy 4 OL with 2 DL….. In the 4-3 scheme the DTs must at least draw 1 double team if not 2….. With that the LBs can run free without interference of OL….. If you happen to have an athelete at MLB, that can run tackle to tackle, the 4-3 will bend but never break…..
Now with the 3-4 it’s more like a confusion philosophy…. Don’t show where the jail break is coming from….. For OL it is difficult to scan the line of scrimmage and determine where the pressure is coming from….. Advantage defense…. With LBs that are agressive and are ok in tackling….. You can send different looks towards the opponents offense….. If a 3-4 blitz package was picked up by the offense….. The 3-4 would definitely break…. 3-4 is all about timing and overload….. Creating pressure is the mindset of a well coached defense….. If the timing or the overload is miscalculated….. The offense is gone in the other direction…. Plus your asking a lot from the nose guard to defend the 2 “A” graps….. Brown of the Packers, from their Superbowl years in the 90’s, was a great prototype of a dominant noseguard…..

“To me, I like the 4-3 because of the constant pressure” says coach Moody of the youth Buccaneers…. It allows pressure all the time

” I say the 3-4 because of the ability to cover the outside and pass to then come up and support the run” says E, a former Dragon cornerback ‘98….. “So you can retreat to refortify to have the ability to come back with a stronger defense” implies E….. The element of surprise is what’s important…..but it has to be timed right….

Still my belief is the 4-3 because of the double team potential….. Eliminating more with less is my formula for success

Detroit Lions

#1 pick in the draft….. Sometimes means nothing if the direction If the direction of the team is bad…. This time the Detroit Lions have Martin Mayhew at the helm….. A former defensive player that understands the importance of defense….. Remember, kitna predicted a 10 win season a couple of years ago…. He got hurt that season and they were close…. In 2008, he didn’t play….. So they didn’t win a game….. Now with a new QB, they can focus on repairing the 32nd ranked defense….. The Lions are anchored by LB Ernie Sims….. With 5 former Buccaneer players on defense….. The level of knowledge is at a high level….. So with drafting a LB or DL first, the Lions will put themselves In a contending position….. My suggestion would be LB Aaron Curry of Wake Forest….. With that much talent added to the Lions it will be very difficult to run the ball against Detroit….. The NFC North loves to run the ball…. Curry would be a great fit…..