Tag: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Page 6 of 25)

      Why are Bill Simmons and Peter King talking about the Week 15 Giants/Eagles game?

      February 8, 2011 /
      New York Giants Matt Dodge dives for Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson who returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with no time remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 15 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 19, 2010. The Eagles defeated the Giants 38-31. UPI /John Angelillo

      I just listened to Bill Simmons’ post-Super Bowl podcast and he said that if the Giants had held on to beat the Eagles in Week 15, the Packers wouldn’t have made the playoffs. Peter King also said that the Packers have the Eagles to thank for their playoff berth.

      Green Bay finished 10-6, the last Wild Card team and sixth seed in the NFC, by virtue of winning tiebreakers with the 10-6 Giants and 10-6 Bucs. We all know the Giants story: Up 31-10 over Philly at home with eight minutes left in the game, the Giants gave up 28 points in the last half of the fourth quarter and lost 38-31. The killer was punter Matt Dodge blowing the game and keeping a punt to DeSean Jackson inbounds with 14 seconds left in a 31-all game. Jackson returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. Who knows what would have happened if that game went to overtime, but that’ll stay a mystery.

      Maybe I’m missing something here because, clearly, I’m not in the same league as Bill Simmons and Peter King. It appears that Simmons and King are counting the Giants’ win in Week 15, but aren’t considering the Eagles’ loss. If the Eagles lose that game in Week 15, they don’t win the East. The Giants win it at 11-5. Assuming Philly beats Dallas in Week 17 (a reasonable assumption since they didn’t play many of their starters in a 14-13 loss), the Eagles would have finished 10-6 and would have been tied with Tampa Bay and Green Bay for the 6th and final spot in the NFC. This assumes the Eagles would have still lost to the Vikings in Week 16, which is a fair assumption since they played their starters.

      The first tiebraker between three teams is a head-to-head sweep, which isn’t applicable because the Bucs didn’t play either the Packers or the Eagles. The second tiebraker is conference record. The Bucs and Packers went 8-4 while the Eagles would have gone 7-5 (with a loss against NYG but a win against DAL), so the Eagles would have been eliminated at this point.

      The next tiebraker is record in common games. Both teams were 2-3 in common games. The Packers beat the 49ers and the Lions, and lost to the Lions, Redskins and Falcons. The Bucs beat the 49ers and Redskins, and lost to the Falcons twice and the Lions.

      The next tiebraker is strength of victory. I’m not sure how this is calculated or where I can find it, but acccording to CBSSports.com, that was the tiebraker that gave the Packers the No. 6 seed over the Giants and Bucs:

      Green Bay is the No. 6 seed over the N.Y. Giants and Tampa Bay based on strength of victory (.475 to the Giants’ .400 and the Buccaneers’ .344).

      So the Packers would have gotten the No. 6 seed over the Bucs. They would have played the Giants in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe they would have won or maybe they would have lost, but either way, they would have made the postseason.

      So Bill Simmons and Peter King (and anyone else), please stop talking about the Week 15 Giants/Eagles game with regard to the Packers’ Super Bowl win. Thank you.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      This isn’t going to make Giants or Bucs fans any happier…

      January 4, 2011 /
      Seattle Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll makes a point to his quarterback Charlie Whitehurst in the third quarter of the NFL’s Western Division Championship game on Sunday January 2, 2011 at Qwest Field in Seattle. The Seahawks beat the Rams 16-6. (UPI /Jim Bryant)

      Jeff Sagarin publishes computer rankings for many different sports, including the NFL. Here is where he has the 12 playoff teams (plus the Bucs and G-Men) ranked this season.

      1. New England (33.34)
      2. Green Bay (30.64)
      3. Pittsburgh (30.17)
      4. Baltimore (26.30)
      5. Atlanta (25.80)
      6. NY Jets (25.19)

      8. Philadelphia (23.91)
      9. Chicago (23.79)
      10. NY Giants (23.30)
      11. Indianapolis (23.01)
      12. New Orleans (22.89)

      15. Tampa Bay (20.24)

      18. Kansas City (19.06)

      30. Seattle (11.55)

      Next to each team name you’ll find Sagarin’s ‘pure points’ in parenthesis. Typically, oddsmakers will use the difference between each team’s number as a starting point when setting the line for the game.

      Sagarin’s model says there are only two teams worse than Seattle this season: Arizona and Carolina.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      There’s the Derek Anderson we all know and love

      October 31, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Quarterback Derek Anderson of the Arizona Cardinals on the sidelines during the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Saints 30-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

      Only Derek Anderson would come in as a replacement, lead his team to a great comeback and stab them in the face with the opportunity for victory presented itself late in the game.

      Let me explain.

      Midway through the second quarter, Anderson replaced an ineffective Max Hall, who had just thrown a pick-6 to Aqib Talib to give Tampa a 21-14 lead. Anderson then took the Cardinals up the field on his first possession, but a pass attempt to Larry Fitzgerald fell incomplete on a 4th-and-2 from the Tampa Bay 3-yard line and the Bucs wound up kicking a field goal to take a 24-14 halftime lead.

      After Tampa built a 31-14 lead midway through the third, Larod Stephens-Howling scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to cut the Bucs’ lead down to 31-21, then Arizona scored on a Gerald Hayes 21-yard fumble return to make the score 31-28. Early in the fourth, Anderson found Fitzgerald on a 5-yard touchdown pass to give the Cardinals a 35-31 lead, although Tampa scored to make it 38-35 with just over five minutes remaining.

      After an Anderson interception (not his fault – the receiver had it bounce off his hands and straight into the loving arms of a defender) and a bone-headed decision by Bucs’ head coach Raheem Morris to try a long field goal attempt, Anderson marched the Cards up the field and into the red zone. With just over two minutes remaining, Anderson had the Cardinals knocking on the door of a touchdown or at the very least, a game-tying field goal.

      But Derek Anderson, in all of his Derek Anderson glory, threw a pass into quadruple coverage trying to get the ball to Fitzgerald and was promptly picked off by Talib.

      Game. Set. Match. Derek Anderson. Bucs win 38-35.

      Cardinals need a freaking quarterback.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bucs’ Tanard Jackson suspended indefinitely, out at least a year

      September 22, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 4: Safety Tanard Jackson #28 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lines up on defense against the Arizona Cardinals at the Raymond James Stadium on November 4, 2007 in Tampa, Florida. The Bucs won 17 - 10. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

      The NFL has suspended Bucs’ free safety Tanard Jackson indefinitely for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

      From the Tampa Tribune:

      Jackson, who was suspended without pay for the first four games of 2009 for violating the same policy, learned of the suspension after Wednesday’s afternoon workout at One Buc Place, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said.

      Specifics of Jackson’s violation were not disclosed, but the suspension began immediately and he cannot apply for re-instatement until July 22, 2011.

      “We know that he is suspended for the rest of the year,” Dominik said.

      The NFL’s substance abuse policy primarily covers drugs and alcohol, as performance enhancing drugs are covered under a separate policy. The substance abuse policy does not call for a suspension until a player reaches Stage 2 of the league’s intervention program, indicating Jackson failed for the second time to remain in compliance with the terms laid out for him as a Stage 1 offender.

      “As much as I would like to comment on it, I’m going through a lot and I can’t talk about it right now,” Jackson told the Tampa Tribune shortly after learning of the suspension. “Maybe at another time.”

      Jackson has a load of talent but this is his second suspension in two years and once again the Bucs are left with Sabby Piscitelli at free safety. Piscitelli was almost cut in training camp and if he does wind up back in the starting lineup, expect opposing offenses to consistently attack him in coverage.

      This is unfortunate news for the surprising 2-0 Bucs.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bucs partly to blame for Aqib Talib’s latest mistake

      September 17, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - DECEMBER 14: Cornerback Aqib Talib #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

      If Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib faces further punishment for attending Tampa Bay’s game against the Browns last Sunday, then the team needs to hold itself partly accountable.

      Talib was suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy and apparently, the suspension prohibited him from participating in any team activities, which included attending Sunday’s game.

      So imagine the NFL’s surprise when it found out that Talib watched the game not from the comforts of his own home, but from his personal suite at Raymond James Stadium. He now faces more punishment, although it’s unclear at this point what that’ll be.

      Granted, Talib probably should have known that he couldn’t be at the stadium while he was suspended. But the Bucs are well aware that this kid isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so I’m wondering why someone with the team didn’t tell him to quietly sneak out the back door when they saw him sitting there watching the game. There surely had to have been someone affiliated with the team that saw Talib and said, “Hey, what a minute…”

      Again, Talib doesn’t escape criticism for what can only be described as another dumb decision among multiple dumb decisions that he’s made since arriving to the NFL. But this one is on the Bucs.

      External Sports, NFL

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