SB Nation - Josh Freeman

Closing the Book on Week 14: Bucs Dominated In Every Phase of the Game, Swept by the Big Apple

Craig T — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

When your offense can't stay on the field and spell the defense, this sight was inevitable. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

If you've got a weak heart, don't read this article.

They say "Home is Where the Heart Is." Maybe somebody needs to put that sign over the door to the Buccaneer locker room, because they sure haven't shown much heart at home this season. There's no other way to sugar-coat Sunday's debacle. No gameplan. No inspiration. No nothing. The result: another home blowout loss to a decent, but not great opponent from the Big Apple. Back in Week 3, I thought that the Buccaneers hit rock bottom in all phases against the New York Giants. One red zone trip in the final minutes. No first downs until end of 3rd quarter. Blown coverages. Missed tackles. Leftwich couldn't complete a pass to an open receiver to save his life. Just dominated on both sides of the ball.

Sunday's game at the Jets just reeked of many the same old problems.... plus a new one that's reared its ugly head recently. Our Face of the Franchise Josh Freeman carried over his myopic tunnel vision from last week on the game's first play, trying to force the ball into a blanketed Antonio Bryant. AB ran a skinny post with a cornerback slightly trailing, where a safety was ready to step in front of the already covered Bryant if the flat-footed ILB David Harris had not had the ball gift-wrapped for him. Again, like last week, Freeman locked onto his #1 wide receiver from the snap, enabling the safety to slide over and get what would have been a pick or break up if the underneath LB zone coverage had whiffed. Freeman has to show better awareness, as there was no way Bryant could have caught that ball.

The playcalling was suspect. 40 passing plays against 16 rushes... with all 3 running backs and all 5 offensive linemen active and available? With a struggling rookie quarterback who's locking onto wide receivers, having problems recognizing simple NFL zone coverages? With Darrelle Revis consistently locked in between the "8" and "9" on Bryant's jersey? Yes, I understand the Bucs were trailing, but they came out throwing and never made a serious attempt to match the physicality of the Jets defense and establish a consistent, serious ground attack, especially into the second quarter, when the Bucs were trailing by 6 and 9 points. (When your offensive line is getting whipped on each play, I can undestand you've got to try something else. Then again, when your rookie QB is taking sacks and tossing picks, trying to establish the run can at least limit some negative plays that set up Jet scores.)

From there, things just got worse. Zero first half yards. No, that is not a mistype. Zero yards. Even with the immovable Kris Jenkins on IR, Jeff Faine and the guards got NO push against the interior of that Jet defensive line, leading to a porous 1.4 YPC for Caddy, Ward, and Graham.

The aggressive Jet defense got in Freeman's face early and often, bringing him down and/or forcing some ill-fated throws. As I noted in my game preview, the Jets love to blitz multiple guys from the same side, and they did just that. Their blitz of choice was to overload the right side of the Buccaneer offensive line and go after Freeman, mainly on 2nd and 3rd down. One drive-killing sack put the Bucs back deep at their own 6 yard line, which eventually led to a Jay Feely field goal. A 4th quarter blitz off the left side collapsed the pocket, contributing to Freeman's off-target mid-range throw and Revis' game-clinching pick. Unfortunately, as I also discussed in my preview, the Buccaneers failed to make the aggressive Jet defense pay... to wit, by failing to run some running back screens, wide receiver bubble screens, and delayed swing/flat passes to the running backs and tight ends. Granted I didn't see everything in between trips to the beer stand, but I don't recall seeing them run a screen or designed play to get behind the blitz once.

Really, with very, very few (if any) positives coming out of this game, where does the onus of the blame lie for this debacle? There are plenty of culprits...

Offensive line: It's just so baffling that an experienced group of veteran lineman on this roster could be so ineffective as a unit this year. In keeping with the season-long trend of the Bucs inability to establish a ground game, the Buccaneer running backs managed a meager 22 yards on 16 carries... less than a yard and a half per tote. It's tough for a back to run through a wall, and the holes just weren't there at all. As Davin Joseph said on his radio show last week, the Buc line has gone from a primary zone-blocking scheme to a mixture of zone and assignment-blocking schemes. I've got to go back and watch a little bit more, but the two-gap system clearly gave them fits and I've got to wonder if playing against the Jets' defense, which switched between base 3-4 and 4-2 nickel fronts, confused our guys and led to an increased number of missed assignments. Regardless, to put things into perspective about this line, when's the last time this offense executed an interior run, where a large hole opened up and our back got to the second level and ripped off a 20-40+ yard run??? This unit just isn't getting the push needed to hit some big plays on the ground and consistently move the chains.

Coaching: It's the same coach-speak, week in week out, and this week was no different. The coaches were going to make a conscious effort to be physical... to run the football consistently and establish a running game. That plan might have been nipped in the bud by the halftime score, but I don't think they had created enough plays to overcome the Jets' blitzes. Same spread formation, same mid-to-deep range passing plays. No screens or swing passes to negate the blitzes. Raheem Morris admitted today at his presser that he didn't have the team ready to go Sunday. I think that's true with both the milquetoast offensive game plan and lack of urgency, hustle, and toughness that was noticeably absent on Sunday. Even though the offensive line is underperforming, it's incumbent on Morris to find a way to get some balance into this offense and some success on the ground. It's just not getting done. To be fair, the defense has played better with Raheem running the defense and their gap penetration has limited the gaping holes to the linebackers and secondary for opposing backs (even a little better than the Bucs did in the last four games of the 2008 season), but at the end of the day, the numbers continue to demonstrate this being a defense that yields alot of yards.

Josh Freeman: For the third straight week, he looked like the rookie he is. It's starting to look like defenses are figuring out that Freeman locks onto receivers and that if you keep an underneath 3-LB basic zone coverage (not even a zone blitz where they drop an end or 3-4 OLB, but a simple drop zone coverage), you can break up the mid-range pass or turn him over. First pass of the game was an unmitigated disaster to a completely blanketed AB. Whenever AB, Brian Clark, or Kellen Winslow managed to get a slight bit of separation, Freeman continually missed them. His pass behind AB in the first half killed one drive and his pass behind Brian Clark in the 4th quarter led to the final Jet score that salted the game away. He looked every bit as green as he is and appears to be regressing since exploding onto the scene. Time will only tell if his dropoff can be attributed to the dual role of Olson as coordinator/QB coach (check out BucWild's article from today... fantastic read), or if his NFL production can be expected to be as inconsistent as his college numbers turned out at Kansas State.

Defense: Well, what can you really say when you're on the field the entire game? Our overworked D held Thomas Jones to just under 100 yards rushing on 24 carries. Not terrible, considering the Jet front pounded our front 7 with 39 designed runs to the Jet running backs and wide receivers... but still... 175 rushing yards and 4.4 YPC is not particularly great. Missed tackles in the middle and a bad angle from Tanard Jackson led to a 33-yard TD run from Thomas Jones, putting the Bucs in a huge hole early. The Bucs also were beat in coverage in one-on-one situations and were lucky that Kellen Clemens missed some open receivers. By contrast, the Jets' defense was a pillar of consistency on each play and showed what great defenses do... execute on every single play. The longest Buccaneer run of the game was 6 measly yards, and the Bucs failed to hit any big play in the passing game that could turn the tide of the game or, heck, even flip the field a time or two.

What were your impressions from Sunday's game?

Jets 26 Buccaneers 3: Flying High Again

John B — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:02:58 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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The Jets are somehow back in the Playoff mix after their 26-3 victory today over the Bucs in Tampa. Gang Green is riding a 3 game winning streak and is back over .500 at 7-6. The last month of this season could get very, very interesting. This performance rivals the Houston and Oakland games in terms of domination.

More after the jump.

The Good:

The Defense: We'll definitely profile some of the outstanding individual performers, but this was just an excellent defensive effort. Tampa's only 3 points came as the result of a personal foul on Bart Scott on which the officials arguably should have thrown an offsetting flag on the Bucs. The blitz packages had Josh Freeman's head spinning and overwhelmed Tampa's offensive line. Freeman was 14 for 33 with 93 yards and 3 interceptions. The Bucs didn't have a first down until the third quarter. They ended with 6 and 124 total yards. This was domination.

Jay Feely: Feely was money today. He hit 4 out of 5 field goals. One was from 40 yards, and a pair were from 49. Feely's kicking helped the Jets put the game away even as their offense struggled to advance deep into Tampa Bay territory.

Calvin Pace: He was constantly running free and finished with 7 tackles and a sack.

Darrelle Revis: Another dominant performance by the game's best corner. Antonio Bryant had 2 catches for 22 yards. Revis had an interception that just about iced the game and broke up a few passes.

Mike Westhoff: A fourth successful fake punt this year deserves kudos. It was the third variety of fake punt the team has run. Apparently the Bucs didn't pick it up on film.

Danny Woodhead: 3 catches for 35 yards. I'm really liking the idea of having him as a third down back and replacing Leon Washington a bit as a receiving threat out of the backfield.

The Tiger Formation: I made that name up, but it's what we'll call the Wildcat package for Brad Smith. Smith only had 16 yards on 5 carries, but getting the ball into the hands of a playmaker in the open field is a good idea and at least gives upcoming opponents something to notice on film and spend time preparing for. Smith had a 21 yard punt return. I'd like to see him out there instead of Jerricho Cotchery. He's more apt to make guys miss. I know he doesn't have great hands as a receiver and would seem to be more of a turnover risk, but catching a punt is different from catching a pass.

Thomas Jones: Another big stat line against an opponent that was gameplanning to stop him. TJ had 99 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns.

The Bad:

Kellen Clemens: The best thing you could say is that he avoided a catastrophic mistake, finishing with no turnovers. In other words, he was lucky that Tampa Bay's offense was no inept because he didn't make any plays. This was bad any way you slice it. This is a bad defense that was loading up to stop the run. Kellen only hit 12 of 23 passes for 111 yards and looked lost aside from a brief period in the second half. He left plays on the field. He wasn't making decisions quickly enough. When he found a receiver, his throws were wildly inaccurate. His mechanics were a mess. He struggled with all but the most basic throws, and even some of them were an adventure.

A lot of us (and I include myself in that number) have been making excuses for Kellen for four years. He was young and inexperienced. He wasn't supposed to play. His offensive line was terrible. The team never gave him a chance. He's out of excuses. By this point, if he was ever going to be a player in this league, he would have shown some sign of it. It's sad to say because from what I hear you'll never meet a more genuinely good person. However, I don't see how Kellen finds a job in the NFL after this season.

Shonn Greene: That would be three fumbles in six games. When the ball is getting punched out from behind like that, it's a sign you're carrying it way too loosely. The Jets are going to have to start taking carries away from him. Even though he's been productive, it's becoming too much of a turnover risk.

Mike Westhoff: Westhoff got credit for the fake punt. He also has to take heat for the onside kick. It's been obvious the up men have been leaving too early all year. It almost cost them against Jacksonville. It hasn't been corrected at all. The Jets had no shot of recovering that kick because their men were so far down the field.

Three down, three to go. Nobody can say for sure how this thing will end. One thing is for sure. The Jets have shown a lot of character this year. It would have been easy to pack it in after the midseason swoon. The way they have continued to fight and get themselves back into this position says a lot good.

Bucs step backwards, lose to Jets 26-3

Niko Houllis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:13:15 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

Tackling was sure and true for the most part early in the contest. Eventually, the defense let up after failing to get support.

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Even the Field Goal was with the aid of a penalty. The Jets committed a personal foul on a player that was not even on the field on the 3rd down play, and added to good field position, the Bucs were able to avoid the whitewash. Quarterback Josh Freeman started the game with an interception, and pretty much took a step backwards today along with his offensive line which provided little blocking and even less running room for Bucs backs.

If not for the efforts of the vastly improved defense, the score could have been much worse going into the half and the eventual outcome. Time and Time again the defense stopped the Jets on early possessions, only to have New York go for it on 4th down and fake a punt to add to their early lead.

But the Bucs offense was so putrid, it was only a matter of time before the defense caved from all the pressure put on them. The Bucs finished with 124 total yards, 43 of which were rushing. Not exactly something Greg Olsen can be blamed for with play calling. It did not matter which plays were called, the result was the same as the 2009 season; Failure.

With the Rams playing at 4pm, a win for St. Louis would put Tampa Bay in sole possession of the number 1 pick in next years draft. The Bucs play in Seattle next week followed by another game with New Orleans on the road, and will finally end this year by hosting the Falcons. The Bucs will have their say in Atlanta's quest to finally have back to back winning seasons for the first time in Atlanta History.

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Run Offense

John B — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:16:46 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

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The Bucs pass more than they run by a 403-293 ratio. Tampa might get more conservative this week with their rookie quarterback facing a blitzing defense. The top back on the roster is Cadillac Williams. He's got 572 yards on 144 carries, a 4.0 average. Williams has a lot of natural ability. He doesn't have a ton of weaknesses. The production hasn't really been there, though. Derrick Ward, his backup, is an elusive runner only averaging 3.6 per run on 84 carries. You have to think he's regretting leaving the Giants.

Williams and Ward are both good backs. The problem seems to be their blocking. We discussed earlier how Tampa Bay doesn't pass block well. Their run blocking also leaves something to be desired. The offensive line is comprised of five players who have consistently lost matchups this season. That's the only way a run game struggles with talented backs. Sione Pouha and Shaun Ellis have favorable matchups. Bart Scott and David Harris should stay relatively clean.

Given the run blocking struggles, it's somewhat surprising the Bucs haven't used Ernest Graham as a runner more. Graham is two years removed from a breakout 898 yard campaign. He's working primarily as a lead blocker this year. He's a tough inside runner capable of picking up tough yardage. He only has 12 carries this year.

One area the Bucs can burn the Jets on the ground is in the quarterback position. Josh Freeman has a 7.6 average on 18 carries. If the Jets sell out on the blitz, I do worry about Freeman's ability to turn a broken play into something if he finds some open field. Aside from that, the Jets seem to have an edge against the run.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:03:42 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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Rookie quarterback melts down. That was the story last week for Tampa. We know how they feel. In his first four starts, though, Josh Freeman had looked pretty good for a rookie with a 7 to 5 touchdown to interception ratio. Accuracy had been something of an issue as it is with many rookies. However, Freeman offered a glimpse of what he may become two weeks ago with a 20 for 29 250 yard game against Atlanta. You may remember I was against taking Freeman in the Draft last April because he threw a ton of interceptions in college and seemed to have a high bust factor. He's given the Bucs room for cautious optimism this year.

I tend to think a second straight rough week is more likely than a bounce back this week. This is a really good Jets defense that will throw looks at him he has never seen. He's also going to have to do without his top wide receiver in any likely scenario. Our friends at Buc Em seem to think Antonio Bryant will be able to hold his own against Revis. I respectfully disagree with our friends. As they point out, Revis shut down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss. Is there anything Bryant can do that Moss or Johnson can't do better? I don't think so. I understand the pass rush does aid corners, but the reverse is also true. Part of the reasons the Jets have had so impressive rushing the passer has been that the coverage has held when blitzes have been picked up, which gives rushers extra time to get to the quarterback.

The Bucs will probably have Freeman focus on Kellen Winslow to make his throws safe. Winslow is Tampa's leading receiver with 58 receptions and 633 yards. This could be a game for Kerry Rhodes to reassert himself. I'm not sure I like the matchup between Winslow and Eric Smith. Winslow's way more athletic.

Beyond that, it's not clear what Tampa has in the passing game. Both Michael Clayton and Sammie Stroughter are battling injuries and quite possibly could miss the game, which would leave Maurice Stovall and his 18 receptions in the starting lineup. With Revis on Bryant, the Jets can scheme their coverage around Winslow because Lito Sheppard should be able to handle his assignment without much help.

Another problem will be protection. Tampa Bay's tackles, Jeremy Trueblood and Donald Penn, and center Jeff Faine are all in the top seven at their position in terms of pressures allowed. This could force the rookie to make a lot of mistakes. Guard Davin Joseph in in the top five while Jeremy Zuttah is in the top fifteen. It's a young line that is still a work in progress.

Jets Flight Connections 121209

dvdvil — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:56:37 -0000

Kerry Rhodes will not shut up.

Rex Ryan praises Lito Sheppard.

Rex Ryan praises D'Brickasaw Ferguson.

Rex Ryan and Bart Scott praise Josh Freeman.

Mike Pettine praises Larry Izzo.

Damien Woody praises Alan Faneca.

Braylon Edwards praises Kellen Clemens.

Brad Smith and Wallace Wright celebrate with a middle school in New Jersey.

The Jets are thankful to Eric Mangini and learn from the Browns' upset.

Mark Sanchez, Dwight Lowery and Robert Turner will not play on Sunday.

Buccaneers WR Michael Clayton and RB Carnell Williams might not play either.

More connections after the jump.

Miami will be playing against last week's Defensive Player of the Week.

New England might be playing wihout a healthy Adalius Thomas, and with a subpar Tom Brady.

Buffalo will not have Demetrius Bell for the rest of the year.

Once again, Wayne Chrebet is quoted in an NFL concussion policy article.

The topic of NFL injuries is becoming more serious.

Former Buccaneers HC Tony Dungy is still very involved in the NFL.

His other former team is currently still unbeaten, along with the Saints.

I would like to stress again that Darrelle Revis and Thomas Jones need to go back to the Pro Bowl. Please vote for them here. Polls close on Dec. 21.

Lastly, Rex Ryan talks about growing up in Toronto:

NFL Sunday TV Viewing Guide

John (obviousman) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:07:34 -0000

Do you have DirecTV and the NFL Sunday Ticket package? Do you work at, or spend your Sundays at, a bar that does? Do you have a laptop computer so that you can watch scores while watching the game?

Well, here you go. This is the first installment of your NFL Sunday TV Viewing Guide. This is to let you, the Chargers fan, know how to plan your day and which games to keep an eye on. I'll also add in the reasons to watch, and any potential storylines.

1pm EST Games to Watch

There are six(!) games that you should keep an eye on as you settle into that groove on your couch this Sunday.

Broncos at Colts - This is simple enough. The Chargers have a 1 game lead in the AFC West. If the undefeated Colts can keep their winning streak going, that lead can either stay at one (with a SD loss) or grow to two (with just 3 games left). The Colts are the best regular-season team in the league, and they absolutely love playing at home. Their starters will go because they're still playing for that playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The only possible reason for concern is that Peyton Manning does not play his best football against 3-4 defenses.
Jets at Buccaneers - Chargers fans could use a Tampa Bay victory, and there's reason to believe it may happen. The Jets are starting backup QB Kellen Clemens, and the young Bucs have been playing decent football since Josh Freeman took over as the starting QB. A good game by Freeman, as well as TB winning the turnover battle, and Raymond James Stadium will be rocking.
Bengals at Vikings - The Bolts main competition at this point of the season is Denver and Cincinnati. Cincy has the same record as San Diego, and both teams are competing for the last available playoff bye. A win against the Bengals next week would certainly help the Chargers chances, but there's no harm in getting started this week. The Vikings will also be a good barometer for just how good the Bengals are, and will hopefully find some holes in a very good Bengals defense.
Dolphins at Jaguars - I really don't know how this factors in, but it does. A Jacksonville win helps the Chargers clinch the playoffs just that much quicker. I've found the Dolphins to be a fun team to watch this season, and Chad Henne looks like he could be a heck of a QB in the future. The Jags have been a roller-coasted of a team all season, but they appear to finally be playing good football every week.

Anyone notice anything? Those are probably the four most important non-Chargers game for Chargers fans this week, and we're rooting for all home teams. I feel good about that.

Panthers at Patriots - This time we're rooting against the Patriots (what else is new?). Stories swirling out of New England this week lead me to believe that this locker room will either explode, or everyone will suddenly get on the same page and become a winning football team. Even though Matt Moore is playing QB for the Panthers, an outright chemistry explosion for the Patriots leaves any and all possibilities on the table. I don't recommend watching this one, but definitely keep an eye on the score.
Lions at Ravens - Chargers fans should be rooting for the Lions. Yikes. I think Dante Culpepper is going for this one instead of Matthew Stafford, which is good news for the Lions and Calvin Johnson. I don't expect this to be a blowout by any means, but the Ravens basically need to win out to make the playoffs so they'll be playing with a monstrous chip on their shoulder.

4pm EST Game to Watch

Chargers at Cowboys - If you needed me to tell you this, you've found your way to the wrong blog. There's no need to watch them, but I'll be rooting for wins by the Raiders (against the Redskins) and the Rams (against the Titans) just as a way to see the Chargers future opponents get a little bit weaker.

Friday Injury Report. Ryan's Conference

David_Wyatt — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:36:10 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

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Out

Mark Sanchez- QB

Dwight Lowery- CB

Robert Turner- OL

Questionable

Alan Faneca- OL

Wayne Hunter OL

Probable

Marquice Cole- CB

Shaun Ellis- DE

Jim Leonhard- S

Calvin Pace- OLB

Donald Strickland- CB

Transcript of Rex Ryan's news conference is after the jump

On how Kellen Clemens has progressed this week…

He’s got a great grasp of our system. This is his fourth year under Brian [Schottenheimer]. He knows the system as well as anybody and it shows. He has great poise and ownership right now. The guys believe in him, just like they believe in Mark. He is very comfortable and very confident. I think most backup quarterbacks probably don’t have the system down as much as Kellen does. Kellen knows it inside and out. We’re very confident in how he’s going to play this week. I know his teammates feel very comfortable and confident in Kellen.

On if Clemens’ struggles in 2007 were because of the offensive line…

I remember playing against him when I was in Baltimore. For three quarters they struggled offensively, but then they lit us up in the fourth quarter. He made some nice passes that day. That was how familiar I was with Kellen. It was based on that. I never went back and looked at all the other tapes. I know we have an outstanding offensive line now. We have an excellent group of receivers, great backs. I expect Kellen to play great. I expect him to really have a big game for us.

On if he feels the team won’t overlook the Buccaneers…

It’s hard to get overconfident for two reasons. Number one, you watch all that tape. You can look at last week’s game when they posted almost 500 yards against Carolina, which is not a bad defensive football team. That is really all you need to know there. And you can look at last night. Last night was a perfect example. You have the defending Super Bowl champs go into Cleveland to play a team that has won one game. The experts, as we say, are all picking Pittsburgh. Well, somebody forgot to tell Cleveland that.

We know what we’re going to get. We’re going to get everything Tampa Bay has. Likewise, they’re going to get everything we have. I feel confident that we’ll win this game. I know they’re going to get everything we have and I know we’re going to get what they have and we’ll see. I’m confident in our football team. We’re going down there on a business trip. We’re going to take care of business. We’ll see, like I said from day one, at the end of the season we’ll see how many wins we’ve got, how many losses and we’ll all take a look at it then. Right now, we know what’s in front of us and we have to go down there and lay it all on the line. I’m confident that we’ll get it done.

On if he is happy with Cleveland’s win over Pittsburgh…

You know I’m not big on lying. I’m glad that this happened. But it’s not what you think, I’m glad my brother [Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan] got a big win on a nationally televised game. They showed him every two seconds. I thought it was ironic that every time they did something good they show my brother and every time they did something bad they showed [Browns head coach Eric] Mangini. That was interesting to me. I told my brother that. I left a message for him. They needed that win. It’s a huge win for them. Oh, by the way, it helps us. I’ll take that also. Pittsburgh is a proud team and for our benefit we are going to need Pittsburgh to be Pittsburgh for the rest of the season, too. They are going to have to play.

On what problems Josh Freeman presents…

He did struggle in the red zone in particular. He threw the five interceptions. All that’s true, but he threw for 370 or something. He had a huge day statistically, but he did make those mistakes and that’s what happens a lot of times with young quarterbacks. He’s got a big arm. He’s a big man. He’ll take off with it, so that’s something you’ve got to be ready for. If the first guy’s not there, forget reading coverages, he’ll just run with it. I was really impressed with Freeman when we went on his interview. He’s a smart guy, very bright and physically, he fills a room. That’s a big man. We’re going to look to slap some Riddells on him and see what happens.

On ball security…

The facts are what they are. We’re 5-0 when we win the turnover battle and we’re 0-4 when we lose it. That’s got to be a point of emphasis any week and it should be every single week. It doesn’t matter that Freeman’s a young guy or not. We’re coming after him. We’re going to try to create bad plays for them.

On if maroon will be a new color code for Kellen Clemens this week…

That was great. The look on his face, that was fantastic. He never missed a beat. He just looked at me and smiled. "I believe it’s maroon." "Oh, good. Go get 'em, kid." He knew and everybody makes light of those things, but I know one thing, protect the football. He knows you’ve got to protect the football. They do a good job of rushing the passer. They do a good job in the back end of making big plays. We’ve got to be smart. We’ve got to protect the football and I think we’ll be just fine.

On Lito Sheppard…

I’ll tell you, it’s been a frustrating year for Lito. He started the season off playing terrific, then he gets the injury, probably came back a little too early, so he gets another injury on top of it, a more severe injury. We’ve been wanting to make sure he was back before we really felt comfortable putting him out there, trying to ease him in. There’s no easing in anymore.

He played a tremendous game [at Toronto]. In fact, we gave him a game ball last week. He gave up one completion. That was on the third down, 38-yard play. It was a great play. You can’t defend the perfectly-thrown ball. Lee Evans happens to be a heck of a football player. The thing that was impressive was he made the one-on-one tackle and prevented the touchdown. After that, he never gave up a completion. He was tremendous in that game.

Let’s not forget, that is a two-time Pro Bowl player. Lito is still Lito. I sense the confidence is back. I think the biggest thing he had to overcome was the injury. I don’t think he felt that he was all the way back and that puts some hesitation in his play. Now, I think Lito feels great. I think he knows he’s all the way back. Lito may be the fastest player we’ve got on defense. He’s got all the ability. It’s not bad when your second corner is a Pro Bowl-type corner. It’s not bad. We’ve been saying it from day one. We’re healthy now. Obviously, Lowery is out, but when we get him back, we’re going to be loaded. We have no excuses. We expect to play well. We know we’re going to be challenged by Tampa Bay, but we believe our guys will be up to the task.

Related Players

Jets Flight Connections 121009

dvdvil — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:15:55 -0000

HC Rex Ryan decided that QB Mark Sanchez will not play this Sunday. Rich Cimini reminds us that he thought of it first.

Fellow rookie and first round pick QB Matthew Stafford will not start either.

Fellow rookie and first round pick QB Josh Freeman is getting ready for the Jets game.

The Buccaneers have their work cut out for them, and having WR Michael Clayton might help.

The state of the upcoming opponent had nothing to do with the Sanchize being inactive. Attached to Dave Hutchinson's article are videos of Rex, Mark and back-up QB Kellen Clemens.

Hofstra product and Tampa Bay HC Raheem Morris knows the Jets just plan to run the ball anyway.

Clemens will get another chance to start, possibly his last shot to show what he can do. WR Braylon Edwards compares Kellen's situation to Browns QB Derek Anderson's experience.

The Jets and the Giants are keeping New York somewhat optimistic.

Former Giants RB Tiki Barber thought Mark would be okay to play.

Speaking of RBs, I once again urge you to vote early and vote often for Thomas Jones for FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

And again, you can send CB Darrelle Revis and other Jets all-stars to Miami by voting them in the ProBowl.

More connections after the jump.

Here is a nice summation of the Jets' clearest path to the playoffs.

ESPN.com says the Jets are in good position with their running backs.

RB Leon Washington is a big bargain. Browns HC Eric Mangini thinks highly of him.

Do the Jets actually have "the best front seven" out of the top five defensive teams right now?

This article names Darrelle Revis as Defensive Player of the Week.

This blogger compares Revis to 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders.

This blogger, for some reason, compares and contrasts the Jets to the Cowboys over the years.

Even K Jay Feely should have a productive Sunday for fantasy football. Pick Thomas Jones for your running back this week, as well as the Jets defense.

This article mentions Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew's no-TD play against New York, as well as his experience with Jets fans.

University of Washington QB Jake Locker looks at Mark Sanchez's decision to turn pro.

Even though Patriots QB Tom Brady recently became a daddy, he still made it to work on time, unlike these guys.

New England activated DL Titus Adams, who used to be on the Jets practice squad.

San Diego activated DT Antonio Garay, who used to be on the Jets practice squad.

Miami LBs Jason Taylor and Joey Porter did not practice.

Bills WR Terrell Owens says, "Just shoot me."

And lastly, here is a video of the Jets defensive players talking about their squad:

2nd look at Freeman & Bucs big day on offense

Niko Houllis — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:32:25 -0000

Coach Fox is not the only one to point out Freeman is something special so far.

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There was an interesting list in the St. Pete Times of Bucs Quarterbacks with the most interceptions. Believe it or not, 5 isnt the record! Steve DeBerg has the most with 7 against the 49ers in 1986. Lets take a look at the list again...

Steve DeBerg 7 Sept. 7, 1986 49ers 31-7 L

Vinny Testaverde 6 Oct. 23, 1988 Vikings 49-20 L

Josh Freeman 5 Sunday Panthers 16-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Nov. 4, 1990 Bears 26-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Dec. 3, 1989 Packers 17-16 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Sept. 4, 1988 Eagles 41-14 L

Doug Williams 5 Dec. 9, 1979 49ers 23-7 L

Not a big deal, each name here is someone special in Bucs History. Doug Williams was a winning QB for years, taking us to the playoffs 3 of 4 years here, and the team went 2-14 after he left. Steve DeBerg was QB for the Bucs best offensive year 1984 (Tied at 10th in offense with the 2003 team). Vinny did not take the Bucs to the playoffs, but he had an arm, and once he left, he had great years with the NY Jets. He had no one around him here.

Then I saw another list, that had something funny in it.

1. 573 yards at Minnesota (11/16/80)
2. 483 yards at Indianapolis (10/16/88)
3. 476 yards at Miami (10/20/85)
4. 475 yards at Cincinnati (10/29/89)
5. 469 yards at Carolina (12/6/09)

This list is the most offensive yards in a game in Bucs history, and its from the Pewter Report. What stands out to me are the Quarterbacks that I remember to have started each game.

Top one was Doug Williams, who had a 467 yard game on 11/16/1980 in Minnesota (Outdoors mind you, before the HHH Metrodome).

Numbers 2 and 4 are both under Vinny Testeverde. Number 3 was Steve DeBerg, who threw 4 TDs to Jimmy Giles, still a Bucs record for most TD Catches in one game.

Notice the similarities between the two lists? Same names. There have been dozens and dozens of Tampa Bay Quarterbacks, but these guys managed to come out on top on two offensive record setting lists.

Josh Freeman appears to be in good company.