SB Nation - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Analysis: Packers Allow 21 Points In 13 Minutes

Brandon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:59 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

From Tom Pelissero's always excellent film review:

If the Packers fail to make the playoffs, they may well look back at the final 13 minutes against the Bucs as their defining moments— a stretch that encapsulated everything that’s wrong at the season’s midway point...

Coverage breakdowns on special teams. Technique errors, nosy play and lack of pressure on defense. Protection problems, receivers who can’t get open, penalties, dropped passes and a quarterback with a time clock prone to going haywire.

Make no mistake, the Packers did a lot of things right in the season’s first half. But everything they did wrong showed up again in those final 13 minutes, and it’s a whole lot to fix with eight games to go.

A lot has to go wrong for a 21 point swing in a span of 13 minutes. I can't think of a single good play during that stretch. The only ones that come to mind are QB Aaron Rodgers's scramble for a 1st down and LB A.J. Hawk's INT, but of course those were both called back by penalties.

Throwback lesson: Accountability comes in many different colors

Niko Houllis — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:21 -0000

by Brian Blanco - AP

Would you trade these two today?

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They were told they had to wear something a little different than what they were used to this week. The players probably had different reactions when they first heard the news, that they would not be able to show up in their regular work outfits. No, this time, they would have to make a little change.

And no, for the first time in a month, I'm actually NOT talking about throwback uniforms or Bucco Bruce. As a new rule, Head Coach Raheem Morris enacted a dress code among his players. Proper attire only.

When asked during his press conference to explain why, he simply hinted that these are little punishments, and that they are not to be read into too deep.

Its hard not too Raheem. Especially when the reading ends up with the good guys winning, the bad guys going home without their little cheese hats, and some guy at quarterback thats going to have us forgetting all about the dozen or so quarterbacks that have started in this decade. But Morris took away music during workouts, and then the right to wear whatever they want to on their way to the stadium. He hints these things can be brought back once players buy into the system...or meet his requirements. In other words, it sounds like Raheem has a little more control over this team than some are giving credit for.

We've been a microwaved society for many years now, but it seems these days even that is not fast enough. We are now a broadband, 'give it to me now or I don't want it' culture that demands results without waiting through the questions.

Could Geno Hayes play? We didn't know, and fans wished Derrick Brooks was still on this team. Same fan has no answer to what would be done next season.

People on this very site had put a label on Josh Freeman and based it only on two things 2) What he did at Kansas State for the 10% who watched K State football, or 1) Because they listened to someone else who said so. Now we see that Josh Freeman does come as delivered...that is, a Quarterback with Franchise Potential. A QB who has a CHANCE to be a Marino, an Elway...right here in Tampa Bay.

He already has 4th quarter comeback number 1 on his resume, and the season just got fun to watch again...as we watch this probable Offensive leader take over a team and guide them...to wherever players like him take teams.

We have no idea where Raheem, Josh, Jim Bates and Co. are taking this team, but maybe now the journey will be a little more fun so the 'doom and gloom' personnel can give it a break for a week or two; and give Mark Dominik a chance too. In a deep draft, the Bucs have stocked themselves up for the future.

Like Shannon Sharpe once told the New England fans mockingly as he had a phone in his hands up to his ear, while the Broncos were destroying the Patriots....

" Don't worry...Help is on the way! ..Help is on the way"

Quinn or Anderson? Quarterback Decision Set to Come on Wednesday

ChrisPokorny — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:41:28 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

Quinn or Anderson? Make a decision already!

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It's already been made clear that the majority of Cleveland Browns fans would prefer to see QB Brady Quinn back under center when the team takes on the Baltimore Ravens next week on Monday Night Football. Granted, neither quarterback appears ready to revive our offense all of a sudden, but Anderson has worn out his welcome after failing to show results the past several games.

While it seems obvious to yank Anderson, head coach Eric Mangini has seemingly had something against Quinn in the same way Romeo Crennel didn't want to put the "kid" out there. Mangini announced that he knows who will start, but will not unveil his decision until Wednesday:

"I know where I'm headed, but we'll talk about that on Wednesday,'' he said. "I haven't talked to the quarterbacks about it yet, so that's part of it.'

This is the second time this season that Mangini has delayed the declaration of who the team's starting quarterback is. In Week 1, he withheld the information to gain a "competitive advantage" over the Minnesota Vikings. Now, after a bye week, he's waiting quite awhile again to name who the quarterback will be.

One of the big issues this season on offense has been the lack of chemistry between the quarterbacks and the receivers. So...if Mangini hasn't told the quarterbacks which of them is starting yet, does that mean we just wasted two weeks worth of practice for a particular quarterback to get more in-sync with the receivers? Eek.

Browns Drop Lower During Bye Week

Despite our pathetic team this season, at least we could "brag" that we weren't necessarily worse off than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This week, the Buccaneers upset the Green Bay Packers, and what an uplifting game it was for them. This is what happened:

Rookie QB Josh Freeman made his NFL debut, leading the Bucs to a game-winning drive.
The victory came at home, with the cannons blasting after every score.
Members of the Buccaneers' young defensive line wrecked havoc on QB Aaron Rodgers.

All of the sudden, it seems like the Buccaneers could be on the upswing. Who else is starting to come alive? The Tennessee Titans have won two straight games since switching to QB Vince Young. The Rams also picked up their first victory two weeks ago (they had a bye this week). The team that is looking as "sad" as the Browns right about now? It's the Detroit Lions again. If the Browns/Lions game later this season doesn't draw national audiences, then I don't know what will.

Recapping Our Next Opponent - The Ravens

The Ravens lost for the second time this season to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are definitely for real. Baltimore was run all over by Cedric Benson again, and the Bengals' defense made Joe Flacco look like a turnover machine. If the Browns are somehow able to deliver the dagger in the Ravens' hopes of coming back for a wildcard spot in the division, under the (hopefully) direction of Brady Quinn, with potential rumors of someone like Mike Holmgren coming on board as team president, then maybe our spirits can be lifted just like the Buccaneers fans' were.

Recap: Green Bay Packers Stunned By Buccaneers 38-28

Brandon — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:54 -0000

by Brian Blanco - AP

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Writing this recap has been brutal. Losing to an 0-7 team is always hard. But looking back at the game, they did so many things right.

Team	First Downs	Yards	Yards/Carry	TOP
Packers	20	404	5.3	35:17
Buccaneers	17	279	3.2	24:43

But then the special teams failed them (blocked punt for TD; 83 yard kickoff return allowed) and the defense, which played great outside the red zone, allowed 3 TDs on all 3 Tampa trips into the red zone. It's bad to have 6 sacks (and 12 QB hits), as the offensive line continues on it's historically awful pace, yet they still scored 28 points. You should win the game if you score 28 points.

In that sense, this loss was very similar to the loss last week to the Vikings. Awful special teams gave the Bucs (and Vikings) a huge field position advantage, and the inability of the defense to hold their opponents to FG attempts in the red zone put the score out of reach. The offense has scored 26 and 28 points in those 2 losses. But it's seemingly impossible for the offense to score more than that with the awful pass protection.

I have a hard time blaming QB Aaron Rodgers. Despite 3 INTs, he did score 3 TDs. They have to be able to win games even when he has a couple turnovers. And I don't count the last INT that was returned for a TD against him since it was a 4th down desperation play.

"We've got to get to work as soon as possible on Dallas," said Mike McCarthy at his post-game press conference. What else can they do? They aren't going to find a consistent pass rush sometime this season. Maybe they can find someone to do a better job on kick coverage and special teams blocking. And the good news is that RT Mark Tauscher's knee injury does not appear to be serious, according to the Press-Gazette, so once he returns (again) and they bench LG Daryn Colledge, the offensive line could actually improve. I'm just fed up with Colledge. He mixes in a couple good games with a stinker like this. He's been doing that in each of his 4 seasons. Though as I mention above, it's not exactly the offense that's the problem.

The remaining schedule is a little rougher. Next week against the Cowboys looks tough. The game in Pittsburgh on December 20 is another bad one. But the rest of them are all winnable games against teams with problems of their own (49ers, Lions, Ravens, Bears and Seahawks). I'd put the Cardinals into the tough category, but it's hard to tell with them since they mix in good wins (Giants, Bears) with a stinker loss (Panthers).

Just focus on a win each week and battle for a Wild Card spot. Play-by-play recap after the jump.

Packers vs Buccaneers coverage; Packers vs Buccaneers recap; Packers vs Buccaneers boxscore.

The play-by-play from NFL.com:

First Quarter

(12:27) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep right to 89-J.Jones for 74 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Obviously it was a great pass, and a great run by WR James Jones. It's really disappointing to remember how good the pass protection was early in the game, and how it deteriorated as the game went on.

(9:48) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle intended for 80-D.Driver INTERCEPTED by 33-E.Mack at GB 44. 33-E.Mack to GB 8 for 36 yards (12-A.Rodgers).

Mike McCarthy said in the post-game press conference that Rodgers just didn't see the cornerback in Tampa's base defense.

(8:52) (Shotgun) 5-J.Freeman pass short right to 28-D.Ward for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Yes, LB Aaron Kampman isn't very good in pass coverage. But obviously it's really hard for the defense to prevent a score when the Bucs only have to go 8 yards after the INT.

(8:02) 25-R.Grant left tackle to TB 44 for 20 yards (36-T.Jackson).

There were a couple times when RB Ryan Grant almost broke a big run. It was a horrible game for the offensive line, but they did manage to open up some running lanes against the Bucs awful run defense.

Second Quarter:

(12:09) (Punt formation) 7-J.Kapinos punt is BLOCKED by 54-G.Hayes, Center-61-B.Goode, RECOVERED by TB-20-R.Barber at GB 31. 20-R.Barber for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Tom Silverstein said that FB John Kuhn failed to pick up the LB who blocked the punt.

(7:46) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep right to 80-D.Driver for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

A great route by WR Donald Driver. He faked CB Ronde Barber into believing a slant route, and then sprinted down the sideline. And made a difficult over the shoulder catch while dancing around in the pylon.

(6:49) 5-J.Freeman Aborted. 52-J.Faine FUMBLES at TB 3, recovered by TB-5-J.Freeman at TB 3. 5-J.Freeman to TB 3 for no gain (77-C.Jenkins).

I thought QB Josh Freeman had 2 botched fumbles, but apparently this was the only one. It was 1 of 2 recorded fumbles, the other was a botched lateral, but neither fumble bounced the Packers' way.

(5:21) (Shotgun) PENALTY on GB-70-T.Lang, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at TB 45 - No Play.

McCarthy had talked about rotating tackles, and at this point LT T.J. Lang came in for LT Chad Clifton for 2 plays. Rodgers wasn't sacked at all during the 1st half, but then Lang committed this penalty, allowed a hit on Rodgers, and was pulled for Clifton by 3rd down. I don't recall seeing him the rest of the game.

(3:11) 5-J.Freeman pass deep left intended for 85-M.Stovall INTERCEPTED by 36-N.Collins at GB 41. 36-N.Collins to TB 46 for 13 yards (85-M.Stovall).

Freeman's accuracy was bad, he only completed 45% of his passes, but this was his only INT. His accuracy did seem to improve in the red zone.

(2:49) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to 80-D.Driver.

Then the offense did nothing with their best starting field position of the day. It also gave the Bucs another opportunity on offense and Freeman had his best drive of the 1st half which led to a FG. This was easily a 6 point swing if the Packers could have gotten a couple 1st downs after the INT.

Third Quarter:

(14:17) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 1 for -5 yards (sack split by 91-S.White and 95-C.Hovan). Tampa Bay challenged the safety ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.)

Though RT Allen Barbre came in for Tauscher, the 1st sack, and most pressure thereafter, came from the left side. It wasn't anything complicated; they just went in for the bull rush and overpowered the left side (Colledge and Clifton) of the line. DE Stylez White doubled his sack total from 1.5 to 3 in this game.

(10:20) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 27 for -5 yards (71-M.Bennett).

A defensive tackle the Bucs picked up off waivers a few weeks ago threw TE Donald Lee out of the way for the sack.

(8:17) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep middle intended for 85-G.Jennings INTERCEPTED by 25-A.Talib (41-C.Lynch) at TB 1. 25-A.Talib to TB 16 for 15 yards (80-D.Driver).

Another missed opportunity on offense. A 1st down in Tampa territory and Rodgers lofts this one into triple coverage. Though Driver put a huge hit on CB Aqib Talib. Just a bad decision by Rodgers. It took potential points away from the Packers, but the Bucs didn't do anything with the ball on offense.

(6:40) 5-J.Freeman pass incomplete short right to 34-E.Graham.

(1:51) (Shotgun) 5-J.Freeman pass incomplete short right to 18-S.Stroughter (24-J.Bush).

The Packers run defense was very good again in this game. The Bucs have been able to run the ball a little this season, but they didn't do anything against the Packers. On 2 consecutive 3rd and short plays, the Bucs decided to throw instead and failed to convert either.

Fourth Quarter

(13:39) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at TB 12 for -6 yards (93-R.Miller).

This was a coverage sack. Rodgers was just waiting for something that never opened up.

(13:04) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers scrambles left end for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

But he made good on the next play with the TD run. They ran 6 of 9 plays on this drive out of the shotgun.

2-M.Crosby kicks 70 yards from GB 30 to TB 0. 22-C.Smith to GB 17 for 83 yards (38-T.Williams).

No 11 point lead is safe from the Packers' special teams. K Mason Crosby was supposed to kick it left, according to Tom Silverstein, but it went straight down the middle where the coverage was weak.

(11:44) (Shotgun) 5-J.Freeman pass short left to 82-K.Winslow for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

The big problem in the red zone was Freeman just too well protected. He had time to wait, on this TD he rolled to his left with no pressure. The Packers have been burned this season on the blitz, but rushing only 4 down lineman has produced so little pass pressure. It really hurt that Kampman was out by this point with a head injury. LB Brady Poppinga did nothing as his replacement.

(7:29) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to 41-S.Havner [91-S.White].

After the Tampa TD, the Packers call 6 straight running plays, and this 3rd down pass fails. An awful punt nets them only 22 yards.

(5:58) (Shotgun) 5-J.Freeman pass deep left to 80-M.Clayton to GB 13 for 29 yards (31-A.Harris).

(4:20) (Shotgun) 5-J.Freeman pass short right to 18-S.Stroughter for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Again, I don't recall any noticeable pressure on Freeman during this drive. It's not like Freeman's accuracy was greatly improved, I thought that pass to WR Michael Clayton was tipped except it was just under thrown. Though the TD pass was well thrown.

(4:14) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 13 for -7 yards (98-R.Sims).

(3:05) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers scrambles right end ran ob at GB 32 for 8 yards. PENALTY on GB-73-D.Colledge, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at GB 24 - No Play.

(2:57) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 14 for 0 yards (96-T.Crowder).

The first sack should be on RG Josh Sitton. The lineman knocked him back, ran around him up the middle, and collapsed the pocket. Rodgers recovers for a 1st down run, but Colledge only prevented a sack by committing a holding penalty. Last week, Barbre was benched after a critical late holding penalty ended any chance at a rally. This week, Colledge did the same thing and should get benched too. As far as I remember, the final sack on this series (it's hard to keep them all straight) was a total collapse but DE Tim Crowder got credit for it.

(1:31) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 4 for -9 yards (91-S.White).

(:52) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left intended for 80-D.Driver INTERCEPTED by 36-T.Jackson at GB 35. 36-T.Jackson for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Another sack is one of the reasons, on 4th and 12, Rodgers has to throw a desperate pass to Driver in double coverage that's picked off. The defense gave them another chance, but the o-line couldn't stop the bull rush and the receivers couldn't get open.

For Veterans Day, Tampa Bay falls in love with Free-man.

Niko Houllis — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:16:48 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

You could not have written a better Hollywood script for Freeman, or the Game.

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Never happend.

That's when the last time, since the merger in 1970, that a rookie QB threw 3 TD passes in his first game, and Won by the way. That's what happened today, as the best case scenario played out, and the Bucs won their first game in Bucco Bruce threads since beating the Bears end of the 1996 season. Tampa Bay now loves the Orange uniforms, and the throwback week was a huge success. The amount of fans in Orange were rivaled only by the ones in Green, at least judging from my view from the Pirate ship...guest of the Glazers. The 1979 team was on the sideline, but players (or memories of such) kept popping up everywhere. The defense sacked Aaron Rogers 6 times, Lee Roy Selmon probably thought he was just given a breather, and Randy Crowder & Wally Chambers were taking care of business.

Josh Freeman was a gunslinger, Kellen Winslow and Sammy Stroughter were catching them; It looked like Doug Williams to Jimmy Giles, and the secondary was getting in on the act too.

For the first time this year, the Bucs (the TEAM Tampa Bay Buccaneers), all three units, contributed to this win. Special Teams even pitched in with a blocked punt, a returned a Kick Off, and boomed punts.

We can put 0-16 to rest, and we can put Bucco Bruce to rest too, until next year. Now we wait to see if this team can play consistent football and give the fans a reason to get excited about 2010, and the incoming talent due to arrive.

Brief Recap: Green Bay Packers Stunned By Bucs 38-28

Brandon — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:40:38 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

1 day ago: Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Josh Freeman (5) fires a first-quarter pass against the Green Bay Packers during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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There's plenty of blame to go around when you lose to the worst team in the NFL. The Packers got outplayed in a lot of ways. QB Aaron Rodgers had his worst game of the season. The offensive line still can't pass protect. And the defense can't make a stop in the red zone. Just a horrible day on special teams too.

Who played the worst in this game? My vote goes to the special teams because they were so badly outplayed.

GAME DAY PROGRAM- (Orange) Bucs hosting Packers

Niko Houllis — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:15:09 -0000

Its here. Whether you've been waiting for 13 years, or 30 years, The Bucs have something for you. Bucco Bruce will return since he was forced to walk the plank over a decade ago, and he will mirror the 1976 uniforms that the Bucs only wore in preseason that year. The team, doing their best throwback impression all year, is looking for their first win of the season, and first since Monte Kiffin announced he would not return last season prior to the Carolina game on Monday Night Football.

Enjoy the HUGE digital program/Media Guide for todays game! Download it here.. week 9 PDF Program

NFL Picks & Pans: Week 9

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:43:41 -0000

After a mediocre record last week, I will try to return to prominence once again in making these picks straight up rather the tough way, against the spread. I'll Pick & Pan the Ravens/Bengals game in tomorrow's posting. So here goes:

Colts over Texans: While everyone is jumping on the Houston bandwagon, I'll stay on the one with Indianapolis and Peyton Manning.

Patriots over Dolphins: Even though Miami has played New England tough, I still see the rested Pats figuring out the Wildcat and winning.

(More on "NFL Picks & Pans: Week 8" after the 'Jump')

Packers over Buccaneers: I actually was thinking of making this one of my upset picks but I still think Green Bay has way too much offense for Tampa to keep up with.

Cardinals over Bears: The way Arizona played at home in their loss should make me choose Chicago in this one, but the way the Bears played in losing at Cincinnati two weeks ago makes up for that.

Jaguars over Chiefs: Jacksonville, despite being the Titans first victim, is still a better team at home than Kansas City is on the road.

Falcons over Redskins: Please, there is no way that Atlanta could even think of a way to give this game away to Washington, which is in as much disarray as any team in the league.

Saints over Panthers: New Orleans might be the best team in the league along with the Colts and while Carolina played great in beating the Cards on the road, this is a different "road" for them.

Seahawks over Lions: Detroit is beginning to look like the winless team of last year and even an inconsistent Seattle team should handily defeat them.

49ers over Titans: Fresh off of their first win shouldn't matter for Tennessee, as SF is looking to get back on track. Both teams have good running games, but SF's run defense is much better than the Titans and gets the nod.

Giants over Chargers: Great game and a very important one for both teams. However, after three straight losses, New York can least afford another home loss while San Diego, win or lose, might actually catch the Denver again.

Eagles over Cowboys (Sunday night): Philly has been looking solid as of late since their loss in Oakland and while Dallas has as well, I like the Eagles in front of their home crowd on national TV.

Broncos over Steelers (Monday night): Accuse me of thinking with my heart and I'm guilty as charged. However, despite their flat showing in Baltimore last week, the Broncos have been real tough at home and as good as Pittsburgh has been, they do not seem unbeatable when they're on the road, as evidenced by bad losses at Chicago and Cincinnati. Thus the Broncos are my 'Upset Special Pick of the Week!'

Last week: 8-5

Season record: 82-34

FANTASY WEEKEND REPORT by Craig T

Niko Houllis — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Craig T's FFH (we lied about the year established. Stolen via Google search. How's that for honesty.

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Our good buddy Craig T has his internet down, let me guess, Brighthouse? Remember when Brighthouse tried to make everyone think the NFL Network was the bad guy? Now BH is the only one that Doesnt have it. Heck, I get NFL Network on a sprint phone for goodness sake!! " You carry 8 shopping channels, but no NFL Network!!!"

Anyways..This message brought to you by Verizon's Fios. JK, ....

Take it away Craig T...

Welcome, BucEm fans, to what will be our weekly look at some fantasy football help some of you might be musing over. With 8 weeks down and 5 to go, many of you are likely jockeying for playoff berths, so let's get down to it...

QBs TO START (excluding weekly automatic starts P. Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger, Brees, B. Favre, A. Rodgers, and K. Warner)

1. Tony Romo @ PHI. 8 TDs, 0 INTs in last 3 and seeing field as well as anyone.

2. Matt Hasselbeck vs DET. Weak SEA running game + weak DET defense = big bounceback game for Hasselbeck.

3. Donovan McNabb vs. DAL. Like Romo, also seeing field well in what should be a game filled w points.

4. Philip Rivers @ NYG. Clicking V-Jack lately and has passed for not less than 249 yds this season. NYG defense still not right.

5. Matt Schaub @ IND. First time he and Andre Johnson have been on the field together vs IND since 2007.

Sleeper: Jason Campbell @ ATL. Yes, ugh, I know, but WAS is coming off a bye and ATL can't stop anybody through the air. Look for a solid, if not great, game from Campbell Sunday.

QBs TO SIT

1. Eli Manning vs SD. He's just not trustworthy since injuring his heel.

2. Matt Ryan vs WAS. Roddy White is iffy for the game and WAS pass defense has been solid this season. If you have a 2nd option, consider it.

3. Jake Delhomme @ NO. If you were considering Jake as a bye-week replacement, dig deeper for an option, such as Alex Smith or Campbell. Delhomme vs a turnover-minded defense like NO is a nightmare.

4. Jay Cutler vs ARI. Has hit 3 PaTDs only once since week one.

5. Kyle Orton vs PIT. Steeler D boosted by return of Polamalu.

RBs TO START (excluding C. Johnson, Gore, MJ-D, Turner, LT, SJax, AP, Forte, Ronnie Brown, B. Jacobs)

1. Ryan Grant @ TB. Duh.

2. Joseph Addai vs. HOU. Comeback player of year candidate has scored in 4 straight.

3. Ray Rice @ CIN. Now the guy in BAL, should be key piece of offense in a close game.

4. Marion Barber @ PHI. With trio of RBs, no longer an auto start, but still gets majority of carries and goalline touches and should be started when DAL offense is clicking like it is.

5. Pierre Thomas vs. CAR. Still the main guy in the backfield of the most explosive offense in football.

Sleeper: Jamaal Charles @ JAX. Did you see what Johnson and Titans did to this run defense last week? Charles will get majority of carries and should have a good chance to score.

RBs TO SIT

1. LeSean McCoy vs DAL. Westbrook back and Cowboys have been strong against the run.

2. Laurence Maroney vs MIA. Sammy Morris' return clouds backfield picture and MIA also solid vs run.

3. Cadillac Williams vs GB. GB ranks near the top of the NFL in rushing YPGA. Certainly you've got a better option.

4. Rashard Mendenhall @ DEN.

Denver ranks 3rd against run and Willie Parker to get some work as well.

5. Beanie Wells @ CHI. Still splitting 50/50 w/Hightower, and appears not to be getting majority of goalline carries. Maybe a flex play, but not RB2 material.

WRs TO START (excluding R. Wayne, A. Johnson, L. Fitzgerald, M. Colston, R. Moss, W. Welker, Desean Jackson, R. White, Calvin Johnson, H. Ward, Vincent Jackson, D. Bowe, B. Marshall, Ochocinco)

1. Santana Moss @ ATL. Falcons giving up yards in droves to opposing number 1 WRs. Moss on Grimes' backup should be a mismatch.

2. Miles Austin @ PHI. Ride him til he bucks ya.

3. Nate Burleson vs DET. Hasselbeck's main target should cash in Sunday.

4. Donald Driver @ TB. Bucs' secondary will get a stiff test Sunday, and Driver has been Rodgers' go to guy. Jennings also a solid play.

5. Kevin Walter @ IND. Should have more one on one matchups than Johnson and targets should increase with loss of Owen Daniels.

Sleeper: Steve Breaston @ CHI. In line for solid number of targets with Boldin re-aggravating his ankle.

WRs TO SIT

1. Ted Ginn, Jr @ NE. Don't be fooled by his 2 KRTD performance against NYJ... He still hasn't earned his starting WR spot back yet from Hartline/Bess.

2. Roy E. Williams @ PHI. I don't care that he scored last week. He stinks and doesn't have trust of his QB.

3. Eddie Royal vs PIT. Only receiver worth trusting right now is B. Marshall. Gaffney stealing some of Royal's targets.

4. Lance Moore vs CAR. Gimpy, may be a GTD. With Meachem and Henderson likely to get targets, consider better alternatives over Moore if you can.

5. Mario Manningham vs. SD. Manning spreading around the targets and is having a tough time throwing an accurate deep ball, which hurts a big play WR like double M.

TEs TO START (excluding Witten, Gates, Clark, V. Davis, Shockey, T. Gonzalez)

1. Brent Celek vs DAL. Even though DAL has been great at holding down opposing TEs, he's too valuable to this offense lately to sit.

2. Kevin Boss vs SD. Great underneath option for Manning, who's struggling to step up and make deep throws.

3. Fred Davis @ ATL. TE is a big part of WAS passing game, and Davis has the athletic ability of a WR.

4. Donald Lee vs. TB. Rodgers looks at TE in red zone often and matchup problems exist for Buccaneers. Sub in Jermichael Finley here if he's cleared to play.

5. Heath Miller @ DEN. With Denver's defense so tough against the run and in the red zone, Big Ben's go to guy in the red zone should get some scoring looks.

Sleeper: Ben Watson vs MIA. Scored in 2 of last 3 games.

TEs TO SIT

1. Brandon Pettigrew @ SEA. If you're looking for a bye-week filler, look elsewhere. Without Stafford healthy, Pettigrew is a forgotten part of the offense.

2. Kellen Winslow vs TB. Yea yea, Freeman's gotta throw it to somebody, but who can really tell who he'll connect with? If you've got another solid option, consider it until we see how he connects with K2.

3. Bo Scaife @ SF. Niners 3-4 defense matches up their athletic LBs very well with opposing TEs.

4. Todd Heap @ CIN. Good for 3 catches, 40-50 yds, and that is all.

5. Tony Scheffler vs PIT. Except for his big game against SD a few weeks ago, has done nothing this year.

5 KICKERS TO START:

1. Shaun Suisham @ ATL

2. David Akers @ DAL

3. Nate Kaeding @ NYG

4. Kris Brown @ IND

5. Shayne Graham vs BAL

5 KICKERS TO SIT:

1. Dan Carpenter @ NE

2. Jason Elam vs WAS

3. Olindo Mare vs DET

4. Robbie Gould vs ARI

5. John Kasay @ NO

5 DEFENSES WITH GOOD MATCHUPS:

1. PIT @ DEN

2. SEA vs DET

3. NO vs CAR

4. JAX vs KC

5. SF vs TEN

5 DEFENSES WITH TOUGH MATCHUPS:

1. DAL @ PHI

2. NYG vs SD

3. PHI vs DAL

4. MIA @ NE

5. ATL vs WAS

Friday Injury Report: Green Bay Packers at Tampa

Brandon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:18:28 -0000

The week's list is long for the Green Bay Packers. While a lot has gone wrong for the Buccaneers during their 0-7 start, injuries have not been their biggest problem.

For the Packers, a couple players (Lang and Allen) were injured during practice this week. Chillar is out for a couple weeks after having surgery on his broken hand. Driver (neck stinger) and Rodgers (feet) were held out all week, until Friday's practice, but they're almost certain to play through the pain. Clifton was back at practice all week, apparently his practice on Friday was limited just as a precaution, and he should start on Sunday. Hall was back in practice, after missing a couple weeks, but he was still limited and a good candidate to be left inactive on Sunday. Maybe the same can be said for Martin. There was nothing written, at least that I read, about Woodson's injury, so it's apparently not serious and he should start on Sunday. Again this week, Finley, Nelson, and Spitz are all out.

For the Bucs, their starting WR Antonio Bryant is likely to miss the game due to the knee injury he aggravated while flying coach. Maybe they'll be without 2nd year CB Elbert Mack, but since he's only started 1 NFL game, he's probably not a key part of their defense.

The complete injury lists, for both teams, are after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Jake Allen	WR	Quadricep	Limited Participation	Questionable
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Out	Out
Chad Clifton	T	Ankle	Limited Participation	Probable
Donald Driver	WR	Neck	Full Participation	Probable
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Did Not Participate	Out
Korey Hall	FB	Calf	Limited Participation	Questionable
T.J. Lang	G/T	Oblique	Limited Participation	Questionable
Derrick Martin	S	Concussion	Limited Participation	Questionable
Jordy Nelson	WR	Knee	Did Not Participate	Out
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Feet	Full Participation	Probable
Jason Spitz	C/G	Back	Did Not Participate	Out
Charles Woodson	CB	Hip	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Antonio Bryant	WR	Knee	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Michael Clayton	WR	Wrist	Full Participation	Questionable
Elbert Mack	CB	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Aqib Talib	CB	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Jeremy Zuttah	G	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable