The Game Within The Game: Bucs v Cowboys

by Douglas O'Connor
follow on Twitter @Ren_Daxt

     The weekly piece that goes deeper than "Win the turnover battle" and "Establish the run" for "Keys to victory" against the ________. This week the Dallas Cowboys.

Spread Out The Defense: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went under the hood after the Thursday Night game against the Atlanta Falcons, did some fine tuning and turned their season around. Most if not all of the changes that were talked about have been on the defensive side of the ball. What has gone largely unnoticed was the Bucs commitment to keep Jameis Winston on his feet. Since the Chicago game Dirk Koetter has called a ton of max protection to keep Jameis upright. You can't complete a pass if the quarterback doesn't have enough time to throw it. Look for this recent philosophy to change Sunday night against the Cowboys.
     Dallas's pass rush doesn't scare opposing teams and has been a talking point for Cowboys fans and media members all season long because of their lack of production. The Bucs have the opportunity to get more receivers and backs out into the route. Which in turn will spread out the Cowboys coverage and open more windows for Winston to throw into. The lack of a threatening Dallas pass rush could open up the Buccaneers offense and lead to the offensive explosion Buc fans have been waiting for.

Ali Marpet vs Sean Lee: Dallas Cowboys WLB Sean Lee has 130 tackles on the season, good enough for 2nd in the NFL. Lee is coming off a franchise record 22 team credited tackles against the NY Giants last Sunday night. Doug Martin hasn't had a big run so far this year. On those plays where he is just a step or two from breaking one, most have come behind Kevin Pamphile and Donovan Smith. This may come has a surprise since Marpet is widely considered the Bucs best offensive lineman. The reason for this is that the Buccaneers use Ali's ability to get to the 2nd level and cut off the backside pursuit. Lee has more than twice as many tackles as any other linebacker on the Cowboys roster and lines up on the weak side of the formation. Look for the Bucs to run left and pin their hopes on Marpet's athleticism to hamper Lee enough to break off a big gain.

Jason Witten & Sealver Siliga: Dallas Cowboy TE Jason Witten in all likely hood will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. In the past two games Witten only has 4 catches for 26 yards, not surprisingly, arguably the Cowboys worst two offensive performances. Teams are taking away Prescott's security blanket, look for the Bucs to do the same.
     Buccaneers DT Sealver Siliga is an immovable object. the Cowboys offensive line an unstoppable force. Whomever wins this match up on 1st down will determine how well Ezekiel Elliott plays Sunday night.

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Thanks for reading and as always GO BUCS!

 
   

Big Game Coming For Jameis on Sunday Night?

Lately the talk has been all about the Bucs defense and rightfully so as the unit has been the best in the league during this winning streak. However, the offense has struggled to put up points consistently and have had issues mainly finishing drives in the redzone with touchdowns. I think this week that changes as the offense knows it needs a big game sooner or later, and I think it starts this Sunday night in Dallas. Cowboys defense allows almost 70% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks but only allow 18.3 points per game. This is mainly due to the Cowboys offense having the ball most of the game because of their dominant run game.

I expect the Bucs offense to have a similar gameplan in how they attacked the Falcons in week 1 in which they took advantage of the checkdowns to open up the deep passing game. With this being a big primetime game, I believe Jameis is going to take that next step and have one of those elite games that he has shown at times this season. Jameis is at his best when he is spreading the ball around and is just hitting the open man and I expect that to take place against the Cowboys.

Him and Evans have been quite the duo this year and I think Evans will get his looks but Jameis needs to trust his other weapons as well. I just really like this matchup for the Bucs offense as the Cowboys defense don't have a great pass rush and don't really blitz as they will keep 7 in coverage most of the time. This is why I believe a big game could be in store for Jameis and the offense as they have the guys to take advantage of this cover 2 defense. Having Humprhies, Sims, and new guy Josh Huff in the lineup should help open up the offense as I think Koetter is going to cut it loose a little bit. The defense has been dominant, now it's time for the offense to have a complete game and I think Jameis is going to lead the way.

DT Sealver Siliga Was Brought In To Stop Ezekiel Elliot

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt 

    Sealver Siliga joined the Buccaneers in November of this year after spending the first part of his career employed by the elite teams of the NFL. Stops with the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and finally Seattle Seahawks before the Bucs plucked him from the waiver wire. His acquisition came as a bit of surprise, since the Buccaneers had just gotten healthy on the defensive line and it wasn't looking like a position they needed more depth in.

      In Real Bucs Talk tradition we took a deeper look and found not only is a player like Siliga sorely needed but his role should dramatically increase the last few games of the season and hopefully into the playoffs.

     Sealver Siliga, who wears number 70 for the Bucs, is a mountain of a man tipping the scales at a whopping 345 lbs. Described as like having 3 guys in there by All Pro DT Gerald McCoy and someone who needs 4 hands to keep under control by Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken. If both of these statements are true expect Siliga to face a lot of double teams this Sunday, which is good news for the Buccaneers. Freeing up other defensive linemen especially McCoy to get extra one on one match ups to get pressure on Dak Prescott and bottle up rookie running back sensation Ezekiel Elliott.

     Look for big number 70 to be in on mostly 1st downs to take up blockers and clog up inside running lanes. The Dallas Cowboys run the ball on 1st down more than any other team in the NFL. Siliga's should be found on the field on all 3rd and short situations and goal line as well.

     With the importance of being able to stop the run as the weather turns late into the season as well as the playoffs. A player of Siliga's size and skill set will be needed. Credit GM Jason Licht, again, for having an eye on the future and bringing in Sealver 5 weeks ago so he would be up to speed schematically when his number was called. If Siliga has an impactful game you can add him to a long list of fringe players that have played a big role in the Buccaneers win streak.

You can also follow us on Twitter @realbucstalk
Thank you for reading and as always GO BUCS!

Potential Free Agent Target?

We all know the Bucs need an upgrade at defensive end, how about potential Miami free agent Olivier Vernon.  He is 25 and brings a nastiness to the field.  Here he is mic'up for the Cowboys game.