If Aaron Rodgers wasn't scrambling for his life every other
snap, the Green Bay Packers would probably be in a better situation. Poor play
from the offensive line has been burying the Packers, who can take a fresh
breath of air now that Brett Favre is in the rear-view mirror.
Green Bay can exhale this week with a road test against the winless Tampa Bay
Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, and is trying to erase the memories of
last week's tough 38-26 loss to the NFC North-rival Minnesota Vikings in
Favre's return to Lambeau Field. Rodgers was sacked six times on Sunday and
has been brought down a league-high 31 times in 2009. He is also dealing with
foot and toe injuries that have hampered him during this week's practice.
The ailment for Rodgers isn't considered serious, and he will surely be under
center for a Packers team that had its two-game winning streak stopped last
week and fell to 4-3 on the year. Green Bay is now tied with Chicago for
second place in the division standings.
Perhaps Rodgers tweaked his foot while scrambling for 52 yards on five carries
trying to avoid the Minnesota rush which was highlighted by three sacks from
end Jared Allen. Rodgers, who passed for 287 yards with three touchdown
strikes and no interceptions, has been sacked 14 times in the two games
against the Vikings this season. Head coach Mike McCarthy tried to adjust by
putting young tackles T.J. Lang and Allen Barbre in the lineup, even though
veterans Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher were available. McCarthy said he will
see how Clifton and Tauscher progress through the week before he makes any
significant changes to the offensive line.
Clifton has been sidelined four full games and parts of two others this season
due to an ankle injury, while Tauscher hasn't played yet since signing with
the team almost a month ago. The Packers' offensive line should have a
favorable matchup this week, however, with Tampa Bay's lowly pass rush on the
docket.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's decision to roll out the retro uniforms from the John
McKay era against its former NFC Central mates may not have come at the best
time. The Buccaneers are expected to don the classic Orange and White digs
with a winking "Buccaneer Bruce" embossed on the side of the helmet,
reminiscent of when the team lost its first 26 games in franchise history
between 1976 and 1977. The team, though, did eventually start winning games
and even made it to the 1979 NFC Championship Game.
Bucs first-year head coach Raheem Morris is 0-7 in his initial season, while
Tampa Bay has dropped 11 in a row dating back to last year. The Buccaneers
are also 0-7 to start a season for the first time since losing the first nine
tests of the 1985 campaign.
Morris hopes another switch at quarterback will get him in the win column for
the first time, as rookie Josh Freeman is slated to make his first NFL start
in favor of an ineffective Josh Johnson. Freeman got a taste of the NFL world
in Tampa Bay's 35-7 loss to the New England Patriots at London's Wembley
Stadium on October 25, throwing for 16 yards on just 2-of-4 passing.
Freeman, who was selected 17th overall in April's NFL Draft out of Kansas
State, mentioned this week that he is excited for the opportunity to get his
first NFL start, and knows the decision carries a lot of weight. Freeman, like
all confident rookies, said he is ready for the challenge, especially after
the Bucs picked him to be the future face of the franchise. The 6-6, 248-
pounder has great size and tremendous arm strength, and noted that he has a
firm grasp of the Morris' offense.
Only time will tell if that holds true for Freeman in his debut for the only
remaining winless team in the NFL in 2009.
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay has a 29-20-1 lead in the all-time series with Tampa Bay, but has
lost each of its last two meetings against the Bucs. Tampa was a 30-21 home
winner when the teams met in Week 4 of last season, and took a 17-16 road
decision in the previous matchup, in 2005. Green Bay's most recent win over
the Buccaneers came in 2003 at Raymond James Stadium.
The Packers' 21-7 win in a 1997 NFC Divisional Playoff at Lambeau Field marks
the only postseason meeting between the two former NFC Central rivals.
McCarthy is 0-1 against the Bucs as a head coach. Morris will be meeting both
McCarthy and Green Bay for the first time as a head man.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
Rodgers (1,989 passing yards, 14 TD, 2 INT) tried his best to rally the
Packers against Minnesota by throwing three touchdown passes in the second
half to no avail. Rodgers avoided the rush a lot better during the last 30
minutes of play, but the end result was poor protection and lack of punch.
It's a shame Rodgers doesn't have the opportunity to play behind a cohesive
front line, because his numbers could be even better. Not that statistics
result in victories, but the former Cal star is first in the NFL with a 110.4
rating, sixth with 14 touchdown passes, seventh in both passing yards and
yards per game (284.1), and is one of only five quarterbacks with two
interceptions or less. Rodgers has recorded a passer rating of 100 or better
in five straight weeks, and owns eight TD passes to one pick over the past
three weeks. The NFC's Offensive Player of the Month for October, Rodgers
hopes to be at full strength after battling toe and foot problems. The Packers
are ninth overall in passing this season and have a trio of talented receivers
on the roster, starting with Donald Driver (33 receptions, 542 yards, 3 TD).
Driver is the franchise's all-time leader in receptions and has caught a pass
in 118 straight games, another club record. His 10 catches of 20-plus yards
this season is tied for the NFL lead. Greg Jennings (29 receptions, 2 TDs) is
second on the team in receptions and yards and is starting to heat up after a
few weeks of anonymity. Tight ends Jermichael Finley (17 receptions, 1 TD) and
Spencer Havner (6 receptions, 3 TD) serve as other options for Green Bay.
Finley missed the Minnesota game with a knee sprain, but is expected to return
Sunday.
The Bucs will try to penetrate Green Bay's dysfunctional front line to
pressure Rodgers before he lights up the secondary. Tampa Bay is the middle of
the pack in pass defense, allowing 214.0 yards per game, but was scorched by
Tom Brady and the Patriots in London, as the All-Pro quarterback passed for
308 yards with three touchdown strikes and a pair of interceptions. Cornerback
Aqib Talib (25 tackles, 4 INT) suffered an ankle injury during a recent
practice, but it shouldn't be significant enough to keep him out of this game.
Talib leads the squad with four picks over his last four games. Tampa Bay
hopes Talib will be in the lineup to shut down Driver, Jennings and whomever
is going to play tight end for Green Bay. Talib and veteran cornerback Ronde
Barber (29 tackles, 1 sack) are a talented duo in this league, while safeties
Sabby Piscitelli (42 tackles, 1 INT) and Tanard Jackson (17 tackles, 2 INT)
can make plays as well. Jackson has played the past three weeks after missing
the first four games of the season. He owns an interception in each of the
last two games.
Packers running back Ryan Grant (525 rushing yards, 3 TD) has eclipsed the
100-yard rushing mark just once this season, and was held to only 30 yards on
10 carries in the Minnesota game. It's difficult to imagine why Grant has been
slowed this season, with defenses coming in ready for an aerial assault by
Rodgers. Grant has one touchdown run in the last five weeks for a Green Bay
ground attack rated 16th in the league with an average of 114 yards per game.
The 6-1, 226-pound Grant should have a better showing this week against a
less-than-stellar Tampa Bay stop unit. McCarthy knows that the bread and
butter of his offense is in the hands of Rodgers, but if Grant can establish
an early attack, Green Bay will be in the driver's seat. Grant, though, must
make better reads and cuts in order to avoid running into his own blockers.
Former Packer great and current backup to Grant, Ahman Green, made his second
debut with the team last week by running for only a yard on two carries. He
was added to the roster a few weeks back. Rodgers is second on the team in
rushing with 188 yards and a touchdown on 29 scrambles.
Bucs sack master and defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson (31 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and
fellow lineman Stylez White (21 tackles, 1.5 sacks) combined for 12 tackles
and a sack against the Patriots and hope to force Rodgers in handing the ball
off due to immense pressure. The Bucs are only 30th against the rush this
season, so they should expect McCarthy to try and expose that weakness. The
defense did a good job against New England, holding the Pats to 107 rushing
yards. Linebackers Barrett Ruud (64 tackles, 1 INT), Geno Hayes (40 tackles)
and Quincy Black (34 tackles, 1 sack) have started every game and will assist
the front line in case of any breakdowns. The corps shouldn't have too much
trouble with the struggling Grant in the Green Bay backfield.
WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL
Freeman is lucky not to be playing this matchup at Green Bay's Lambeau Field,
because the environment would be a hostile one. But he said this week that he
is excited and ready for the upcoming challenge, regardless of the fact he has
only experienced mop-up duty. Freeman has had enough time to prepare with the
bye week having just passed, and Morris is ready to unleash the possible
future of the franchise. Freeman may cause problems right away, with teams
having a lack of film on him besides the preseason, where many teams roll out
the playbook in exhibition games. That's what training camp and practices are
all about. Freeman, who threw for 238 yards with a touchdown and three
interceptions in the preseason, will have his ups and downs on Sunday, despite
being an unknown factor in this matchup. Usually rookie quarterbacks fail in
their debuts, and this could be the same story. Tampa Bay is 23rd in passing
yards per game (174.3) and struggled using two different quarterbacks in Byron
Leftwich and Johnson. Tight end Kellen Winslow (31 receptions, 4 TDs) has been
one of the Bucs' lone bright spots and ranks third among players at his
position with 245 catches since 2006. Wide receivers Antonio Bryant (16
receptions, 2 TD) and rookie Sammy Stroughter (16 receptions) are the Bucs'
best deep threats and speedsters.
The Packers surely had to break out some preseason film on Freeman in their
preparation for this week's matchup against the rookie. Freeman will have the
home crowd on his side and will face a Green Bay defense that surrendered 244
yards and four touchdowns to Favre last week. Green Bay is ninth overall in
pass defense, but has allowed 30 or more points three times this season.
Winslow, Bryant and Clayton are big-play threats and could do some serious
damage with their rookie quarterback. Packers safety Derrick Martin (14
tackles) has been limited in practice because of a concussion, while Pro Bowl
cornerback Charles Woodson (29 tackles, 4 INT) was held out of Wednesday's
session due to a hip problem. Cornerback Al Harris (26 tackles, 2 INT) and the
rest of the secondary need to come up with some interceptions after Favre was
spot-free on Sunday. New defensive coordinator Dom Capers's unit is allowing
an average of 283.4 yards per contest, ranking behind only Denver (266.7), the
New York Jets (273.4) and the New York Giants (278.1). The Pack's 17 takeaways
is tied for the fourth-highest total in the league, while 11 have come by
interception.
While the Tampa offensive line will be busy worrying about protecting Freeman,
running back Cadillac Williams (305 rushing yards, 2 TD) hopes to see a lot of
holes on Sunday. Williams has toted the ball 10 or more times in four straight
weeks and is coming off a 12-carry, 34-yard performance versus the Patriots.
In a rare note for Williams, the Bucs are 10-0 when he touches the ball 22
times or more. That will most likely not happen, with Derrick Ward (183
rushing yards, 1 TD) eating a percentage of the workload. Green Bay's front
line is a tough group, so it's important the Buccaneers try to establish the
ground attack early to take some of the pressure off Freeman. Bucs guard
Jeremy Zuttah is battling a shoulder injury, but should be ready to go on
Sunday. Backup running back Clifton Smith suffered a concussion on an illegal
hit by Carolina's Dante Wesley during an attempt to field a punt in Week 6,
but returned to practice this week.
Green Bay has been playing well against the run this season and held Vikings
All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson to under 100 yards last week. Capers' run
defense has received a huge lift from linemen Cullen Jenkins (18 tackles, 3.5
sacks, 1 INT) and Johnny Jolly (24 tackles, 1 INT), as the two will be ready
to give Freeman a rude awakening in his first NFL start. Jenkins has been
loving his new spot in the new 3-4 scheme and leads the revamped defense in
sacks. The athletic Jolly is on pace to set a career-high in tackles.
Linebacker Brandon Chillar (36 tackles, 1 sack) has taken some time away from
A.J. Hawk (35 tackles) this season, but is expected to miss Sunday's game with
a hand injury. Hawk is slated to take the majority of the reps in both the
base and nickel defense. Leading tackler Nick Barnett (46 tackles, 1 sack) had
nine stops in the loss versus Minnesota. Linebacker Clay Matthews (20 tackles,
3 sacks) is enjoying a strong rookie campaign and will have a chance to make
an impact in Sunday's game.
FANTASY FOCUS
If Rodgers can shake his foot problems, he should have another fine fantasy
output for owners. Driver and Jennings are always solid choices every week
even though the latter hasn't been his dominant self. Havner has scored in
back-to-back games, so give him a shot this week to see if his streak
continues. The Packers defense will be without Chillar, but that shouldn't
turn owners away from using the improved squad. Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby
is one of the best in the business and should collect at least six-to-nine
points on Sunday.
Tampa Bay doesn't have much except Winslow, Bryant and Williams. Freeman isn't
a wise choice Sunday, because Morris will most likely limit the rookie in his
first NFL start. Give Ward a shot, since he will spell Williams at times.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Green Bay's biggest concern this week is the offensive line and whether it has
made the proper adjustments for the protection of Rodgers. The quarterback is
getting used to the pressure by now, but his numbers have been strong despite
the turmoil in the pocket. The Packers will be out for a measure of revenge,
since the Bucs have won the last two matchups between these two old NFC
Central foes. Tampa Bay must be prepared for Capers' defense, which will
surely have its ears pinned back with hopes of making Freeman's first NFL
start a memorable one for all of the wrong reasons.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 31, Buccaneers 13
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