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10/09/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At this very moment, they're obsessing about the running back situation in Tampa Bay.
In the wake of a serious ankle injury suffered by Michael Pittman in Sunday's 33-14 loss to Indianapolis, fans are scanning the free agent wire, dreaming up intricate trade scenarios, making panic-stricken calls to local radio talk show hosts.
Media types are pointing to Pittman's injury, drawing a line from it to previous season-enders suffered by Cadillac Williams and Mike Alstott, and trotting out their doomsday scenarios.
Easy there.
Since when was this the Ground Chuck offense? Heck, this running game hasn't even run with anything resembling Martyball efficiency since Warrick Dunn left town.
Pittman was a nice third-down back who had proven long before he reached his current age of 32 that he couldn't deliver as an every-down player.
Williams had not seemed to regain his 2005 Rookie of the Year form at any point before tearing his ACL against Carolina in Week 4.
Alstott, whose career is likely over due to a neck problem, was never much of a factor in Gruden's offense anyway.
The offensive line that all of these backs would have run behind is a young, thin, work in progress.
So let's not pretend that the Buccaneers were ever going to ride their running game to a division crown and playoff glory. The situation for Tampa Bay remains the same as it ever was, and the fortunes for the 2007 edition of this team will continue to be about three similar-sounding words: Defense, defense, and defense.
It was that side of the ball that got Tampa Bay to 3-1 in the first place, and it is the department run by legendary coordinator Monte Kiffin that will need to play up to its dominant capabilities if the Bucs are to win the division, which frankly, they still should.
To be certain, the Buccaneers defense was not a strength in Sunday's loss, but that's no big deal.
Because you can't pressure him, Peyton Manning (29-of-37, 237 yards, 2 TD) carves up the Cover-2. Always has, always will. Gruden's team is not going to see another quarterback with anything resembling his skill set for the rest of 2007, so they can put their Week 5 loss away. The 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns someone named Kenton Keith rumbled for against the defense were simply a by-product of the focus on Manning and the passing game. Former Hardcastle and McCormick star Brian Keith could have run for 121 under those circumstances.
Moving forward, the defense will look more like the one that had its way with the Saints, Rams, and Panthers, than the one that struggled in Indianapolis.
Thanks to Manning, the Tampa Bay offense only had the ball for 21-plus minutes in Week 5, so you can't use that game as evidence that the lack of a running game has sunk the Buccaneers. Earnest Graham, who will now become the every- down ball-carrier, only got six carries (totaling 11 yards) because the Bucs fell into a 13-0 hole and were forced to try to pass their way out. Quarterback Jeff Garcia couldn't match Manning's production (who could?) but was an efficient 18-of-23 for 143 yards and capped off a couple of long drives with TD passes.
There is every reason to expect that this offense will run at a capable level over the next 11 games, even if it fails to score in bunches.
And let's face it, 9-7 will be enough to win an NFC South title in 2007, so it's not as if the Buccaneers (3-2) have to win out. New Orleans can't get out of its own way offensively, Carolina just turned its season over to the immortal David Carr, and Atlanta is quite possibly the worst team in the NFL.
Even if it's by default, the Buccaneers are still the team to beat in this division.
In other words, Bucs fans, you can come in off the ledge. Leeman Bennett is not coming back to town, and your prospects for '07 remain very much intact.
THE NEW NO. 2
The Buccaneers are expected to make a move to obtain a veteran back later this week, but until that player can learn the offense, the top two players on the depth chart at the position will be Graham and rookie Kenneth Darby.
Darby has made a meteoric and somewhat unlikely rise to prominence after being released when the team made its final cuts Sept. 1. Shortly after being dumped, the 2007 seventh-round draft pick out of Alabama was signed to the practice squad. He was moved to the 53-man roster after Williams was injured against the Panthers, and was active but did not play against Indianapolis last Sunday.
Darby, a 5-foot-10, 211-pound runner, received extensive action in the preseason when he posted team-highs in carries (33), yards (135), and rushing touchdowns (1). Darby also caught five passes for 36 yards out of the backfield.
The Huntsville, AL native is the third player in Alabama history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career (3,324), joining Shaun Alexander (3,565 yards, 1996-99) and Bobby Humphrey (3,420 yards, 1985-88).
STILL NO PICKS
Garcia couldn't lead the Bucs to a win on Sunday, but did manage to go interception-free for the eighth consecutive game dating back to last season. Garcia last threw a pick on Christmas night 2006, in a win for the Eagles over the Cowboys.
Of NFL quarterbacks to start every game for their team this season, only Garcia and Jacksonville's David Garrard have yet to fire an INT.
In his past two seasons, including a pair of playoff games, Garcia has 16 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.
NEXT UP: TENNESSEE
The Buccaneers will return home this week to try to get well against Vince Young and the 3-1 Tennessee Titans.
The Titans have a 7-1 edge in the all-time series with the Buccaneers, including a 33-13 home win when the teams last met, in 2003. Tennessee also won the most recent meeting between the squads in Tampa Bay, a 31-22 victory in 1998. The Bucs are 0-5 in the series since scoring their only win, at home against the then-Houston Oilers, in 1983.
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is 4-0 in his career against the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers' Gruden is 0-3 all-time against both Fisher and Tennessee, including an 0-2 mark while with Oakland (1998-2001).
<< Sorenson penalized for Talladega rules violation
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reed Sorenson and the No.41 Target Chip
Ganassi Dodge team has been penalized for failing post-race inspection after
Sunday's race at the Talladega Superspeedway.
The car was found in violation of
<< Jags continue stellar run defense
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars must have been playing some old
hits from Martha and the Vandellas in the locker room at Kansas City's
Arrowhead Stadium this past Sunday.
If so, the hit song "Nowhere to Run" would have been a per
<< Spotlight is on Stastny
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When people talk about the future of
hockey it doesn't take long for Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin's names
to come up in the conversation.
However, if Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche is able
<< John Henry - Thoroughbred
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I remember watching John Henry run in the
1982 Measowlands Cup Handicap in the early days of simulcasting. The evening
race was only simulcast within New Jersey, so I made the drive to Atlantic
City Ra
Bills collapse in primetime fashion >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills put together a strong defensive effort
against the unbeaten Dallas Cowboys this past Monday night, but still found a
way to continue their losing ways.
The Bills blew second-half leads of 17-7 and 24-13 t
New Orleans fails to halt skid, falls to 0-4 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - By the numbers, the New Orleans Saints dominated the
Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Saints had 23 first downs to the Panthers' 12. They held a huge 35:13 to
24:47 edge in time of possession, and accumulated 341 total net
Patriots' mettle called into question again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots' once-sparkling reputation
received yet another negative blow when one of its top players was accused of
taking a cheap shot.
Browns guard Eric Steinbach called Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel "cla
Time has come to pull the plug on Pennington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What exactly is New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini
waiting for? How many more games do Jets fans have to watch Chad Pennington
throw away before Mangini turns the reins over to Kellen Clemens, his supposed
quarterback of t
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MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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