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Posted: Friday January 24, 2003 2:46 PM
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Peter King |
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Rich Gannon will have enough savvy and guile to find someone deep or short to dump it to, so pick your poison: Charlie Garner short or Jerry Rice intermediate or Jerry Porter deep. And we haven't mentioned the third-best receiving tight end in football, Doug Jolley, or Tim Brown. From Barry Sims on the left to Lincoln Kennedy on the right, the Raiders will joust and battle a great defensive front. I'm not saying the Bucs won't make plays on defense; they'll make a bunch. I don't think, however, they'll get the snot-bubble kind of shot on Gannon they need.
Raiders 17, Buccaneers 16
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Don Banks |
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The game will be low-scoring and close, and I think that favors Tampa Bay. The Bucs' defense is the NFL's best, and if it handles the Raiders' No. 1-ranked offense, it'll have the right to be considered among the most dominant in recent history. Offensively, Tampa Bay played an intelligent game last week at Philadelphia, and the Bucs need more of the same. With its defense, Tampa Bay has a great shot to win if it can score 20. The Bucs averaged 27.1 points a game in Brad Johnson's last eight starts, so the 20-point plateau is not a stretch.
Buccaneers 16, Raiders 13
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Dr. Z |
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If Tampa Bay's front four can't penetrate one of the sturdier offensive walls in football, you'll see plenty of blitzing from odd places. Tampa Bay will jump Oakland's short routes and deliver big hits. The Raiders will counter by going deeper than usual. The Bucs' Mike Alstott will have success running the ball, not so much tackle-to-tackle but on the perimeter. Oakland will run the ball only if its receivers are taking too much punishment. The key to the game will be the Raiders' defensive backs, who will gamble and jump routes and come up with turnovers.
Raiders 24, Buccaneers 22
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John Donovan |
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Rich Gannon is downright scary. He's an automaton. The dude brushes his teeth with one hand and dumps off a pass with the other. No matter what kind of pressure the Bucs bring, Gannon can handle. His receivers know exactly where he'll throw it and when. Granted, the Bucs have a great defense, and their offense is better than most think. But that Raiders' offense is so surgically precise ... Don't forget, too, a Raiders' defense that held the sizzling Jets to 10 points. They can swamp the Bucs' emerging offense. I like the Bucs. They'll make Gannon work. But the Raiders are too much.
Raiders 27, Buccaneers 20
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B. Duane Cross |
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Oakland will win for one reason: The Raiders' defense can handle the Buccaneers' offense. For all the talk about No. 1 offense vs. No. 1 defense, Oakland's vet-laden D has the experience and athleticism to stop Tampa Bay's offense -- even under Jon Gruden's play-calling. The Raiders' deft offseason move to add DT John Parrella was an oft-overlooked transaction, not to mention Sam Adams' signing. Oakland can maintain along the line of scrimmage, its linebackers can work sideline-to-sideline and the Raiders' D-backs are more than competent in coverage. There is no Buccaneer who can make a game-breaking difference against this unit.
Raiders 28, Buccaneers 20
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