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Bouncing the Bucs Tampa Bay can't score enough to keep up with St. LouisPosted: Sunday November 25, 2001 9:35 PMUpdated: Sunday November 25, 2001 9:50 PM
When this game was selected for the Monday night schedule, I'm sure everyone thought it would be a showdown of the two best teams in the NFC. Well, they were half right. Last week, Kurt Warner threw for 401 yards against the Patriots and he will go right at the middle of the field if he sees a cover-two zone in the Tampa Bay secondary. If Rams head coach Mike Martz finds a weakness in his opponent, he will go at it every chance he gets until the game is out of reach. Look for just about every potential Rams wide receiver running routes through the middle of the field, a particularly vulnerable area for the Bucs. Warren Sapp claimed he was going to break the NFL sack record this year; right now, the Bucs would be happy if he were to get to Warner once or twice. Against Chicago on Sunday, Tampa Bay finally saw some pass rush out of Simeon Rice with a sack and two blocked passes. This is a better matchup for Rice than against a power running team. Look for him to cause some problems for the Rams if he can get past Orlando Pace. The key battle on the line will be either Marcus Jones or Steve White on right tackle Ryan Tucker. If Tampa Bay succeeds in slowing down the St. Louis passing attack, then the Bucs merely have to find a way to bottle up Marshall Faulk on the ground. Look for Derrick Brooks to line up opposite Faulk. But remember, in Martz's play calling the pass comes before the run. At the end of the first quarter against the Patriots, Warner had attempted 12 passes to five different receivers and had handed off to Faulk just five times. Meanwhile, Tony Dungy's offense has generated 183 points in its first nine games. That's 52 points fewer than last year at this time when Shaun King was the quarterback. The point is, Tampa Bay is still very conservative. Brad Johnson didn't throw a touchdown pass against the Bears and Keyshawn Johnson hasn't scored all year. Truth is, if the Bucs can't score quickly with the pass, they probably can't score enough to stay up with the Rams. So what do I expect Monday night? Well, the Rams are very dangerous on their home indoor artificial surface and their defense is much improved. In fact, they've given up 19 fewer points than the vaunted Bucs unit. If Chicago can get 27 on the Bucs, I have to believe St. Louis can top that at home. I like a high-scoring affair with Warner and Company verifying once and for all they are the team to beat in the NFL. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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