Tampa @ Philadelphia

[Its Gravy]

Play Tampa +3.5

The last 2-3 seasons Tampa had been the whipping boy for the Eagles. Now that Tampa has Gruden Fortified Flakes, as well as the best defrnse in the NFL 9.3 ppg !!! Holy Cow!! I believe thier physical d will be a little much for the Eagles, regardless if they are coming off a bye week.Also the Eagles are 1 dimensional on offense pass, pass, pass.....McNabb is their rushing leader, this spells trouble as Tampa will force them into alot of 3rd and long situations....... A loss by them puts them at 3-3 tied with NYG, Dallas (pending this weekend) Making the Monday Night Game vs NYG much more significant (ratings boost)
I see a close Low scoring affair

A late FG my Gramatica with 17 sec left gives Tampa a 19-17 victory. Eat it ....

 

[GM]

I'd be a bit careful here. I believe Tampa's defensive stats may be a little bit deceiving. Not that I am saying they have a bad defence, but they have not faced even a half-decent offence since Week 1. This tends to make defences soft. Baltimore (0 pts), St Louis (having serious difficulties, 14 pts), Cincinnati (7), Atlanta (6), Cleveland (3)....this defence really has not been tested by anyone of quality lately. This could hurt them this weekend when they suddenly face a good offence (I don't believe Philly is one-dimensional at all...great QB, and Duce Staley is more than adequate at RB).

I'm very hesitant to lay 3? pts, so I don't know if I'll make Philly a play. But I do think this is a giant step up for the Bucs. Will be interesting to see how they handle it.

 

[Quantum leap]

GM

GM

Just curious why you think this is a big step up for the bucs. You are talking about a Philly team that has played a weaker schedule than the Bucs have the first few games and are 3-2.
The eagles include losses to middle of the road teams like TENN and JAX. With a couple of pretty impressive victories over some very weak teams (Wash,Dallas and Houston) . The Bucs defense has been completely dominant and thier offense is getting better every week. Do you realize that the only reason Cinci scored on them was that they returned an interception for a touchdown. The Bucs completely shut down the number one mobile QB in the NFL in Micheal Vick in the ATL game. They only let Cleve past the 50yd line into Bucs territory 2 times and one of those times was because of a penalty.Do you realize how hard that is to do in the NFL. St louis started drives in Bucs territory at least a half dozen times and couldn't score . This DEFENSE IS THE BEST IN THE NFL. If your betting against the Bucs on sunday be careful this team is better than peolpe are giving them credit for.

BUCS +3.5

 

[ELVIS]

the bucks defense is very good. ly however, do not confuse mcnabb w/vick. mcnabb is arguably the #2 qb in the nfl, behind favre. philly has a good defense and they have given tampa trouble before. philly has a lot more offensive power than atlanta has. having said that, i will probably just watch the game. philly is inconsistent, and i am not sure which team will show up. the tampa defense is good, but is not as effective when it has to defend the run & past. by the way, betting dogs is probably the best advice i have heard in a long time. GL

 

[GM]

Quantum,

Ok, I'm sure the Bucs are probably your favorite team being from Tampa and all, so please don't get all upset if I make a pick against them. If I couldn't pick against people's favorite teams I wouldn't be able to pick anyone. And please, let's not make this a nasty name-calling argument like what's going on in those other threads.

This IS a huge step up for the Bucs. I won't dispute that Tampa's defence has been impressive. It has. But against very poor opponents. Yes I know how hard it is to prevent a team from crossing the 50-yard line and yes I know Cinci scored on a kick return etc etc.

But look at Tampa's opponents:

New Orleans - Scores 26 against TB. The only good QB & passing game the Bucs have faced all year. Ok, it was game one, under a new coach, maybe everything had not gelled yet, so you can't really hold it against them.

Baltimore - Scores 0 against TB. The Ravens were such a mess at the start of the year there were people in here predicting they wouldn't win a game all year. Still, a shutout is a shutout.

St Louis - 14 against the Bucs. We all know how StL's offence went south this year, against everyone. Dallas even held them to 10 points.

Cinci - What can be said. Without a doubt the worst team in the league. 16 game season, and they may have a different starting QB in each of those games.

Atlanta - If you saw the game, the Falcons WERE moving the ball against the Bucs in the early going. Then Vick gets knocked out of the ball game and the Falcons offence completely disappears.

Cleveland - Browns were going to bench Couch, but then Holcomb goes down with an injury and they are forced to play him. Great situation! Team in total disarray, have looked horrible since Week 3.

Now, as for the Eagles....

Yes, they've lost two games...both by just a FG, and both on the road. One I would say was to a mediocre team (Tennessee), the other was to a team that I think is only just now beginning to get some respect. Jax is not a bad team at all, and losing by only a FG there is not the worst thing a team could do. Three easy wins, but like you said, those opponents were nothing special, so I won't consider those wins to be indicative of anything either. Those were just games the Eagles SHOULD win....just like the Bucs SHOULD beat Cleveland, Cinci, Baltimore, etc.

Anyways, when it comes right down to it, I don't see Tampa Bay having really been tested for a LONG time. Philly is coming home off a loss & a bye and has had 2 weeks to prepare for a team they take very seriously. If Tampa wins then I will be very impressed. I am not saying it's impossible, and I don't disrespect the Bucs. Getting 3? points is tempting. Believe me, it is a rare thing when I lay more than a FG in an NFL game. I just think the Eagles are better positioned for victory here and the Bucs have not proven in the recent past that they can beat this team. The Bucs aren't going to run the table, and this looks like a very good spot for them to slip up. But I could be wrong.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[Quantum leap]

GM

GM

I appreciate all your comments and am not upset in the slightest bit. I live in Tampa and have the opportunity to watch the Bucs home games live. You know as well I as do that you see so much more in person than the camera offers you on T.V. I was just trying to offer a perspective from someone that follows this team very closely. Am I biased? Maybe a little but I remain cautiously optimistic. You are correct in saying that this will be the toughest test for the Bucs. This Philly team is a tough bunch of guys with a coach that needs a wheel barrel to carry his balls around in. I really think that Philly might be the best team in the NFC. This is the toughest game on the Buccaneers schedule but I feel it will be a dogfight till the end. May the best team win. Good luck