Ominous Number For Bucs
October 7th, 2011
Joe’s heard various analysts spit out a stat this week on how teams perform in road games following appearances on Monday Night Football. And, of course, that’s the Bucs’ situation as they’re in San Francisco for a 4 o’clock kickoff Sunday.
While Joe hasn’t seen any official number, Joe keeps hearing that teams only win in that scenario 11 percent of the time.
Ouch. That’s one telling stat.
However, Joe thinks the Bucs are such a bizarre, non-traditional team, that you can throw that ugly number out the window. The Bucs are too young to be tired, and it’s too early in the season for fatigue to effect a young team. Hell, LeGarrette Blount got Week 1 off. Plus, these Bucs seem to have no issues on the road.
Joe prefers to look at this game as another challenge to the defense to keep stuffing the run and handle a more physical offense. If the Bucs do that, Joe will take his chances against Niners quarterback Alex Smith, even if he has been hot.
As Derrick Brooks said on WDAE-AM 620 Wednesday, winning on the road usually means you got off the field on third down. That’s probably the key to this game, assuming the Bucs don’t waver from feeding Blount.
October 7th, 2011 at 10:23 am
I found this to be quite funny – (Quote from a bleacher report article) –
“Their pass defense (Bucs) is by no means impenetrable, but one thing you may have noticed is that their defensive line is much improved this year. They should have no trouble negotiating San Francisco’s weak offensive line, and they will then negotiate with Smith directly. Bruce Willis-style.”
October 7th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Joe, “non traditional team” is about right. Let’s laugh in the face of that particular MNF statistic, sit back and enjoy Blount crashing downfield leaving crushed defensive players in his wake!
October 7th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Joe, because they are so young, did you consider that they talk football with each other trying to learn instead of partying like older troops? Some of these players have never been here before or seen the team for that matter and they are asking the older second year players for advice and this keeps them all in.
October 7th, 2011 at 11:02 am
Everyone is picking the 9ers except for Pat Kirwan, who believes you always go with the better QB in these situations. I think it goes beyond the QBs, even though Alex Smith is still Alex Smith and will always screw up somehow. I think this goes directly to the trenches, our very youngry D-line vs their very questionable O-line, and their front 7 which is very good, but is now missing it’s NT vs our O-line, which really controlled what is basically the same front as last year. I really like our chances, the line is SF -2.5 which is a pickem game, and like PK says, in pickems go with the BETTER QB. Bucs 17-13.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Bucs 32 49ers 3
Stats only matter if the players care about them. Now we see why Morris is drilling “stats are for losers” into them.