The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Why To Watch
Both teams have been big disappointments this season. The Redskins will turn to the future by replacing quarterback Mark Brunell with second-year player Jason Campbell.

Offensive coordinator Al Saunders will have to find a way to attack on the ground without his best offensive weapon in RB Clinton Portis. Look for Buccaneers' defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to stack the line of scrimmage and force the Redskins to attack through the air, while pressuring Campbell in passing situations.

Head coach Jon Gruden will look to attack on the ground with RB Cadillac Williams to set up the short, controlled passing attack. QB Bruce Gradkowski will rely on the Buccaneers' multiple spread offense to exploit a Redskins' secondary that has been exposed all year. Defensive coordinator Greg Williams will rely on his multiple eight-man fronts, while mixing in pressure packages on third-and-long situations and get after Gradkowski.


When the Redskins have the ball
Rushing: The Redskins will be without RB Clinton Portis this week, after he suffered a broken hand in last week's game against the Eagles. Portis, who set a franchise rushing record last season, has been hindered by injuries throughout this season. Look for the Redskins to rely on the combination of backups Ladell Betts and T.J. Duckett against a Buccaneers' run defense that could be without three starters (RDE Simeon Rice, RDT Ellis Wyms and MLB Shelton Quarles) to take pressure off their inexperience quarterback.

The Redskins' offensive line average 314 pounds and will look to attack on the ground at an undersized Buccaneers' defensive line. Betts has improved his consistency as a runner and is a good one-cut runner who can press the hole, while attacking downhill between the tackles. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will utilize a lot of movement with his defensive line this week when attacking upfield gaps, forcing Betts to attack more east-west out on the perimeter.

The Buccaneers must get the same consistency this week for WLB Derrick Brooks and SLB Ryan Nece when moving downhill and extending out on the perimeter. Also, the Buccaneers' safeties must play with more disciplined and control when moving downhill, attacking from an inside-out position. Look for Buccaneers' game plan to focus on making the Redskins a one-dimensional team through the air.

Passing: QB Jason Campbell is the new starting quarterback in Washington and will make his first NFL start, replacing the inconsistent Mark Brunell. Campbell has a stronger arm than Brunell and has flashed the ability in the preseason to make all throws in the passing game. He gives the Redskins a vertical presence down the field in which the Buccaneers must defend on the backend. Offensive coordinator Al Saunders likes to involve a lot of shifting and motioning within the structure of the offense in order to create mismatches.

The Redskins rely on a three-receiver, one-back set that features a lot of timing routes in the short and intermediate areas on heavy pass down tendencies. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will continue to utilize his four-man rush, while dropping seven defenders to underneath spots in coverage. Kiffin will put a big emphasis this week on his corners to be physical on the outside, trying to disrupt the timing and rhythm of the Redskins' passing game.

The Redskins have some explosive playmakers on the outside with wide receivers Santana Moss, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El and TE Chris Cooley. While, the Buccaneers have had some concerns with their individual matchups on the backend in coverage.

Look for the Buccaneers to disguise a lot of coverages on the backend with some single zone fires and overload blitzes, and go after the inexperienced signal caller. The Redskins are heavily driven by their formation tendency in which the Buccaneers will try and exploit on Sunday.

When the Buccaneers have the ball
Rushing: Head coach Jon Gruden will try to attack on the ground with RB Cadillac Williams against a Redskins' run defense that has allowed 114.6 yards per game. The Redskins have an undersized defensive line and will try to attack gaps on the move to disrupt the flow of the Buccaneers' running game.

Look for Gruden to run more frontside zone plays this week, allowing Williams to get downhill and press the hole. Also, look for Gruden to continue to rely on his two-tight end packages on heavy run down tendencies to spread the field, while creating better inside running lanes for Williams.

The Redskins' defense has underachieved this year under the leadership of defensive coordinator Greg Williams. The Redskins are currently ranked in the bottom half of the NFL statically in total defense. Look for Williams to incorporate more eight-man fronts this week by using either an extra safety or linebacker up near the box on heavy run down tendencies.

The Redskins could utilize some 4-4-3 fronts vs. the Buccaneers standard and two-tight end offenses. Williams will also incorporate more exotic run blitzes this week to put a lot of pressure on rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. The Buccaneers have a lot of inexperience players on offense and have a short week to prepare the pressure packages the Redskins will present on Sunday in Tampa.

Passing: Defensive coordinator Greg Williams runs one of the most sophisticated defenses schemes in the NFL, featuring a lot of blitz pressure that keep opposing offenses off-balanced. With the Redskins' secondary back to full strength, look for Williams to bring his zone and man pressures at rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski has struggled over the last few weeks adjusting to certain blitz packages and reacting to open areas off his sight adjustments.

Head coach Jon Gruden is big on spreading the field to create individual matchups the Buccaneers can exploit on the backend in coverage. Gruden will focus in on three players, RC Carlos Rogers, third corner Kenny Wright and FS Sean Taylor that he will look to exploit by moving WR Joey Galloway around in the formation to create mismatches. Wright has been exposed all year, while Rogers continues to struggle with consistency and loves to jump double moves.

Also, look for TE Alex Smith and WR Michael Clayton to step up and make plays in the passing game. Smith is a smart player with soft hands who understands the soft spots in the short and intermediate of the passing game. If Gradkowski has time in the pocket, he can make plays against a Redskins' secondary that has struggled all season. The biggest key in this area will be the Buccaneers ability to adjust and pick up the Redskins' pressure packages that Greg Williams will throw at the Buccaneers' rookie quarterback.

If they pound us with the Caddy who has had a flat tire all year (actually 4 flats, totally non-existant) I am going to throw up. I'm sure they will just like everyoen else...

I think they will add a bit of Alstott in there.

frankcal20 wrote:I think they will add a bit of Alstott in there.

Only in short-yardage situations. Talk about a battle between two VERY disappointing teams that met in the playoffs just last season.

Maybe we can make a single good team out of the two.

It would be called the Redskin Bucaneers or ReBucs. Someoby might sue us for name plagiarism but these are desperate times on both teams.

Redskin in Canada wrote:

frankcal20 wrote:I think they will add a bit of Alstott in there.

Only in short-yardage situations. Talk about a battle between two VERY disappointing teams that met in the playoffs just last season.

Maybe we can make a single good team out of the two.

It would be called the Redskin Bucaneers or ReBucs. Someoby might sue us for name plagiarism but these are desperate times on both teams.

the Bucskins or Redbucs,

• Second-year quarterback Jason Campbell replaces Mark Brunell as the Redskins' starting quarterback. Campbell gets his first NFL start against a Buccaneers secondary that is currently ranked 17th in the league, allowing 212.3 yards per game. Campbell has a stronger arm than Brunell and has the ability to make all throws in the passing game.

Look for offensive coordinator Al Saunders to downsize his game plan and play to the strengths of Campbell in the passing game, relying on attacking the short and intermediate areas of the Buccaneers' Cover 2 schemes. The Redskins have some explosive playmakers in Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Lloyd and TE Chris ey who will make it tough on the Buccaneers' secondary.

Ladell Betts
Betts
• Franchise RB Clinton Portis broke his hand last week and is done for the season. Backup RB Ladell Betts will replace Portis in the starting lineup, along with T.J. Duckett. The Redskins will need to establish the running game behind an offensive line that averages 314 pounds to take pressure off Campbell. The Buccaneers have a fast and undersized front seven that the Redskins will look to attack and wear down. Look for Saunders to rely on a balanced attack with a lot of shifting and motioning to try and out-flank the Buccaneers' front seven and attack downhill. The Buccaneers' safeties must play with more discipline and control in their run reads when attacking downhill on the second level.

• The Buccaneers' offense is ranked in the bottom half of the NFL, averaging just 247.3 yards a game. Head coach Jon Gruden usually begins the game trying to run the football with Carnell Williams by using his standard and two-tight end packages. However, rushing yards have been hard to come by, and Gruden has had to abandon the ground game early in games to back defenses off on the backend. Even though the Redskins have struggled on defense, look for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to stay aggressive with his eight-man fronts and run blitzes to force QB Bruce Gradkowski to attack through the air.

• The biggest key in this game for the Buccaneers will be their ability to create positive yardage on first down. This will result in more manageable second- and third-down situations, which will take pressure of Gradkowski. The Redskins' secondary has been the Achilles' heel of this team all season and the Buccaneers will look to exploit this unit on the backend in coverage. With the short week to prepare the Buccaneers will need to shore up their protection schemes against a Redskins defense that will bring a lot of pressure form different angles on passing downs.

• Defensively, the Buccaneers have improved over the last few weeks in their ability to stop the run. However, they must find more ways of getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last week, the Buccaneers were without three key starters (Simeon Rice, Shelton Quarles and Ellis Wyms) and all three could be game-time decisions this week. Look for Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to mix in a few more zone pressure schemes and overload blitzes, while disguising coverage schemes on the backend to confuse Campbell.

• Gradkowski can ill afford to continue to make mistakes in the passing game. Gradkowski committed three of the Buccaneers' four turnovers with two interceptions and a lost fumble in last week's game. He has had a tendency over the last few weeks of locating on primary targets and forcing throws into tight spots in coverage. He's completing only 52.8 percent of his passes and must do a better job this week in completing passes in the short and intermediate areas, while taking what the defense is giving him.

Joey Galloway
Galloway
• If given time in the pocket, Gradkowski can take advantage of the Redskins' secondary, which allows 240.3 yards a game. Look for Gruden to move WR Joey Galloway around in the formation and isolate him on either Carlos Rogers or third-corner Kenny Wright. Rogers has been playing with a broken right thumb and doesn't seem to be playing with a lot of confidence, while Wright can be exploited based on his lack of man-to-man cover skills.

Special Teams
The Redskins lead the NFC in kickoff returns with an average starting field position of 28.9, while the Buccaneers are ranked second in the NFC covering kickoffs, allowing an average starting field position of 23.9. Redskins KOR Rock Cartwright is ranked 13th in the NFL with an average of 24.3. He has returned one kickoff for a touchdown. The Buccaneers' kickoff coverage team will try to kick directionally away from Cartwright. PR Antwaan Randle El poses another threat for the Buccaneers' coverage units. Randle El is currently fourth in the NFL with an average of 12.4 per return. The Buccaneers must do a good job in their coverage units on Sunday.

Buccaneers punter Josh Bidwell is ranked 25th in the league in punting with an average of 42.6 yards, while Redskins punter Derrick Frost was inconsistent last week with two bad punts. He is ranked 26th in the NFL with an average of 42.3. Buccaneers PK Matt Bryant is 7-of-10 on field goals with a long of 62 yards. Redskins PK Nick Novak has struggled on field goal attempts and is 3-of-7 with a long of 47 yards.

Matchups
• Washington RB Ladell Betts vs. the Buccaneers' front seven
• Tampa Bay WR Michael Clayton vs. Washington LCB Shawn Springs
• Tampa Bay RCB Ronde Barber vs. Washington WR Santana Moss
• Washington QB Jason Campbell vs. Tampa Bay FS Will Allen
• Washington FS Sean Taylor vs. Tampa Bay QB Bruce Gradkowski

Scouts' Edge
Neither team has much of chance for a playoff spot, but the loser can defiantly start planning for 2007. Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs will turn to his future quarterback in hopes of turning around this disappointing season, while Gruden will continue to rely on the rookie Gradkowski. Both teams will look to establish the run to take pressure off their young play-callers. This game will come down to whichever team makes the least amount of mistakes and doesn't turn the ball over in critical situations. Look for the Buccaneers to win a close game.

Prediction: Buccaneers 20, Redskins 17