Buccaneers at Eagles
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia, Pa.
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002
AT A GLANCE: The Eagles rallied in the final minutes last
week to beat the Buccaneers in a meaningless game. But you can count on an entirely
different ballgame this week, as both teams know that only the winner stays alive.
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| OVERVIEW: The rematch! This wild-card meeting deserves a
roman numeral behind it — as in Buccaneers-Eagles Part III. Not only did these teams
face off in a meaningless Week 17 contest, but this game is a rematch of a wild-card
playoff last January won by the Eagles 21-3. Both teams kept things close to the vest
and ran vanilla game plans last week. Furthermore, many key starters either sat out
completely or were benched early in an effort to avoid injury.
The Eagles and Buccaneers entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations. Philadelphia
won a gutty game vs. the Giants in Week 16 to nail down their first NFC East title since
1988. After opening the season 4-5, the Buccaneers rallied to win five of their final
seven games.
You will likely hear a couple of factoids in the days leading up to this game. The
first is the tried-and-true cold-weather stat as it relates to the Buccaneers, who are an
astonishing 0-20 in games where the temperature is below 40 degrees. The second is that
the Eagles beat only two teams (the Seahawks and Bucs) that finished with a winning
record.
When the Buccaneers have the ball:
While the Buccaneers have long been considered a conservative team on offense, it
appears as if things are working for them at the moment. The key is the running of Mike
Alstott, who has thrived lately as the featured back. The original goal was to feature
Warrick Dunn, but early-season injuries limited his production, and Alstott stepped up.
Look for the Bucs to pound Alstott at the middle of an Eagles defense that will be
missing DT Hollis Thomas (broken foot). The loss of Thomas is a big blow to Philadelphia
considering his strength against the run and the fact that the Eagles have been
susceptible to giving up large chunks of yardage on the ground. |
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| Veterans Stadium |
| Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Date: Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002 |
| Time: 4:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time |
| Type Of Turf: Artificial |
| Meeting Of The Year: Second |
| Previous Meeting: |
| |
Tampa Bay |
13 |
| |
Philadelphia |
(-3.5) 17 |
| Season Record: |
| |
Tampa Bay |
9-7-0 |
| |
Philadelphia |
11-5-0 |
| Season Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Tampa Bay |
6-10-0 |
| |
Philadelphia |
10-5-1 |
| Home/Road Record: |
| |
Tampa Bay (R) |
4-4-0 |
| |
Philadelphia (H) |
4-4-0 |
| Home/Road Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Tampa Bay (R) |
2-6-0 |
| |
Philadelphia (H) |
3-4-1 |
| Record On Artificial Turf: |
| |
Tampa Bay |
3-1-0 |
| |
Philadelphia |
6-4-0 |
| Record On Artificial Turf Vs. Spread: |
| |
Tampa Bay |
1-3-0 |
| |
Philadelphia |
5-4-1 |
|
| QB Brad Johnson is a nice fit for this offense
considering his efficiency and high-completion percentage. He’s also getting rid of
the ball quickly, and that should help against the blitz-happy Eagles. Tampa Bay’s
No. 1 passing target is WR Keyshawn Johnson, who set a team record with 106 receptions
this season. The Bucs have been waiting for someone to step up opposite Keyshawn. While
Jacquez Green and Reidel Anthony haven’t gotten the job done, Karl Williams has
earned more opportunities. The receivers will face a huge test vs. CBs Troy Vincent and
Bobby Taylor and FS Brian Dawkins.
Eagles speedy DRE Hugh Douglas will be looking forward to a matchup against rookie OLT
Kenyatta Walker, who struggled early but has improved in recent weeks.
When the Eagles have the ball:
Head coach Andy Reid runs a pass-first offense and has been criticized for ignoring the
run. But Reid has stuck to his guns and says his philosophy works.
QB Donovan McNabb is a tremendous athlete who can produce on the ground and through the
air. He has been letting his arm do more of the damage this season, and he played perhaps
his best game as a pro in Week 16, when he performed beautifully in clutch situations to
rally the Eagles to victory.
McNabb will guide his unit against a Buccaneers defense that has really come on in the
second half of the season, thanks in large part to the resurgence of WLB Derrick Brooks,
who was hampered by a foot injury earlier this season.
Some observers believe that Philadelphia’s offensive line has lost some of its
aggressiveness this season because it is doing less run blocking. That line will be tested
by a Buccaneers starting front four that is comprised of former first-round picks. The
Eagles may try to occupy UT Warren Sapp with multiple blockers, but that could free up
other pass rushers. Watch for a fun matchup between DRE Simeon Rice (11 sacks) and OLT Tra
Thomas, who played at a Pro Bowl level this season.
Even though the Eagles haven’t concentrated on establishing the run, RB Duce
Staley has been a focal point of the offense. He has been very involved as a pass catcher,
racking up 626 receiving yards compared to 604 rushing yards.
WR James Thrash has solidified his position as the No. 1 wideout, although Todd
Pinkston has had his moments. Tampa Bay’s secondary features Pro Bowl CB Ronde
Barber, who has had an outstanding season.
Look for TE Chad Lewis to see an expanded role in the postseason.
All game previews and depth charts were compiled as of Jan. 6. |
Offense |
| WR |
81 GREEN, 85 Anthony, 87 Murphy |
| OLT |
67 WALKER*, 69 Pierson |
| OLG |
64 McDANIEL, 75 Washington, 68 Grice |
| C |
62 CHRISTY, 75 Washington |
| ORG |
60 COLEMAN, 65 Hochstein* |
| ORT |
71 WUNSCH, 76 Curry |
| TE |
83 MOORE, 80 Yoder, 89 Roberg*, 84 McDermott |
| WR |
19 K. JOHNSON, 86 Williams, 88 Wynn* |
| QB |
14 B. JOHNSON, 10 King, 1 Hamilton |
| RB |
28 DUNN, 22 Stecker, 27 Abdullah |
| FB |
40 ALSTOTT, 43 Cook*, 27 Abdullah |
Defense |
| DLE |
78 JONES, 94 White |
| NT |
92 McFARLAND, 98 Cannida |
| UT |
99 SAPP, 91 Darby |
| DRE |
97 RICE, 94 White, 96 Wyms* |
| SLB |
53 QUARLES, 51 Singleton |
| MLB |
59 DUNCAN, 52 Webster |
| WLB |
55 BROOKS, 50 Gooch |
| LCB |
25 KELLY, 21 Abraham |
| RCB |
20 BARBER, 26 Smith* |
| SS |
47 LYNCH, 46 Gibson |
| FS |
34 JACKSON, 38 Howell* |
Specialists |
| P |
3 ROYALS |
| PK |
7 GRAMATICA, 4 Brien |
| H |
3 ROYALS, 14 Johnson |
| PR |
86 WILLIAMS, 81 Green, 22 Stecker |
| KR |
86 WILLIAMS, 81 Green, 22 Stecker |
| LS |
84 McDERMOTT, 83 Moore |
* Rookie |
|
|
Offense |
| WR |
87 PINKSTON, 84 F. Mitchell*, 82 Douglas |
| OLT |
72 T. THOMAS, 67 Schau |
| OLG |
76 WELBOURN, 74 Brzezinski |
| C |
63 FRALEY, 73 Pyne |
| ORG |
71 MAYBERRY, 66 Williams |
| ORT |
69 RUNYAN |
| TE |
89 LEWIS, 83 Thomason, 88 Bartrum, 81 Stewart* |
| WR |
80 THRASH, 85 Brown, 86 Scott |
| QB |
5 McNABB, 10 Detmer, 14 Feeley* |
| RB |
22 STALEY, 28 Buckhalter*, 30 B. Mitchell, 24 Smart* |
| FB |
38 MARTIN, 34 Reader |
Defense |
| DLE |
98 WHITING, 94 Kalu, 59 Burgess* |
| DLT |
90 SIMON, 97 Walker |
| DRT |
96 GRASMANIS, 97 Walker |
| DRE |
53 H. DOUGLAS, 91 Hamiter |
| WILL |
56 CALDWELL, 55 Caver* |
| MLB |
54 TROTTER, 52 Gardner |
| SAM |
51 EMMONS, 58 Reese |
| LCB |
23 VINCENT, 41 Hampton |
| RCB |
21 TAYLOR, 31 Harris, 29 Crutchfield* |
| SS |
43 MOORE, 45 Hauck |
| FS |
20 DAWKINS, 42 Cook |
Specialists |
| P |
7 LANDETA |
| PK |
2 AKERS |
| H |
10 DETMER, 89 Lewis |
| PR |
30 B. MITCHELL, 85 Brown, 80 Thrash |
| KR |
30 B. MITCHELL, 28 Buckhalter*, 80 Thrash |
| LS |
88 BARTRUM, 89 Lewis |
* Rookie |
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