Week 3 of the 2013 NFL season was eventful and brought some surprise results wise as well as high scoring games for us viewers to savour. We shall recap my top three games of the week and sum up the other results around the league:
Green Bay Packers 30-34 Cincinnati Bengals
(1-2) (2-1)
Terence Newman helped the Cincinnati Bengals move on to 2-1 with a 58 yard fumble return for a touchdown late in the 4th quarter to seal the comeback win over the Green Bay Packers. The Bengals got off to a flying start when Giovani Bernard put them 7-0 up within the first six minutes of the game with a spectacular dive in to the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.
The running game really helped the Bengals early on as BenJarvus Green-Ellis helped his team capitalise on the Packers' special teams fumble just moments after the home team scored their first touchdown; The Bengals put up 14 points in 12 seconds. Bernard and Green-Ellis combined for 79 yards as well as the two touchdowns that put them up 14-0 early in the first quarter.
Turnovers then cost the Bengals as four straight drives resulting in a change of possession caused them to go in at halftime down 16-14. That was a silver lining for Green Bay after tight-end Jermichael Finley left the game early with a concussion. After putting up 14 more points, 30 unanswered, in the third quarter it appeared that his one may be over but when Andy Dalton hit AJ Green for the score late in the third it brought Cincinnati right back in it.
Aaron Rodgers ended the game with two interceptions meaning it was his first game since 2010 in which he threw more than one pick and it proved costly as after the second turnover the Bengals scored quickly again to bring themselves within three points with over 10 minutes left in regulation.
Newman's touchdown return came as a result of a forced fumble when Green Bay were looking to move the chains on 4th&inches but that turnover meant they trailed the Bengals by 4 points with less than four minutes on the clock. The Packers couldn't convert on a 4th&5 play which sealed their fate and saw them move to below .500 leaving at them after 1-2 after three games for the second year running. The Packers will be in a hurry to forget this defeat and have a bye next week before hosting the Detroit Lions in week 5 as they look to get their season back as track after falling two games behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North
Meanwhile quarterback Andy Dalton more than held his own against Aaron Rodgers and played his part in this Bengals victory which saw them move to 2-1. Dalton was efficient with 20 out of 28 passes completed for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Cincinnati leads the AFC North after this big win but now need to prove they can keep grounded by going out and getting a win against the Browns next week with the team hoping to win their third straight game in a row.
Atlanta Falcons 23-27 Miami Dolphins
(1-2) (3-0)
This was the potential upset on the cards that I was personally certain of happening and I even predicted the Dolphins to win 27-24! After the first quarter though Miami were down 10-0 but Lamar Miller helped the offense come alive and the team finished the half behind by just three points, 13-10, with Daniel Thomas the scorer of the Dolphins lone first-half touchdown.
The Falcons came out for the second half all guns blazing and regained their two possession lead early on in the third quarter when Matt Ryan combined with Levine Toiolo on a play-action pass at the goal-line to put Atlanta up 20-10.
With divisional rivals the New Orleans Saints looking good the Falcons needed a win but so did the Dolphins considering that their divisional rivals the Patriots were also on a roll. With high stakes on the line so early in the season somebody needed to come up big and there was a big hit on special teams by Don Jones on Falcons returner Harry Douglas which forced a fumble and gave Miami the opportunity to tie things up.
On the resulting drive Ryan Tannehill threw to the left side of the end zone on an 18 yard touchdown play to Brian Hartline which made it 20-20. That set up a tense 4th quarter and the Falcons took the lead again early on within it with a Matt Bryant field-goal putting the pressure on the Dolphins once again.
The game winning drive by Miami couldn't have been tenser but it was very well executed with the team converting three times on third down and eventually scoring the winning touchdown with less than 40 seconds to go when Tannehill lopped a throw to the big rookie tight-end Dion Sims to put the Dolphins up by four.
Matt Ryan tried his best to help the Falcons pull off a very late win but was picked off on a 2&10 play but was picked off by Jimmy Wilson sealing the game for Miami and taking them to 3-0 for the first time since 2002. With the Falcons at 1-2 they find themselves two games behind New Orleans in the NFC South and need to get their season back on track to avoid falling even further behind the resurgent Saints but week 4 won't be easy as they host the undefeated Patriots.
As for Miami well there came up big in this match despite some key injuries and on offense quarterback Ryan Tannehill has built up a good rapport with his receivers which has been on display throughout the team's first three victories; Tannehill was 24/35 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. This game against Atlanta was definitely a benchmark with the win proving they can mix it with the better teams in the league but it is a long season and that is proven by the fact that they face fellow unbeaten team the New Orleans Saints 3-0 next week on Monday Night Football in what should be a great matchup.
Indianapolis Colts 27-7 San Francisco 49ers
(2-1) (1-2)
The Indianapolis Colts came up trumps on Sunday by frustrating the 49ers offense with their quarterback Colin Kaepernick being limited to 150 passing yards. Kaepernick also completed less than 50% of his pass attempts going 13/27 with an interception thrown and was also limited on rush attempts as he only managed 20 yards from 7 attempts.
The first half was close with the Colts going in to the break 10-7 up. The highlight of the first half for Indianapolis was that new acquisition Trent Richardson scored a touchdown on his first running attempt as a Colt.
Richardson and Bradshaw ran the ball well all day for the Colts and were crucial in ensuring that the team pulled off the surprise win at Candlestick Park. It is taking away credit from this Colts team by saying it is a surprise when you consider that this roster has lots of talent and new running back Richardson could turn Indianapolis in to a potential contender.
With just over 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter there were only six points in it with the Colts up 13-7 but that is when their offense came alive with Andrew Luck running in the end zone on a 3rd&3 play in the red-zone to put them 20-7 up. Then the Niners fumbled on the resulting drive on a 3rd&10 with less than 4 minutes left which gave the Colts the ball in a red-zone situation again with Ahmad Bradshaw finishing the quick drive off on 3rd&goal to make it 27-7.
Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 95 yards from 19 carries with Trent Richardson rushing for 35 from 13 and both had one score. The ground game really helped Andrew Luck and gave him the opportunities to put the Colts in scoring positions which effectively won them the game. Luck may not have thrown a touchdown pass but his rushing score came at a time which pretty much killed the game off and the second year QB completed 17 of his 26 pass attempts.
Credit must also go to the defence for limiting a talented Niners offense to just 7 points; they have scored just 10 points in the past two weeks after being blown away by the Seahawks in week 3. Two poor results leave the Niners 1-2 after three weeks and although it is early days this is unfamiliar territory for this San Francisco team.
They face divisional rivals the Rams on Thursday night who are also 1-2 as they look to bounce back and ensure they remain within touching distance of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. As for the Colts well they bounced back well from their week 2 loss to Miami and moved above .500 ahead of a week 4 matchup with the 0-3 Jaguars. That road trip to Florida should be well enjoyed by the Colts as it looks all but certain that they will move to 3-1 whilst piling on the misery for Jacksonville.
Other week 3 results:
(3-0) Kansas City Chiefs 26-16 Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
(0-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-23 New England Patriots (3-0)
(2-1) Houston Texans 9-30 Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
(0-3) New York Giants 0-38 Carolina Panthers (1-2)
(1-2) St. Louis Rams 7-31 Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
(1-2) Cleveland Browns 31-27 Minnesota Vikings (0-3)
(1-2) Arizona Cardinals 7-31 New Orleans Saints (3-0)
(1-2) San Diego Chargers 17-20 Tennessee Titans (2-1)
(2-1) Detroit Lions 27-20 Washington Redskins (0-3)
(1-2) Buffalo Bills 20-27 New York Jets (2-1)
(0-3) Jacksonville Jaguars 17-45 Seattle Seahawks (3-0)
(3-0) Chicago Bears 40-23 Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3)
(1-2) Oakland Raiders 21-37 Denver Broncos (3-0)
Showing posts with label Matt Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Ryan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
NFC South Preview
The NFC South will be an interesting division this year as the New Orleans Saints look to challenge the Atlanta Falcons for the division title. Tampa Bay and Carolina are still rebuilding but have good pieces in place to put up a fight in the 2013 season. The NFC South is the only division to have each of its four teams make a conference championship game and funnily enough all four on each occasion won that particular game to go the Super Bowl with the Saints and the Buccaneers winning theirs in Super Bowl's XLIV and XXXVII respectively whilst the Falcons and Panthers lost in their lone Super Bowl appearances.
With the 2013 season underway shortly let's now look at how each of these four NFC South teams will fair this year:
Carolina Panthers
For the Panthers it is pretty short and sweet: Despite a losing season in 2012 they finished second in the NFC South as opposed to 3rd in 2011 and their 7-9 record last year was a one win improvement on their 6-10 campaign from the previous season. Head coach Ron Rivera will be looking for further development from his Panthers team as he looks to mould this team so more in his third year in charge. Despite not enduring as much hype as 2011 due to the influx of young QB's in the league last year third year QB Cam Newton may feel he has a bit of a point to prove in 2013 as he looks to get back in to the spotlight.
His sophomore season saw him put up just as good numbers as his rookie year with the best sign being that the interceptions decreased from 17 in 2011 down to 12 last year. Newton rushed for more yards than the previous year but threw marginally less than 2011 and had 2 less touchdowns and 6 less rushing TD's but his raw talent is something that will keep him in the league for years to come. He may not be able to pass as good as the likes of Luck, Wilson and RGIII but his ability to be so dynamic is what makes Newton quite unique
So it is clear that the Panthers had a productive 2012 season especially after winning 5 of their last 6 games which included wins over division rivals Atlanta and New Orleans. If they are to improve in 2013 they need their defense to catch up with the offense so that they can have a chance of reaching the playoffs. The Carolina defense ranked 23rd in total yardage but they have good discipline and the ability to force turnover opportunities so if the likes of Luke Kuechly, Chase Blackburn and other members of this defense step up to the challenge they could help this Panthers team succeed.
Season prediction: 6-10. 4th in NFC South
Atlanta Falcons:
Despite going 13-3 last season and even being 8-0 and one point in the year the Atlanta Falcons didn't receive a lot of love from many for their 2012 season. Their wins may not have been convincing but the main thing is they did get that W in the column for 13/16 games as well as an appearance in the NFC championship game. The main thing for the Falcons is that they have progressed especially since Mike Smith came in as head coach back in 2008; they got back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and that year as a rookie head coach Smith and Matt Ryan who was a rookie too at the time became the first rookie quarterback and rookie coach tandem to take their team to the playoffs.
After leading that NFC title game by 10 points at halftime the Falcons failed to score in the second half which ultimately caused them to lose to the 49ers and miss out on a trip to the Super Bowl but it was progress as Matt Ryan got over the one blemish that was on his record which was not having a playoff win with victory in the divisional round. Despite arguments regarding his playoff success I'm prepared to give Ryan and the Falcons the benefit of the doubt as his first defeat was Ryan's rookie season, the second was to Green Bay who went on to win the Super Bowl that year and the year after in 2011 despite the on the field collapse the defeat to the Giants was to again the eventual Super Bowl winner. Last year's loss to the Niners was another learning experience which should spur this Falcons team on for the 2013 season especially as legendary tight-end Tony Gonzalez has decided to join the team for one last ride as he enters his 17th season in the league; 5th as a Falcon. With Gonzalez and other top offensive weapons Julio Jones and Roddy White, 17 touchdowns between the two in 2012, as well as new running back Steven Jackson the Falcons offense can cause opposing defenses lots of trouble this year especially as Matt Ryan has grown in to one of the best and most reliable quarterbacks in the league.
His touchdown numbers have increased every year since he entered the league with the QB throwing over 30 touchdown passes for the first time in his career in 2012. His interception rate has always been low and that is proven by his career touchdown to interception ratio of 127:60. Although there are many positives this Atlanta offense needs to move on to an even higher level of play because on defense they don't have too much to be excited about and ranked 20th in total yardage last season. Now that may not be much to complain about but in this league your luck can easily turn and those close wins can start to become close losses so they need to improve from a defensive perspective and start to play to their strengths by attempting to dictate games on offense by putting up more points. They may have some hard games against the Patriots and Seahawks this year but Atlanta's three defeats last year only came against division rivals but regardless of their record this team should reach the playoffs which are where the wins really matter so until then they'll hope for a productive regular season and will be aiming for consecutive division titles.
Season prediction: 10-6. 2nd in NFC South.
New Orleans Saints:
The New Orleans Saints will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season which saw them fall from division champions to 7-9 and a 3rd place finish in the NFC South. The Saints defense was shredded up for 7,042 yards of offense which was 440.1 yards per game marking the most yards allowed by any defense in NFL history. The knight in shining armour for New Orleans will be head coach Sean Payton who returns as the team's head coach following his one year suspension for his involvement in the bounty scandal.
So how does New Orleans bounce back? Many people have had their opinion on how much of an impact Payton will have in reviving the Saints' fortunes in 2013 and personally I think he will guide them to a good season. Like the Patriots tore teams apart after the whole spygate inquiry you just get that feel that Payton's 2013 Saints will defy the odds in a sense and prove themselves once again. Although the difference between spygate and the bountygate is despite the severe punishment you can't disagree with the fact that the Saints were wrong for rewarding their players in the form of a slush fund. In a way and although controversial to say you could say that after having a more than dreadful season on defense last year that this Saints team needs to get back to playing nasty on that side of the ball but obviously within the rules. Now that they have Rob Ryan it is safe to say he will help steady the ship and if they can at least make them average instead of looking like they're not even on the field then yes that would help.
If the defense can improve it will take some pressure off the offense and then they have a chance to make it back to the postseason especially as they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league leading their team. QB Drew Brees has been consistent for the Saints ever since he joined them in 2006 and since the Super Bowl win in 2009 he has really taken his game to another level; in the past two seasons he has thrown for over 5000 yards and in 2011 he set the record for most passing yards in a season with 5,476 yards. There are so many stats that show how great Brees is with one being that his passer rating has only been below 90.0 once in his 7 years as the team's QB and that was 89.4; his best ever passer rating was 110.6 in 2011. The past two years have seen him throw 89 touchdown passes to just 33 interceptions which is phenomenal; he has 244 touchdowns as a Saint to 112 interceptions. Brees has improved and established himself in the top bracket of quarterbacks especially when you consider he has a postseason passer rating of 103.9 ranking him 1st among active players and 2nd all-time he has a solid regular season rating of 94.3, 7th all-time. So with Brees under centre, Sean Payton back as head coach along with one of the most dynamic players in the game in the shape of running back Darren Sproles plus Jimmy Graham who is no slouch at tight-end the Saints will be quietly hoping they bounce back in style this season and personally although it is obviously a long season I feel that if the Saints defeat Atlanta in their week 1 matchup I feel if they will end up winning the division.
Season prediction: 10-6. 1st in NFC South. *Saints win title on best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Although they finished bottom of the division to finish 7-9 last season was a decent achievement for Tampa Bay especially as it was Greg Schiano's first year as the Buccaneers head coach. The NFC South is a tougher division than some make out especially when you consider that Tampa Bay, Carolina and New Orleans all finished on 7-9 last season and that division winners Atlanta's three losses all came against those three division rivals.
There is a mixed feeling to how the Bucs will fair in 2013 especially as the like of 5th year quarterback Josh Freeman have come under criticism. He helped guide the team to 6-4 in 2012 before they lost 5 of their last 6 games and that has put some pressure on this young man's shoulders. Personally from looking at his 2012 tape yes the pass completion rate went down by 8% but he set franchise records for most touchdown passes with 27 and most passing yards with 4,065 so I would say that Freeman deserves all of 2013 to quarterback this team. The team wasn't good enough to sneak by in to wildcard contention last year and I'm not saying they are this year but the Bucs front office has helped Greg Schiano improve his roster with good draft picks like Akeem Spence and William Gholston. As well as that and most importantly was that Tampa Bay made a big move in free agency when they acquired Darrelle Revis who is one of if not the best cornerback in the league. He will automatically improve the Bucs defense and even better for Tampa Bay is the fact that Revis can tutor 2013 second round draft out of Mississippi State pick Johnthan Banks which can only be beneficial to the franchise.
Overall for the Bucs to have a successful 2013 and any chance of pulling off a surprise in the NFC South they will need the likes of sophomore Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson to perform at the top of their game along with the likes of Freeman as well as hoping Revis has a big impact on defense. Doug Martin had a great 2012 with the running back setting a franchise rushing record of 1,454 yards in his rookie year; he also was tied for 4th among running backs in terms of touchdowns with 11. As for Vincent Jackson well he hauled in just below 1,400 receiving yards and caught 8 touchdowns so he will look to have another good year this season. Personally I feel the Bucs will record at least 6 wins and to be honest sometimes there isn't much difference between 6-10 teams to 10-6 teams so for Tampa Bay it will come down to whether they are victors in the close games this season and how they fair against their division rivals throughout the year
Season prediction: 7-9. 3rd in NFC South
With the 2013 season underway shortly let's now look at how each of these four NFC South teams will fair this year:
Carolina Panthers
For the Panthers it is pretty short and sweet: Despite a losing season in 2012 they finished second in the NFC South as opposed to 3rd in 2011 and their 7-9 record last year was a one win improvement on their 6-10 campaign from the previous season. Head coach Ron Rivera will be looking for further development from his Panthers team as he looks to mould this team so more in his third year in charge. Despite not enduring as much hype as 2011 due to the influx of young QB's in the league last year third year QB Cam Newton may feel he has a bit of a point to prove in 2013 as he looks to get back in to the spotlight.
His sophomore season saw him put up just as good numbers as his rookie year with the best sign being that the interceptions decreased from 17 in 2011 down to 12 last year. Newton rushed for more yards than the previous year but threw marginally less than 2011 and had 2 less touchdowns and 6 less rushing TD's but his raw talent is something that will keep him in the league for years to come. He may not be able to pass as good as the likes of Luck, Wilson and RGIII but his ability to be so dynamic is what makes Newton quite unique
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| How will Newton & co fair in 2013? |
So it is clear that the Panthers had a productive 2012 season especially after winning 5 of their last 6 games which included wins over division rivals Atlanta and New Orleans. If they are to improve in 2013 they need their defense to catch up with the offense so that they can have a chance of reaching the playoffs. The Carolina defense ranked 23rd in total yardage but they have good discipline and the ability to force turnover opportunities so if the likes of Luke Kuechly, Chase Blackburn and other members of this defense step up to the challenge they could help this Panthers team succeed.
Season prediction: 6-10. 4th in NFC South
Atlanta Falcons:
Despite going 13-3 last season and even being 8-0 and one point in the year the Atlanta Falcons didn't receive a lot of love from many for their 2012 season. Their wins may not have been convincing but the main thing is they did get that W in the column for 13/16 games as well as an appearance in the NFC championship game. The main thing for the Falcons is that they have progressed especially since Mike Smith came in as head coach back in 2008; they got back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and that year as a rookie head coach Smith and Matt Ryan who was a rookie too at the time became the first rookie quarterback and rookie coach tandem to take their team to the playoffs.
After leading that NFC title game by 10 points at halftime the Falcons failed to score in the second half which ultimately caused them to lose to the 49ers and miss out on a trip to the Super Bowl but it was progress as Matt Ryan got over the one blemish that was on his record which was not having a playoff win with victory in the divisional round. Despite arguments regarding his playoff success I'm prepared to give Ryan and the Falcons the benefit of the doubt as his first defeat was Ryan's rookie season, the second was to Green Bay who went on to win the Super Bowl that year and the year after in 2011 despite the on the field collapse the defeat to the Giants was to again the eventual Super Bowl winner. Last year's loss to the Niners was another learning experience which should spur this Falcons team on for the 2013 season especially as legendary tight-end Tony Gonzalez has decided to join the team for one last ride as he enters his 17th season in the league; 5th as a Falcon. With Gonzalez and other top offensive weapons Julio Jones and Roddy White, 17 touchdowns between the two in 2012, as well as new running back Steven Jackson the Falcons offense can cause opposing defenses lots of trouble this year especially as Matt Ryan has grown in to one of the best and most reliable quarterbacks in the league.
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| As cool as ice! |
His touchdown numbers have increased every year since he entered the league with the QB throwing over 30 touchdown passes for the first time in his career in 2012. His interception rate has always been low and that is proven by his career touchdown to interception ratio of 127:60. Although there are many positives this Atlanta offense needs to move on to an even higher level of play because on defense they don't have too much to be excited about and ranked 20th in total yardage last season. Now that may not be much to complain about but in this league your luck can easily turn and those close wins can start to become close losses so they need to improve from a defensive perspective and start to play to their strengths by attempting to dictate games on offense by putting up more points. They may have some hard games against the Patriots and Seahawks this year but Atlanta's three defeats last year only came against division rivals but regardless of their record this team should reach the playoffs which are where the wins really matter so until then they'll hope for a productive regular season and will be aiming for consecutive division titles.
Season prediction: 10-6. 2nd in NFC South.
New Orleans Saints:
The New Orleans Saints will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season which saw them fall from division champions to 7-9 and a 3rd place finish in the NFC South. The Saints defense was shredded up for 7,042 yards of offense which was 440.1 yards per game marking the most yards allowed by any defense in NFL history. The knight in shining armour for New Orleans will be head coach Sean Payton who returns as the team's head coach following his one year suspension for his involvement in the bounty scandal.
So how does New Orleans bounce back? Many people have had their opinion on how much of an impact Payton will have in reviving the Saints' fortunes in 2013 and personally I think he will guide them to a good season. Like the Patriots tore teams apart after the whole spygate inquiry you just get that feel that Payton's 2013 Saints will defy the odds in a sense and prove themselves once again. Although the difference between spygate and the bountygate is despite the severe punishment you can't disagree with the fact that the Saints were wrong for rewarding their players in the form of a slush fund. In a way and although controversial to say you could say that after having a more than dreadful season on defense last year that this Saints team needs to get back to playing nasty on that side of the ball but obviously within the rules. Now that they have Rob Ryan it is safe to say he will help steady the ship and if they can at least make them average instead of looking like they're not even on the field then yes that would help.
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| Here to lend a helping hand |
If the defense can improve it will take some pressure off the offense and then they have a chance to make it back to the postseason especially as they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league leading their team. QB Drew Brees has been consistent for the Saints ever since he joined them in 2006 and since the Super Bowl win in 2009 he has really taken his game to another level; in the past two seasons he has thrown for over 5000 yards and in 2011 he set the record for most passing yards in a season with 5,476 yards. There are so many stats that show how great Brees is with one being that his passer rating has only been below 90.0 once in his 7 years as the team's QB and that was 89.4; his best ever passer rating was 110.6 in 2011. The past two years have seen him throw 89 touchdown passes to just 33 interceptions which is phenomenal; he has 244 touchdowns as a Saint to 112 interceptions. Brees has improved and established himself in the top bracket of quarterbacks especially when you consider he has a postseason passer rating of 103.9 ranking him 1st among active players and 2nd all-time he has a solid regular season rating of 94.3, 7th all-time. So with Brees under centre, Sean Payton back as head coach along with one of the most dynamic players in the game in the shape of running back Darren Sproles plus Jimmy Graham who is no slouch at tight-end the Saints will be quietly hoping they bounce back in style this season and personally although it is obviously a long season I feel that if the Saints defeat Atlanta in their week 1 matchup I feel if they will end up winning the division.
Season prediction: 10-6. 1st in NFC South. *Saints win title on best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Although they finished bottom of the division to finish 7-9 last season was a decent achievement for Tampa Bay especially as it was Greg Schiano's first year as the Buccaneers head coach. The NFC South is a tougher division than some make out especially when you consider that Tampa Bay, Carolina and New Orleans all finished on 7-9 last season and that division winners Atlanta's three losses all came against those three division rivals.
There is a mixed feeling to how the Bucs will fair in 2013 especially as the like of 5th year quarterback Josh Freeman have come under criticism. He helped guide the team to 6-4 in 2012 before they lost 5 of their last 6 games and that has put some pressure on this young man's shoulders. Personally from looking at his 2012 tape yes the pass completion rate went down by 8% but he set franchise records for most touchdown passes with 27 and most passing yards with 4,065 so I would say that Freeman deserves all of 2013 to quarterback this team. The team wasn't good enough to sneak by in to wildcard contention last year and I'm not saying they are this year but the Bucs front office has helped Greg Schiano improve his roster with good draft picks like Akeem Spence and William Gholston. As well as that and most importantly was that Tampa Bay made a big move in free agency when they acquired Darrelle Revis who is one of if not the best cornerback in the league. He will automatically improve the Bucs defense and even better for Tampa Bay is the fact that Revis can tutor 2013 second round draft out of Mississippi State pick Johnthan Banks which can only be beneficial to the franchise.
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| Is this the start of a new era in Tampa? |
Overall for the Bucs to have a successful 2013 and any chance of pulling off a surprise in the NFC South they will need the likes of sophomore Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson to perform at the top of their game along with the likes of Freeman as well as hoping Revis has a big impact on defense. Doug Martin had a great 2012 with the running back setting a franchise rushing record of 1,454 yards in his rookie year; he also was tied for 4th among running backs in terms of touchdowns with 11. As for Vincent Jackson well he hauled in just below 1,400 receiving yards and caught 8 touchdowns so he will look to have another good year this season. Personally I feel the Bucs will record at least 6 wins and to be honest sometimes there isn't much difference between 6-10 teams to 10-6 teams so for Tampa Bay it will come down to whether they are victors in the close games this season and how they fair against their division rivals throughout the year
Season prediction: 7-9. 3rd in NFC South
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