This Sunday, my New York Giants will be taking the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm finally over the terrible loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, and I'm ready to start taking a closer look at the Bucs.
Tampa Bay has some guys that scare me a little. I watched a good deal of their game Sunday, and the Bucs have some players that could give the Giants some trouble.
Here are the five Buccaneers that I'm concerned about heading into Sunday's game:
1: Doug Martin, RB: Yeah, this guy scares me. Last week, DeMarco Murray ran all over our defense. I'm pretty sure the Tampa Bay coaching staff showed the game tape to Doug Martin. Martin had a solid game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. He rushed for 94 yards on 24 carries. He also caught four passes for 23 yards.
What really concerns me about this guy is that Tampa Bay is more of a running team than Dallas is. That means Martin will have more chances to do damage. Martin is a complete back. He can catch passes out of the backfield, he can pass block, and he's got some moves to go along with his strength. If he gets it going early, the Giants could be in for a long afternoon.
2: Vincent Jackson, WR: Vincent Jackson is a way better receiver than Kevin Ogletree. Ogletree torched the Giants' secondary a week ago. See where I'm going with this? Vincent Jackson worries me. In last week's tilt against the Carolina Panthers, Jackson was targeted 10 times and caught four passes for 47 yards. Not earth shattering, but he has the potential to cause some headaches for the Giants' secondary.
Jackson is a big, physical target at 6 feet 5 inches and 230 pounds. Like I mentioned earlier, the Giants had a horrible time with Ogletree, and I just don't think that the Giants' secondary matches up very well against Jackson. I can see him getting eight catches for 100 yards and a score. I hope that doesn't happen, but it's a realistic possibility.
3: Ronde Barber, CB: I know that Ronde Barber is an old man, but the guy is still worth paying attention to. One of his attributes is his age. Why? Because with age comes experience. Last week, against the Panthers, he was a beast. He recorded five tackles, one sack, and a pick. Good day at the office, no?
Barber is one of those guys that will make a big play for the defense when it's most needed. I've seen him do it time and time again. I worry about him picking off one of Eli's passes at a critical time and changing the momentum of the game. I've seen Eli make several ill-advised throws a time or three. All I know is that he better have Barber on the radar.
4: Lavonte David, LB: This guy is mad scary to me. He can rush the passer, defend the pass, and he's a tackling machine. He ended last week's game with six tackles, and, in my opinion, is one of the better defensive rookies in the league this year.
He worries me because the Giants' offensive line was not that great a week ago against the Cowboys. I can see David causing a problem for Eli and being very disruptive in the passing game. I can also see David doing a good job at shutting down Amahad Bradshaw and the Giants' running game. Either scenario does not bode well for the Giants.
5: Josh Freeman, QB: Last week, Freeman's stats were pedestrian but efficient. He completed 16 of 24 passes for only 138 yards and a score. Not mind blowing, but he didn't turn the ball over and made good decisions.
Freeman has the ability to escape the rush and can hurt you on the ground. I can easily see the Giants' pass rush not getting to Freeman in time. and. in turn, he heaves the ball downfield to a wide open Vincent Jackson. I know that Tampa Bay is a more conservative offense. But sometimes it's the busted plays that can cause the most damage. And with the Giants' secondary the way it is, this could be trouble.
Dylan Davis is an avid New York Giants fan and has grown up on New York Giants football. He's seen his G-Men win four Super Bowls and can't wait to see them win four more.
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