National Football League

Keys to the game

Published Oct. 20, 2010 10:17 p.m. ET

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By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Crush Carson in crunch time

That newfangled defense Bucs coach Raheem Morris put together has been at its best during the fourth quarter this year. The defense has yet to give up a point and has three interceptions and a fumble recovery while allowing just 215 total yards during the final 15 minutes of play. It may be asking a lot, but the Bucs need to keep the trend alive today, because Bengals QB Carson Palmer has been at his best during the fourth quarter, as well. Palmer has been kind of ordinary overall this season, ranking 21st in the league in completion percentage and 17th in passer rating, but he's been lights out in crunch time. With a 106.3 mark, Palmer ranks sixth in the league in fourth-quarter passer rating. If this game goes the way the Bucs want, the Bengals will be throwing the ball in an effort to catch up in the fourth quarter. Palmer's numbers suggest he'll have the Bucs right where he wants them in that case. Then again, the Bucs' numbers suggest Palmer may not want to press his luck.

Force the Bengals to throw the ball

This idea may seem a little crazy at first. After all, if the Bucs shut down the Bengals' running attack and force them to throw, they'll be inviting Cincinnati to attack them with their strongest weapons: quarterback Carson Palmer and receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. As crazy as it may seem, though, there may be an advantage in that. If the Bucs know the pass is coming, they'll probably do a better job defending it. Either way, the Bucs want to take the trickery out the Bengals' attack and make it more predictable. You almost always do that by stopping the run first and forcing opponents to throw, and the ploy has worked for a couple of Bengals opponents this year. With their running game averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, the Bengals have been forced to throw even more than they'd intended. The results have seen the Bengals tumble to a 2-2 start in which their quarterback has thrown five interceptions and been sacked seven times. Numbers like those are often the result of opponents knowing what you're doing, so it just may aid the Bucs to spend most of the day defending the pass and fighting the Bengals' strength.

Go with the hot back

The Bucs spent a good portion of the bye week studying their running game, hoping to find the mystery behind its pedestrian start. What they learned is that several factors, including penalties and the play of the offensive line, have contributed greatly to the meager averages and totals. The play of lead running back Cadillac Williams has been a factor, too, but to what degree remains uncertain. All the Bucs seem to know for sure is that Williams, while still running hard, has failed to consistently run with the burst and speed they require. If the Bucs stick to their plan, they'll utilize the speedy Kareem Huggins and the powerful LeGarrette Blount more today. It's a risky move because neither Huggins nor Blount is as adept at picking up blitzes and catching balls out of the backfield as Williams, but the Bucs have little choice. They need to get their ground game going, and giving some of Williams' carries to Huggins and Blount just may do the trick. If so, the Bucs can't get sentimental and continue to lean on Williams if he's not producing. As difficult as it may be, they must do what's right for the team and keep the ball in the hands of the hot back.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo: Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is at his best during the fourth quarter.

Photo Credit: Staff photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Photo: Bucs running back Kareem Huggins

Photo: LeGarrette Blount

Copyright ? 2010, The Tampa Tribune and may not be republished without permission. E-mail library@tampatrib.com

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