MVN: Most Valuable Network

As one of the front-runners for the London game in 2008, it was kind of a surprise when the Bucs were passed over. That didn't happen this time. It has already been announced that the Bucs will play in London next year against the New England Patriots. The game will be played on October 25th at London's Wembley Stadium.

Yesterday's game kept reminding me of the last time these two teams met. Everything was falling in place as it did before, but not even I could have predicted the ending. In Week 1, the Saints were up by two points late in the game, and the Bucs were driving. With less than a minute left, the Bucs threw an interception that sealed the Saints win. This week, the Bucs were up by three late in the game, and the Saints were driving. With under two minutes left in the game, Drew Brees threw an interception that sealed the Bucs win. There is nothing like deja vu. At least it wound up in favor of the Bucs this time. Let's look at what made this game what it was: Containing The BreesIf the Bucs wanted to win yesterday, they knew that they had to stop NFL MVP-candidate Drew Brees. Yes, he threw... Read more

Coming off of another come-from-behind victory, the Bucs find themselves in for the long haul. Three division games are on the slate for the Bucs in the coming weeks. Last week, the Bucs had to overcome an early deficit to the winless Lions. They won, but they had to fight off a resilient team. This week, they face a must-win situation against a high-powered offense. In order to win the division, the Bucs must win the next three games, and face a tough test heading into this week's game. The Saints have their troubles, but really boast a terrific offense. The Saints are led by one of the better quarterbacks in the game in Drew Brees, who leads the top-ranked passing game in the league. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas lead a 27th ranked rushing game, and are more valuable than their numbers suggest. Brees' top receiver, Lance Moore, has... Read more

Once again, the Bucs let a lesser team take early advantage of them. Once again, the Bucs had to come from behind to win a game. Once again, the Bucs showed the world why they are a good team. After starting the game off poorly, the Bucs rebounded to beat down on the lowly Lions. They avoided major disappointment, and kept the Lions winless for one more week. Had the Bucs lost, it probably would have sent a shock throughout their system that was so bad, it could have affected the rest of their season. Instead, they did what they're best at-inducing heart attacks before knocking off their opponents. Let's look at what made this game what it was: The Backup Becomes the StarterAfter losing Earnest Graham for the season, the Bucs turned to Warrick Dunn, the former Buccaneer and Falcon. Dunn answered the call, running the ball 14 times... Read more

Coming off of a victory, the Bucs are looking to steamroll their next competition. The Bucs are extremely confident, and they will only look to boost their confidence against an 0-10 Detroit Lions team. The Lions are struggling, and they are the epitome of terrible. Even with the new quarterback, the Lions can't get anything going. The Bucs are rolling, but they will have to play the rest of the season without their star running back. The Bucs would look poised for a victory, but they have been overconfident before. Aside from that, the Lions have shown some promise in the past couple of weeks. One of the Lions claims to fame is that they are made up of several former Buccaneers. Apparently, it doesn't matter. The Lions have looked better in recent weeks, ever since the addition of Daunte Culpepper. He has helped the Lions to a ranking of... Read more

I was waiting for the official word before I posted this. Unfortunately, the word came. After such an amazing season last year, and his attempt to get 1,000 rushing yards this year, Earnest Graham is done for the season. The Bucs placed him on injured reserve after he injured his ankle on Sunday. Warrick Dunn will serve as the starting tailback from here on out. The Bucs had relied heavily on Graham this year, especially when he filled in as a fullback, which helped contribute to his numbers being down from last season. The Bucs will have a tough time replacing Graham and his work ethic. Let's just hope Warrick Dunn can do the job well enough to help the team. Apparently, it all rests on the passing game now.... Read more

It looked a little dicey there for a while, with the Bucs down 13-6 midway through the 3rd quarter. Yes, they were only down a touchdown, but they hadn't scored one to date. It was the field goals that were keeping the Bucs in the game. It took a previously injured unknown to score the Bucs only touchdown. Two more field goals padded the Bucs lead, and the devastating defense held Minnesota throughout the second half. The offense didn't look as sharp as it could have been, but in the end, it was once again the defense that won the game. Let's look at what made this game what it was: Low Scoring Must mean Good DefenseAfter a relatively disappointing outing against the Chiefs two weeks ago, the Bucs defense returned from their bye week rejuvenated and ready to go. The Bucs held Gus Frerotte to only 138 yards passing,... Read more

Coming off of a bye week, the Buccaneers are rested and ready to get back to action. This week they face the 5-4 Vikings, who are hanging on to a tie in the NFC North. The Bucs narrowly escaped the Chiefs two weeks ago, having to overcome a 21-point deficit in order to win. Unfortunately, the Vikings aren't a pushover like the Chiefs. A team that was projected to the Super Bowl by some at the beginning of the season, have fallen victory to the injury bug many times. Despite their troubles, the Vikings are still a very tough team with a very dangerous defense, and a devastating running back. The Vikings offense is ranked 14th in points per game, and are led by the savvy veteran Gus Frerotte. With him at the helm, the passing game is ranked 21st in the league. That means that whatever offense comes, it... Read more

It's the news that most Bucs fans have been waiting for: Cadillac Williams has been activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list. Williams has been out for over a year with a career-threatening knee injury. In order to make room for him on the roster, the Bucs released Michael Bennett, who never really got into a full-time role. Williams has been practicing with the team, and could see some playing time this weekend.... Read more

When I initially saw the score as 21-3 in favor of Kansas City, I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't think. I couldn't concentrate. All I could think about was how my team was being thoroughly embarrassed by a lesser opponent. Luckily, I didn't see a score update until late in the 4th quarter, when the Bucs were trailing 27-19. I knew that they had to score a touchdown and get a two-point conversion in order to tie. With less than :40 seconds left, hope was running out. Luckily, the Bucs scored a touchdown. Miraculously, they succeeded on the two-point conversion. Overtime was just as nerve-wracking. Thanks to some big plays and heads-up coaching, the Bucs were able to pull out a close victory, avoiding what would have been a catastrophic loss. Let's look at what made this game what it was: Leader of the PackIt took him a... Read more

Let's face it: Kansas City is not a good football team. They are in as much disarray as any team could be in. The down-on-their-luck Chiefs are 1-6, and are one of the bottom dwellers in the NFL. The Chiefs have many players battling injuries and suspensions. While they are struggling at the bottom of their division, the Bucs have looked really good this year. They are 5-3, but are coming off of a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs appear to be in line for a victory, but stranger things have happened. The Chiefs are at the bottom of most NFL categories, both offensively and defensively. Though they've shuffled through 4 quarterbacks, they seem to have settled on Tyler Thigpen, who has 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season. Even though the numbers have been created by 4 different quarterbacks, the Chiefs passing game is ranked 29th in the league.... Read more