Gästeforum » Eagles vs Buccaneers: Five Bold Predictions

Well Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hoodie , that was awesome.Even though we only went 1/5 on our predictions last week, the one that came through was ultimately the most important prediction - and that was that the Bucs would win the game.But as they say in the NFL, it’s on to the next game. The Saints are in the past. Now it’s time to face off against the world champion Philadelphia Eagles. So what are some crazy ideas to consider this weekend? Here are this week’s bold predictions.1. Ryan Fitzpatrick will throw for less than 250 yards and two touchdowns (Evan)Historically speaking, Fitzpatrick tends to shrink from the spotlight after a big game. He has thrown for four or more touchdowns in a game seven times during his career. However, he only averages one touchdown and around 226 passing yards during the following game. Even though the Saints were thought to be much improved on defense, the Eagles showed how good theirs was in last Thursday’s win over the Falcons. Unless Tampa Bay is playing catch-up late in the game, I believe Fitzpatrick comes back down to earth. 2. Mike Evans will lead the Bucs in receiving again (Evan)Whether it be another 147-yard performance or an 80-yard performance, Evans will lead the team in receiving for the second straight week.He’s simply been playing out of his mind since training camp began and that has rolled over into the regular season so far. Despite the Eagles’ excellent defense, Evans will find ways to make plays.Evans conquered his demons in New OrleansPhoto by Wesley Hitt/Getty ImagesJim Schwartz proved against the Falcons that he can allow your best player (Julio Jones) to have a great night and it won’t even matter if he shuts down the rest of the offense. Evans - like Jones - is a matchup nightmare. Schwartz will let him do his thing, but the Eagles will stay on track defensively. 3. Carlton Davis gets his first career interception. (Alex)The rookie struggled in his first career game, but as head coach Dirk Koetter said, Davis performed about as well as any rookie in that situation would have. With all due respect to Nick Foles, he is not Drew Brees in any way shape or form. Foles will try and pick on the rookie, like the Saints did, but this time Davis comes up big. Since day one, I have loved what I’ve seen from Davis, not only on the field, but off of it as well. He has the confidence to bounce back after a rough game and what better way to do it then against the defending Super Bowl champions. 4. Peyton Barber explodes for big game (Alex)Yes, I know, very bold, especially against the Eagles front seven. Barber Youth Customized Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys , who rushed for 69 yards on 19 carries, had plenty of wide open holes in the first half, but not many in the second half. With the Eagles coming to town, look for the Buccaneers to try and wear them down in the run game. Atlanta didn’t succeed, but the opportunity for Tampa Bay will be there, especially if they are up in the second half again. Bold stat line prediction for Barber: 26 carries, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns. 5. The Eagles will record at least three sacks (Evan)I don’t blame you if you believe me to be a Schwartz fanboy after this - but the dude is legitimately one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. He will show that this Sunday.The child-eating ogre known as Fletcher Cox and the rest of the Eagles’ defensive line will force Tampa Bay’s offensive line into enough mistakes where they will give up at least three sacks on the day. Cox is a man amongst menPhoto by Al Messerschmidt/Getty ImagesOn the surface, it doesn’t seem likely considering the fact that the Bucs’ offensive line didn’t give up a single sack against the Saints and that was with stalwart Cameron Jordan manning one of the end spots. But Dennis Allen is no Schwartz and the Bucs will find that out the hard way come Sunday.NFL Hard Count Episode 18-1: The Hall and Bucs Players to Watch As this is the first installment of my NFL Hard Count series, I figured it would be wise to breakdown what this is going to be all about.First, this serves as an outlet for me personally to discuss things with you which may not pertain solely to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.It may be strange at first to consider a site dedicated to the coverage of one NFL franchise discussing topics about the other 31 NFL teams, but what happens in the football community is important to all active members. So, the connection is there, even if it isn’t so obvious.There are three parts to this: False Start, Offside, and Free Play. As these are the three things which normally happen on a football field when an effective hard count is executed, I figure we pay homage to these and theme our topics in the same fashion.In those segments, we’ll talk about some things which may not have gone the way the person or team intended (False Start), something I disagree with from the past week or whatever period we’re talking about (Offside), and then a wild card so to speak where I’ll find something for each installment to hopefully peak your interest and spark some comment section conversations (Free Play).Got it? Alright then, let’s get right to it.FALSE START: THE NFL’S NEW HELMET RULEAccording to Rule 12 www.buccaneersauthorizedshops.com , Section 2, Article 8,The penalty is considered a personal foul and comes with a fifteen-yard penalty and if committed by a defensive player also comes with an automatic first down.This new rule also opens the door to possible disqualification.That’s it. That’s the rule鈥?in its entirety. In contrast, roughing or running into the kicker has two items in its article describing how the rule applies to players in the air versus on the ground among seven other scenarios in which a defensive player might contact a kicker.But for this rule. This rule gets one sentence, no situational guidance, and a penalty description which includes possible ejection from the game. What could the player be ejected for? Well, it doesn’t say in the NFL’s ruling document itself.Note: The NFL did later deliver what they were looking for when discussing possible ejections for this rule.The unveiling of this new rule quickly took center stage in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. On a night which should have centered on remembering the great contributions of the 2018 class, enjoying the first bit of live football in months, and looking to see if Lamar Jackson was lined up at quarterback or wide receiver; instead we were left a lot of questions and many Twitter reactions to this new rule.Just when we thought we might be inching beyond the whole ‘what is and isn’t a catch’ era, in comes the ‘what is and isn’t leading with the head’ to follow it up.However, as some pointed out also on Twitter, all is not lost.Whew! Ok. So this makes me feel better. I actually tweeted something similar but hearing it from an actual NFL Veteran has a better feel to it.The pre-season isn’t just a time when players and coaches work towards getting their collective acts together, it’s also a time for the officials and league itself to do the same.I’m sure the NFL front-office has looked at each hit called and uncalled from the Hall of Fame Game to tune some of these calls and no-calls.For now, it definitely was not the smoothest execution of a new rule implementation. But we’re still a month away from regular season action. So, we can breathe a bit. Now, if we see the same stuff in Week 4 of the pre-season, all bets are off.John David Mercer-USA TODAY SportsOFFSIDE: TERRELL OWENS HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONWide receiver Terrell Owens had a career which saw him play for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.He might be the Dan Marino of wide receivers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Womens T-Shirt , being the best one to never win a ring.What overshadowed Owens’ talent at times was his personality. Whether it be pulling a sharpie from his sock, eating popcorn after a score, standing on the star in Dallas, etc, etc, etc鈥is personality almost always took center stage.His interactions with the media weren’t always the smoothest either. Perhaps this is the reason he wasn’t a first ballot Hall of Fame selection. One can argue his statistics alone put him among the best to ever do it, but for whatever reason, the voters didn’t see fit to put him in until his third look. That’s there prerogative.And then came Owens’ induction ceremony and speech which didn’t take place in Canton, Ohio. Instead he chose to hold his celebration at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. My take on this is simply this:Owens spent his career doing things his way because he didn’t see the reason why he needed to fit into whatever mold people expected him to fit into. Fine, I understand this to a certain extent.Was it petty for the voters of the Hall of Fame to pass him over twice? Yes. Yes it was. But, the door was opened for such pettiness by Owens’ own actions. Actions he took at times with the intention of frustrating those very voters.Now, I’m not defending the act of denying a player who had a career well deserving of enshrinement the honor of induction. What I’m saying is, if you act one way you should expect to have a similar or greater reaction.This was the writers’ reaction. Similarly, Owens had his reaction, which led to the ceremony in Tennessee. Eventually someone is going to have the last word. Neither side is willing to let the other have it though.In his speech, Owens said he decided to do his ceremony elsewhere to prevent what happened to him from happening to someone else.Problem is, this didn’t happen to Owens. He orchestrated this. No, it doesn’t make it right, but it’s still a fact.Every once in a while I see someone in my workplace acting ‘clownish’, and when I do I ask them if they’d like to be treated like a clown or like a professional. They never respond they want to be treated like a clown.So, if Terrell Owens didn’t want to be treated like an unappreciated outsider Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hats , then he probably shouldn’t have acted like one.Owens should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. But nobody stole the distinction from him. He chose through his many actions, not as a young 22-year old player but throughout his career, to open the door for those with the ability to deny him the opportunity and motivation to do so.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsFREE PLAY: MY PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCHOk, so this isn’t the hardest hitting item out there. But it’s finally game week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and this might be my fourth favorite part of the football year behind the post-season, draft, and free-agent period.The pre-season is where you see the majority of your depth. Guys you might not see again until they’re ‘surprising’ everyone with their sudden regular season performance.I remember the first time I really sat down and looked at a pre-season match-up with any eye towards the future. It was a New York Giants game. Who they were playing I can’t remember, but I do remember Victor Cruz.Now, I didn’t break down his play from a release, stem manipulation, break, etc. standpoint, but I did think about how he looked like someone with real talent.When he broke onto the NFL scene, I was even more excited. Who doesn’t like being right?All these years later I’ve got my eyes on some Bucs players looking to make their mark on Tampa Bay’s active roster. My specific five are Shaun Wilson, Justin Watson, Caleb Benenoch/Alex Cappa, M.J. Stewart and Vernon Hargreaves III.Not all rookies. All young guys though.I can’t wait to see what they look like this coming Thursday against the Miami Dolphins, and I hope you are all just as excited to see our Bucs take the field for the first time in 2018.That wraps up my first hard-count. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts on any of these topics or all at once. Who are the players you’re watching closely this pre-season? And what are your predictions for mine?