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Bucs Report Card




Each week after the Bucs game, fans can compare their grades to those of Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune's Bucs beat writer. Here's how Roy and the fans graded the Bucs' 17-16 victory against the Green Bay Packers:

UNITRoy's Grades Fans' Grades (avg.)
Quarterbacks
B
B
Running Backs
B+
A
Receivers
B
B+
Offensive Line
B
B-
Defensive Line
B-
B
Linebackers
A
A-
Secondary
B
B
Special Teams
B
B-
Coaching
B
B+

Quarterbacks: Brian Griese didn't produce a lot of eye-popping stats in this one but he did do a good job managing the offense and he made good decisions with the ball. He made good use of all his receivers, including the backs. He was intercepted once but it took a great play by Ahmad Carroll to come up with the ball.

Running backs: With the exception of one Michael Pittman run for 3 yards it was all Cadillac. Williams ran 37 times for 158 yards and while he didn't run for a touchdown he still came up big with a couple of long gainers and 79 big yards in the fourth quarter. He also made his first NFL pass reception.

Receivers: Joey Galloway did a good job getting separation from the Packers defensive backs and made a team-best five catches, including two for touchdowns. Michael Clayton had five big catches as well while Ike Hilliard had two - both coming on third downs. Drops were minimal and the blocking downfield was solid.

Offensive line: Anthony Davis wasn't the first guy to have a rough day blocking Packers DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. He earned some holding penalties but overall the pass protection was strong and the run blocking stronger. Kenyatta Walker's hustle after Carroll's pick may have saved the game.

Defensive line: This group didn't come up with a lot of splash plays in this one. Greg Spires had three tackles and a sack to lead a unit that performed well as run stoppers but only adequately as pass rushers. This group has played better but it's impact was significant and it was a winning effort.

Linebackers: There were times Sunday when Shelton Quarles was the best player on the field. He forced the Packers lone fumble and made plays from one sideline to the other, leading the team with nine tackles. Ryan Nece flashed at times as well and had seven tackles, and, as always, Derrick Brooks was solid.

Secondary: The only negative here was the play of Juran Bolden, but even he came up big near the end by aiding Will Allen with one of Allen's two picks. Ronde Barber picked up the fumble that Quarles forced, setting up the Bucs first score and Brian Kelly chipped in with a pick.

Special teams: Torrie Cox ruined an otherwise good day by the return units by mishandling a ball near his goal line. Josh Bidwell averaged 40.2 yards net on his punts and Dewayne White helped take a point off the board by getting his hand on a PAT attempt. Overall, it good day for these guys.

Coaching: Coach Jon Gruden made a bad situation worse by arguing a pass interference call late in the second quarter. He stuck with Cadillac and the running game and the ploy paid off again. Monte Kiffin helped stopped the Packers with some timely blitz calls that disrupted QB Brett Favre's rhythm.

  

  


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