TimesFour

Expect passing this week. Griese had just a stupid 67 pass attempts last week against the Bears. Gruden wants to throw. That is part of who he is. The running game is the best thing going for him. Graham is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and Dunn is getting 5.2 yards per carry. Griese is an 83.2 career rated passer and in the midst of a 71.3 rating for this season.

Three picks in a game is just not going to help. Still, Tampa has the 27th ranked pass defense and the Packers are locked in the 22nd ranking so far. This game also pits the Bucs’ sixth ranked pass offense against the Packers’ seventh ranked passing offense. Packers injuries and Bucs age in the defensive backfield will only add to the barrage. Expect to see the ball in the air a lot.

This makes the biggest comparison the QB position. Rodgers is a solid guy who could start most places and has yet to turn the ball over (knock on wood) and Griese is a guy who cannot stay on a team and threw three picks last week. Both teams have five INTs and turned two into TDs. Playing against a 4-3 defense again will prove a plus for the Packers. The blitzes will look more like practice and the Bucs are not as fast as the Cowboys. Chris Hovan is still playing football. Gaines Adams is the only guy of concern in that line and he will be seeing a lot of Chad Clifton. In the midst of the passing attack it will become critical for Donald Lee to make an impact in the middle of the field. The weakest spot in the two deep zone is behind the MLB so the Packers have to attack Barrett Ruud. If Brooks or June start to man up on Lee we will need to hit some crossing routes at around 10-15 yards and start to involve the running backs five yards downfield. If the Bucs start to blitz more we need to make them pay and we need to start calling screen passes. Biggest thing will be scoring when they get in the red zone.

The defense needs to attack the line of scrimmage. Graham is a good running back and Dunn will spell him from time to time. After watching Dallas tear us apart we need to get the linebackers attacking the gaps well and taking on blockers. If Graham gets going it could be a long day, but Gruden wants to throw so I expect if we can get him one dimensional early he will stay there.

It appears a great match up of 2-1 teams, but we beat a 1-2 team and a 0-3 team so far and Tampa beat a 1-2 Chicago in overtime and 2-1 Atlanta, but Atlanta only beat Detroit and Kansas City (0-6). One team will get a good win. Likely the Packers.

Short list of how the Packers win 1) get the lead early 2) run the ball 3) own the middle of the field 4) take the crowd out of it Short list of how the Bucs win 1) run the ball 2) get take-aways 3) blitz effectively.