STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
NFL Team Report - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PLAYER NOTES --WR DeSean Jackson, who missed the last three games with a left thumb injury, was limited in practice Wednesday. --T Demar Dotson (knee) did not practice Wednesday but is expected to play against the Cowboys. --DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee) did not practice Wednesday but is expected to play against the Cowboys. --DT Gerald McCoy (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday but is expected to play Sunday at Dallas. PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DT Vita Vea is playing like a first-round pick. Vea missed seven weeks after suffering a calf injury in training camp. But the more he has played, the more comfortable he has become and his conditioning has improved. Last Sunday at Baltimore, Vea set a career high with nine tackles against the Ravens. GAME PLAN: The Bucs know they're going to get a heavy dose of Ezekiel Elliott from the Cowboys in this game. Tampa Bay allowed the Ravens to run all over them last Sunday for 242 yards in a 20-12 loss. The Cowboys use the play-action game to get downfield passes from Dak Prescott to Amari Cooper. The Bucs have to rally to the football because Elliott is a physical runner. If they can do that, the Bucs have to put pressure on Prescott with their defensive line. Offensively, the Bucs need to strive for balance. RB Peyton Barber is playing well early in games and the Bucs need to stick with the run. This will enable them to have more time of possession and keep the heat off Jameis Winston. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson could return in the game to give the Bucs another downfield weapon and create space in the passing game.MATCHUPS TO WATCH --Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott vs. Bucs LB Lavonte David. Elliott is the engine that runs the Cowboys offense and had a big game in the last meeting between these teams two years ago. David is coming off a monster game at Baltimore with two sacks and a fumble recovery. --Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence vs. Bucs RT Demar Dotson. Lawrence is among the NFL's top pass rushers and was just named to the Pro Bowl. Dotson has struggled against more athletic defensive ends and is playing through some injuries.
The Sports Xchange
Recent Stories
Testing Buffalo Bill Page
Joe Horrigan knows the Buffalo Bills
Steelers positional analysis: Kenny Pickett stands alone in QB room
2/17/2024If the Steelers were concerned about the uncertain future at quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger retired, the outlook at the position might not be any more ...
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t deserve criticism since Super Bowl
Globe StaffUpdated February 17, 2024, 9:38 a.m.Kyle Shanahan has been on the defensive all week following the 49ers’ 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super ...
New Raiders GM expected to be aggressive in search for top QB
February 17, 2024 - 4:19 PMIf Tom Telesco’s past offers clues about his future, expect the Raiders’ new general manager to be aggressive in bringing in a top-level ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...