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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears: Buc Shots | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer Barber nearly cashes in on big day . With 14 career touchdowns, CB Ronde Barber is a rare defensive player who can change the scoreboard. On Sunday, Barber tackled RB Matt Forte in the end zone for a safety with 4:49 remaining in the first quarter. On the Bears’ next series, Barber drifted into the right flat and got both hands on a pass by Jay Cutler. But he dropped what likely would have been an interception return for a touchdown. “I couldn’t believe it,” Barber said. “That was a gift.” Barber finished with five tackles, including a 6-yard sack on third and goal during the fourth quarter, one quarterback hit and three passes defensed. The sack was the 27th of his 15-year career, the most among defensive backs in NFL history. “I was just keying the ball,” he said of the sack. “As soon as the ball moved, I moved. “I don’t know who had me. It was probably the center, but he couldn’t get his hand up because he was snapping the ball with the wrong hand. I was on the right side.” Running on empty E arnest Graham was set to be a big part of the Bucs offense Sunday. Filling in for the injured LeGarrette Blount, he rushed for 109 yards on 17 carries in the previous week’s win over New Orleans. But on the Bucs’ first play of their second possession, Graham slipped after catching a short pass. He did not return and was in a walking boot after the game. His status has not been announced. However, Profootballtalk.com reported it’s a season-ending torn right Achilles’ tendon. Then things went from bad to worse. On the ensuing punt, FB Erik Lorig hurt his shoulder, although he was able to return. “Any time you lose a player like (Graham), it always affects you on offense,” coach Raheem Morris said. “But we’re a team of next man up. It was (Kregg) Lumpkin‘s turn. You’ve got to step up and be better than the starter. That’s just our mentality. It’s what the head coach believes. It’s what the organization believes.” With Graham out, Lumpkin rushed eight times for only 15 yards, a 1.9-yard average, and 13 of those yards came on one play. Blount, who has missed two games with a sprained knee sustained at San Francisco, could be ready to play after the bye week at New Orleans. But the Bucs have to address their thin running back situation. Allen Bradford, a sixth-round pick in April, was claimed off waivers by the Seahawks after being released by the Bucs two weeks ago. Tampa Bay most likely will sign Mossis Madu, an undrafted rookie free agent currently on its practice squad. “Lorig sucked it up and was able to come back,” Morris said. “We do have to address that position. Luckily, we have a bye week in order to do that. We’re able to get that done and get some practices in and, hopefully, get these guys ready to go.” Tanard injured during interception return . S Tanard Jackson hasn’t wasted any time making a splash since returning from a 56-week substance-abuse suspension. During the first quarter, he picked off Jay Cutler, his second interception in as many games since being reinstated, and returned it 43 yards. But Jackson had to pull up when he strained his left hamstring and did not return. On the Bears’ next possession, Marion Barber ripped off a 29-yard run, making backup S Corey Lynch miss at the line of scrimmage. Lynch did record an interception during the fourth quarter. Jackson and RB Earnest Graham (see above) weren’t the only ones hurt: • FB Erik Lorig injured his shoulder while covering a punt but returned. • LB Mason Foster aggravated an ankle injury during the first quarter and did not return. • Foster’s backup, Adam Hayward, aggravated a foot injury but stayed in the game. • C Jeremy Zuttah, replacing injured starter Jeff Faine, went out in the second half with a knee injury. • DT Brian Price sustained a right leg injury but came back. The team’s bye week comes at a good time to get players back. RB LeGarrette Blount (knee) and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who missed their second games, could return Nov. 6 at New Orleans. Forte runs over Bucs . The Bears’ Matt Forte, below, had a big day, rushing for 145 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries (a 5.8-yard average). In fact, only offensive coordinator Mike Martz‘s decision to take the ball out of his hands, after 108 first-half yards, slowed him (10 carries in the second half compared with 15 in the first). Injuries contributed to the Bucs’ problems. LB Mason Foster aggravated an ankle injury early and did not return. S Tanard Jackson strained a hamstring while returning an interception. Gerald McCoy missed the game with an ankle injury, and fellow DT Brian Price was in and out of the game with a right leg injury. All told, the Bears rolled up 177 yards on the ground, including 39 on six carries (6.5 average) by backup Marion Barber. “We didn’t stop the run early,” CB Ronde Barber said. “They gave us everything we knew was coming. “The one long (32-yard run by Forte), we had two guys on the ground. He’s a talented runner, makes you pay when you’re out of position. We didn’t answer them.” Talib loses control . The Bucs’ fourth-quarter comeback might have been a little less difficult if not for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against CB Aqib Talib. Trailing by a field goal, CB Ronde Barber sacked Jay Cutler for a 6-yard loss on third and goal from the Tampa Bay 4. Assuming the Bears kicked a field goal, the Bucs would have gotten the ball back with about 3½ minutes to play and three timeouts, needing a touchdown to win. But following the play, Talib got in the face of Bears WR Roy Williams, and referee Tony Corente ruled Talib grabbed Williams’ face mask. Talib would not comment after the game. “You can go watch the tape,” he said. “I got nothing for you.” Matt Forte ran the ball three times, and the Bucs held the Bears to a 25-yard field goal. But by the time they got the ball back after the kickoff, there was only 1:50 remaining. “The problem with us, we’re too young,” Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. “We’re foolish. We almost made the same mistake on offense, and we just can’t do those things. “That’s a reflection of the head coach. That is completely my fault.” Quick hits . WR Dezmon Briscoe had career highs of six catches and 74 yards and caught his first touchdown of the season (second of his career), a 24-yarder from Josh Freeman. . DE Adrian Clayborn recorded his team-high third sack of the season. . TE Kellen Winslow extended his streak of games with a catch to 83. He finished with four for 25 yards and a touchdown. [Last modified: Oct 23, 2011 10:36 PM]
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Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in 1, Aqib Talib, Brian Price, bucs-news, Corey Lynch, Gerald McCoy, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Zuttah, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Raheem Morris | Comments Off
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears: How they… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Times staff
7-2
14-5
21-5
24-18 [Last modified: Oct 23, 2011 06:55 PM]
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If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in 1, Aqib Talib, bucs-news, Connor Barth, Corey Lynch, Josh Freeman, Mike Williams | Comments Off
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Bears keep Freeman in check to beat Bucs in London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LONDON (Reuters) – The Chicago Bears intercepted quarterback Josh Freeman four times and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 Sunday in the National Football League‘s (NFL) fifth annual regular season game at Wembley Stadium. The Bears dominated until the final quarter when Freeman rallied the Bucs with touchdown passes to Kellen Winslow and Dezmon Briscoe but hopes of a comeback ended when D.J. Moore picked off Freeman again with 36 seconds left. “Our defense got us out of some tough spots in the second half,” said Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. “The way (running back) Matt (Forte) is playing, running the football, we are definitely headed in the right direction.” It was a miserable return to London for Tampa Bay who were shredded 35-7 by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at Wembley in 2009. Freeman made his NFL debut that night when he came in late to run out the clock in the fourth quarter. He again left disappointed as Sunday’s defeat left Tampa Bay with a 4-3 record in the NFC South, the same as the Bears whose victory allowed them to keep tabs on NFC North rivals Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Tampa Bay’s run defense has been inconsistent all season and the Bears were able to establish their running game through Forte who rumbled for a 32-yard score in the first quarter and 145 yards in all in front of nearly 77,000 fans in London. By contrast, Tampa Bay suffered a major blow when Earnest Graham, starting in place of injured running back LeGarrette Blount, sustained an ankle injury early in the first quarter and sat out the rest of the game. That put the pressure on Freeman to produce but he could not find his rhythm or range until the final quarter with the Buccaneers trailing 21-5. Freeman completed 29 of 51 attempts for 264 yards while opposite number Cutler was picked off twice. Cutler threw for a touchdown and 226 yards in all. Forte’s slaloming run put the Bears on the scoreboard first in a first quarter in which both quarterbacks were shaky. SMOTHERING Defense Tenard Jackson intercepted Cutler to put the Bucs in great scoring position but Freeman was intercepted near the one yard line. But the Bucs did not go away empty handed as a smothering defense then forced a safety. Cutler found Roy Williams with a 25-yard pass midway through the second quarter, the wide receiver skipping into the corner of the end zone to put the Bears in control. Freeman finally got the Bucs moving when he engineered a 75-yard drive late in the half that set up Connor Barth’s 33-yard field goal and cut the deficit to 14-5. Tampa Bay’s offensive struggles continued after the restart and the Bears punished them again when Marion Barber capped a 55-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard run to extend the lead. On the Buccaneers’ next possession, Freeman was intercepted by Lance Briggs who returned the ball to the one-yard line but the play was returned to midfield for an illegal block. Freeman’s woes continued when he was intercepted again early in the fourth quarter but Cutler was then picked off by Corey Lynch at the Chicago 35 and this time Freeman made them pay, tossing a two-yard pass to Winslow. Tampa Bay were starting to find holes in the Bears defense and Freeman picked out Briscoe with a 24-yard pass for a touchdown to bring the hosts within three points. Gould’s field goal made it 24-18 with 1:55 to go and Freeman could not engineer another rally. “Every game we’ve lost has been a winnable game. But I’m really happy with our preparation, we just have to go out and execute on Sundays,” lamented Freeman. “It was a good trip. Nobody was messing around.” The Bucs are the first team to return to London for a regular-season game since the league began playing in the capital in 2007. The NFL decided this month to keep playing in London through to at least 2016. (Additional reporting by Nigel Hunt and Tom Pilcher, Editing by Frank Pingue) Gotta run!. Posted in 1, bucs-news, Connor Barth, Corey Lynch, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Comments Off
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer Suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson, after being banned from the NFL for more than a year, is en route to One Buc Place after being reinstated by the NFL, according to his agent. Jackson, suspended under the league’s substance-abuse policy, has violated the league’s drug guidelines at least three times. He became elibible for reinstatement on Sept. 22 but issues related to the NFL lockout and the inability of the NFL to monitor his progress in the substance-abuse program are believed to have impacted his reinstatement. The Bucs have not publicly commented on Jackson during his absence, but they are expected to place him on their active roster, perhaps immediately. The Bucs recently lost starting free safety Cody Grimm to a knee injury. Backups Corey Lynch and Larry Asante have been splitting time in his place. Teammates have said Jackson has been maintaining his conditioning and preparing to play as soon as his ban was lifted. Jackson participated in workouts with teammates in player-organized workouts during the NFL lockout in June. He appeared to be in good shape and presumably hadn’t lost the instincts that made him an instant starter as a rookie, in 2007. Jackson is in the final season of his rookie contract with the Bucs, but the team is not obligated to put him back on its roster. Given that he has been twice suspended for drug use, it was thought that there might be some pause from the organization. But the need at safety combined with Jackson’s immense talent make his return a virtual certainty. The Bucs could opt to make use of a roster exemption that would allow Jackson to practice with the team right away without being immediately added to the active roster. The Bucs might take advantage of this to determine his readiness to play before activating him. [Last modified: Oct 11, 2011 04:57 PM]
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Report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer Suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tanard Jackson, after being banned from the NFL for more than a year, is en route to One Buc Place after being reinstated by the NFL, according to his agent. Jackson, suspended under the league’s substance-abuse policy, has violated the league’s drug guidelines at least three times. He became elibible for reinstatement on Sept. 22 but issues related to the NFL lockout and the inability of the NFL to monitor his progress in the substance-abuse program are believed to have impacted his reinstatement. The Bucs have not publicly commented on Jackson during his absence, but they are expected to place him on their active roster, perhaps immediately. The Bucs recently lost starting free safety Cody Grimm to a knee injury. Backups Corey Lynch and Larry Asante have been splitting time in his place. Teammates have said Jackson has been maintaining his conditioning and preparing to play as soon as his ban was lifted. Jackson participated in workouts with teammates in player-organized workouts during the NFL lockout in June. He appeared to be in good shape and presumably hadn’t lost the instincts that made him an instant starter as a rookie, in 2007. Jackson is in the final season of his rookie contract with the Bucs, but the team is not obligated to put him back on its roster. Given that he has been twice suspended for drug use, it was thought that there might be some pause from the organization. But the need at safety combined with Jackson’s immense talent make his return a virtual certainty. The Bucs could opt to make use of a roster exemption that would allow Jackson to practice with the team right away without being immediately added to the active roster. The Bucs might take advantage of this to determine his readiness to play before activating him. [Last modified: Oct 11, 2011 04:57 PM]
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