Delhomme thinks this might be the best Bucs defense he's seen

[Sultan33g]

Tampa Bay ranks 4th overall, 3rd against the pass

Written by Steve Reed

12/4/2008 3:43:44 PM

Jake Delhomme has seen some pretty good Tampa Bay defenses in his 10 years in the NFC South.

But he thinks this year’s unit may just be the best.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know if I’ve seen their defense this good,” Delhomme said Thursday. “You know, when (Warren) Sapp was there, that crew, they were outstanding, don’t get me wrong. But this team is very, very good on defense.”

And they will be a very good challenge for the Panthers on Monday night in what may be the biggest regular game ever to be played at Bank of America Stadium.

Both teams are 9-3 and the winner will gain control of the NFC South and have the inside track to a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Earlier this season the Bucs intercepted Delhomme three times at Raymond James Stadium and limited the Panthers to a season-low three points while posting a 24-point win.

At times, even the cool Delhomme looked frazzled in the pocket.

Seemingly unwilling to take a sack, he often hurried throws and forced the ball into tight spots. Several of his other throws were simply off target – high, low and outside -- and the Panthers could get nothing going through the air. The running game followed suit, as DeAngelo Williams and crew were held to 40 yards on 20 carries.

Delhomme, who had been 7-1 against the Bucs during his career, finished that day with a passer rating of 38.6 – one of the worst marks of his career.

Those are the things the Bucs can do to you, especially if you spot them an early lead as the Panthers did in on Oct. 12.

The Bucs blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown less than three minutes into the game and then scored on their first offensive possession to put Carolina in a 14-0 hole.

The Bucs have been consistent all year on defense and enter the game ranked fourth overall and third against the pass. Delhomme said they’re the most technically sound defense the Panthers will face this season.

“Without a doubt, their fits are unbelievable,” Delhomme said. “We were talking about that this morning, Josh (McCown) and I, watching film. When a corner will pass off in a Cover 2 look and there’s a dead zone, that safety, it’s almost in sync -- as soon as the corner passes the safety widens to shorten that zone. I’ll tell you, I can’t think of any more superlatives to say about them. They’re really that good.”

And they’re opportunistic.

The Bucs have forced 24 turnovers this season (17 of those on interceptions), second only to Chicago in the NFC and third overall in the NFL.

A week ago, cornerback Ronde Barber made a terrific play against New Orleans when he dove to deflect a Drew Brees pass and Cato June came up with the interception.

“It was probably going to be a touchdown to (Jeremy) Shockey and Ronde comes off (his guy), dives and just gets a tip on it,” Delhomme said. “I mean they’re fabulous at doing that. It’s not luck when that happens. They’re just good at it. They’re ballhawks.”

Although the Bucs are known for their “Cover 2” defense, Delhomme said they tend to vary from that scheme.

“They’ve really gotten away from that a good bit,” Delhomme said. “They will play their one (safety) high. They still play their two, they have it, but it’s not as prominent as it has been in the past.”

That’s because the guys on the defense like Barber and linebacker Derrick Brooks know the defense so well they can disguise playing a Cover 2 and quickly shift into something else, confusing a quarterback.

“They know where they fit,” Delhomme said. “They’ll show one thing and do another. They’re never wrong; they’re never in the wrong spot.”

The difference this time around for the Panthers is they have their regular starting five lineman on hand to protect Delhomme and the offense is starting to click.

Carolina has scored 60 points in the last six quarters.

“We have to build on that,” said guard Travelle Wharton. “We have to try to get better every time we step out there and that will be real important for us. We can’t make the same mistakes we did the last time. If we win our battles we will be all right.”

So what, specifically, do the Panthers need to do differently this time around against the Bucs?

For one, it comes down to not turning the ball over and avoiding mistakes.

And second, getting a lead would certainly help.

“We’re down 14-0 before we even realized it, we had a drive where we shot ourselves in the foot down inside the 5-yard line,” Delhomme said. “We didn’t get anything going and they played football and they beat us. And you’d like to not turn the football over against them and somehow try to get up on them. But that’s so much easier said than done.”

carolinagrowl.com

[dksmith17]

Although the Bucs are known for their “Cover 2” defense, Delhomme said they tend to vary from that scheme.

“They’ve really gotten away from that a good bit,” Delhomme said. “They will play their one (safety) high. They still play their two, they have it, but it’s not as prominent as it has been in the past.”

Interesting.

Sounds like a great game to open up the Smitty streak and expose this scheme.

[PantherBrew]

Blowing Smoke, just like Gruden

[Kurb]

60 points in last 6 quarters is a good stat as well..