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Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 |
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Tough losses for NFL preseason favorites Florida and New York
NICK LAROCQUE
STAFF WRITER
There will be a sense of desperation in the Florida air on Monday night as the underachieving New York Giants head to Tampa Bay to take on the equally disappointing Buccaneers.
The game, originally intended to showcase a battle between two first-place teams with high Super Bowl hopes, will now be nothing more than two teams with losing records trying to find some kind of spark, and trying desperately to remain in the playoff race.
With records of 4-6 putting them in third place in each of their respective divisions, another loss would be devastating for either of these teams, as it would, likely remove them from playoff contention. For the winner, this game could provide the spark needed to turn around the season, and creep into the playoff picture. However, the way these two teams have been playing lately, I would not be surprised to see them sitting at home when the playoffs start, asking themselves what happened.
Although their records may indicate otherwise, there is no doubt that these are two of the most talented teams in the NFL. They are also teams that have been playing together for several years now at a high level.
The Buccaneers have boasted one of the league's most dominant defenses for several years now. This defense has always consisted of the same primary components: the presence of Warren Sapp in the middle of the defensive line, Derrick Brooks at linebacker, John Lynch making big hits at safety, and Ronde Barber being an excellent cover corner. The offense has steadily improved over the last several years with the acquisitions of players such as Brad Johnson, Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Michael Pittman, and Joe Jurevicius. After plugging John Gruden into the mix last year, they were singing in the streets of Tampa, celebrating the first Super Bowl in the history of the franchise.
Heading into this season, things were only expected to get better for the Bucs. Unlike some championship teams in the past, there was no dismantling this team. The loss of safety Dexter Jackson was a relatively small one in the grand scheme of the defense. Dwight Smith was put in to replace Jackson and things rolled on. With all their big guns returning and John Gruden returning for his second year at the helm, a repeat performance of last year's championship seemed very possible.
This season however, has been a disaster so far, as the Bucs have suffered several heart-breaking losses, the three most notable coming in two very close losses to division rival Carolina, and an overtime loss to the Colts in which the Bucs defense allowed 28 fourth-quarter points. Despite Simeon Rice being tied for the league leader in sacks (11) and Brad Johnson being in the top five in passing yards, this team has looked very average all year long. 2003 has produced the Danielle Steele version of the Bucs defense, as this defense, which used to devour opposing run games, is now ranked 15th overall in run defense. An injury to John Lynch, one of the defensive leaders on the team, has made things even worse. The Bucs trail surprise division leader Carolina by four games, and second-place New Orleans by one game. A win on Monday night would put Tampa Bay back in the playoff picture and allow it to make a serious push to finish second in the division, earning a wild card birth.
Under Jim Fassel, the Giants have been completely unpredictable. Sometimes they look great, and sometimes they look like one of the worst teams in the league.
A perfect example of this came in the 2000-2001 season when the Giants started the season horribly, then not only fulfilled their coach's prediction that they would end up a playoff team but also made it to the Super Bowl. The next year, the Giants failed to even make the playoffs.
Last year's team began its season looking extremely mediocre. However, the Giants spent the last six games of the season showing everyone in the league how dangerous they can be when they are in sync with one another. Tiki Barber led the NFC in total yards, Kerry Collins passed for over 4,000 yards, and Amani Toomer was third in the league in receiving yards.
The biggest addition came in the form of a 6'5" 250-pound rookie with speed, great hands, long hair, and an attitude that most coaches wish all of their players would carry. Jeremy Shockey took the NFL by storm last year, leading all tight ends and rookies in receiving yards, and became the most vocal leader on a team that has lacked attitude ever since the days of Lawrence Taylor. The offense has found its rhythm, the defense has Shockey, Keith Hamilton will be back on the defensive line next year, this season will be great, right? Wrong.
This season has been anything but great for the Giants, which may be the most underachieving team in the whole NFL. While it has shown signs of its potential in solid victories over Minnesota and St. Louis and a hard-fought loss to the Miami Dolphins, overall it has just been playing bad football. Perhaps the worst of it came two weeks ago, when the Giants were blown out at home by the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons had only won one game all season and were without their starting quarterback, Michael Vick. As if the humiliation of losses such as these were not enough, the Giants will be without Shockey, Kenny Holmes, Shaun Williams, and Will Peterson for some time. Peterson and Williams are definitely out for the season, while Holmes and Shockey will miss several weeks.
For Jim Fassel, this Monday night game may be one of the most pivotal of his career. Fassel's inconsistency over the past six years is unacceptable considering the talent he has had, especially recently. It would be hard, both on fans and players, to see Jim go; he is one of the classiest and most well-respected men in the NFL. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean a whole lot when there are no results to go along with it.
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