WP Email: Bucs Familiar With Redskins' Offense
 

Of all the teams in the NFL to have to face Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs in his first game back from an 11-year football hiatus, [url="http://65.54.187.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=daca1131e8ce88aeefda77f03e3d4faf&lat=1094840493&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fletters%2ewashingtonpost%2ecom%2fW8RH044DFC6950875E17F3F5CE4B90"][color=#0000ff]Tampa Bay[/color][/url] may be one of the best equipped to do so. The Buccaneers have several people who are very familiar with Gibbs's offense system and they have an astute head coach of their own, Jon Gruden, who has steeped himself in the history of Gibbs's attack as well.

Former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who won a Super Bowl in Washington under Gibbs, is now an executive for the Buccaneers and he scouted all of Washington's preseason games looking for any tidbits that might help his team in the opener. ("Hopefully, he won't guess right," Gibbs said of Williams.)

The club's general manager, Bruce Allen, is the son of former Redskins coach George Allen, and Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has spent over 20 years in the NFL and has worked against Gibbs's offense firsthand ("He's the best," Washington assistant head coach-offense, Joe Bugel, said of Kiffin).

So there is no shortage of Redskins lore going around in Tampa, and Gruden bristled when asked repeated questions about Gibbs and that franchise during a conference call with the media.

"After a while you get tired of talking about the history of the Washington Redskins," Gruden said. "You'd better just concentrate on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because that's basically all we can control."

Gruden is notorious for studying film until all hours of the night, and he has unearthed some tapes of Gibbs's glory years leading up to this game. Gruden said he has shown some clips to his players to alert them to certain tendencies but is unsure how much will be replicated when the players get on the field this weekend.

"We showed them a little bit," Gruden said. "Fortunately, some of us nostalgia coaches here kept some of those tapes."

Gruden admitted that his team will face a difficult task Sunday given the excitement surrounding the return of Gibbs. The crowd will be pumped and a crowd of more than 90,000 people is expected at FedEx Field. However, Tampa Bay can draw some experience from last season, when it played the first game ever in Philadelphia's new stadium on a Monday night. Suffice to say, the atmosphere during the Buccaneers four preseason games was much more restrained.

"It's tough to simulate that kind of enthusiasm," Gruden said.

[font=Arial,Helvetica][size=-1][color=#000000][b]Players Say They're Tired
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Several Redskins said they felt tired after a grueling training camp that included five preseason games and a particularly demanding set of practices this week, but expect to be fresh for Sunday's game. "This week they've worked harder than any team I've seen," assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams said. . . .

Tampa Bay defensive end Simeon Rice said he does not expect Gibbs's 11-year layoff from coaching to deter from Washington's effectiveness. "That doesn't matter," Rice said. "The guy has been a success in anything he's done from coaching football to car racing, NASCAR. So whatever he's done, it's kind of like his M.O. is success." . . .

Wide receiver James Thrash is now wearing No. 83.

[i]-- Jason LaCanfora[/i]

Heh heh, seems like Gruden's had it with all the hype about Gibbs coming back to the skins. Despite all the ties the Bucs have to Gibbs and the redskins, I'm confident Gibbs will unveil a new offense that the Bucs haven't seen before.

On offense, I think this game boils down to protecting Brunell and ball control by the skins. Give 'em a healthy dose of Portis & Cooley...right up their a$$. I think, given Kiffin's affinity for blitzing, Cooley will have a huge game as the hot read for Brunell. TB's linebackers and secondary are very good, and passing against them is tricky, especially desperation passes while trailing them - as happened to us last year, and the Raiders in the SB.

On the defensive side, our job should be easier, considering that MCcardale isn't playing - Smoot on Galloway & Springs on Tim Brown mixed in with LB & safety blitzes to befuddle Brad Jo.

Skins 24, TB 13.

On another note, I couldn't help noticing how smooth and the Colts and Pats offenses were for the most part last night - that kind of chemistry on offense takes a while to develop - might take us the better part of the season to be that finely tuned offensively...in the mean time, hope the defense can win us some games.

Hurrykaine: I think your analysis is right on. And I agree about the chemistry thing. That will definetely take some time. Still, Portis may break some runs early. It's great having a big-play threat there at all times: you never know when he's going to take a routine run all the way to the house!

From what I've seen in the preseason, I feel sorry for TB QB Brad J. If we could get to Vick the way we did, I don't think that Brad will have much of a chance. It will be a test of our secondary, but if they are up to their matchups, there could be a lot of sacks on Sunday. :headbange

rice isn't a slouch either... right now there's just too many unknowns on both teams... i'll have a much better idea where the teams stand after this week.

Might see a low scoring game..under 33? If this D can keep TB out of the end zone Joe gets his win. And if they get by TB it could be smooooooth sailing till the Baltimore game. :D

the over under was 38 i think, which seems reasonable (but my memory may be wrong), last i saw skins were favored by 2.5 (up from 1.5 a week or two ago)... that gaurantees nothing, but vegas knows how to aggreate loses, and they're right more than they're wrong (technically, the people placing the bets using the casinos as an intermediary).

One of Gibb's strength's is his play calling, and his ability to go against his tendencies, I have a felling that Gibb's will show us something on sunday that we haven't seen from him before, yes we will see the counter trey, and some of the classic play's, but over all we may see less running, and a little more of trying to get Portis the ball on short passing play's, ala west coast style, I just think we are in for some new wrinkles this first game from Gibb's.

[B]"Gruden is notorious for studying film until all hours of the night, and he has unearthed some tapes of Gibbs's glory years leading up to this game. Gruden said he has shown some clips to his players to alert them to certain tendencies..." [/B]

OK, here's what I don't get: Gruden's an offensive guy right? So what was he doing getting tapes of old Redskin footage under Gibbs when Ritchie Petitbon was the defensive coordinator? Wouldn't Gruden look at films of Gregg Williams' defenses?

Maybe Gruden has his hand in defense too. I don't know. It just seems like Monte Kiffin would be the one going over Gibbs' tendencies.

[QUOTE=Beemnseven][B]"Gruden is notorious for studying film until all hours of the night, and he has unearthed some tapes of Gibbs's glory years leading up to this game. Gruden said he has shown some clips to his players to alert them to certain tendencies..." [/B]

OK, here's what I don't get: Gruden's an offensive guy right? So what was he doing getting tapes of old Redskin footage under Gibbs when Ritchie Petitbon was the defensive coordinator? Wouldn't Gruden look at films of Gregg Williams' defenses?

Maybe Gruden has his hand in defense too. I don't know. It just seems like Monte Kiffin would be the one going over Gibbs' tendencies.[/QUOTE]

A good head coach over see's all facet's of the game, ala Parcell's.

For all those that think that it's just going to be the old stuff when it comes to this years Gibbs O you may have something coming! If anyone can look at a D and see how to cut it up it is Gibbs! Does he have the player we well soon know. He will use the old stuff but you can bet he is going to try thing that he thinks will hurt this Blitz happy D's of 2000s! He has a great mind for this and will change if something isn't working and can change at the haft if he needs to! I bet he has been looking at these D's for years saying to himself I have something I wish I could try! In less then 24 hours we will see! GO SKINS!!!! The long sleep is almost over!!! :sleep: