PantherPaul
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Per ESPN Insider
Is Bruce Gradkowski the QB of the future for the Bucs?
It certainly looks that way. I've been quite impressed with the way Gradkowski handles himself. He is engaging and enthusiastic, and he has a passion for the game of football. Gradkowski has a lot of confidence in himself, but he is smart enough to know that he still has a lot to learn in this league. He's a perfect protégé for coach Jon Gruden and could eventually turn into another Rich Gannon for Gruden. Gannon, of course, was like a mini-Gruden on the field and in practice. He made the decisions that Gruden would've made at all times and flourished under Gruden's tutelage.
I can see the same thing happening with Gradkowski because he has that same type of intensity, even though his is a little more subtle than Gannon's. Gradkowski is a sixth-round draft choice who has had to fight to get where he is, and that has steeled him. As Gannon did, Gradkowski cares only about winning and lets the tongue-lashings Gruden is prone to give just roll off his back.
Obviously, the Bucs have Chris Simms waiting for another opportunity to lead this team next season, but sadly his poor play before his injury may hinder his chances to get another opportunity. Hopefully, he gets a chance to come back next season and compete at full strength.
What is the Bucs' best chance to win this game?
The Bucs' best chance to win this game is to rely on Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. He's a stud running back, and he's facing a Panthers run defense that has had problems the past few weeks. Julius Jones rushed for 92 yards against it just a week after Rudi Johnson rushed for 101 yards.
While the Panthers aren't being gashed by opposing runners for huge gains, opposing teams are able to consistently get three to four yards a pop. That is terrible for this defense because that can set up an offense's play action and also set up third and short situations.
Enter Cadillac.
He has the ability to shred this defense because he can pound it up the middle or pop it outside, and the Panthers will have trouble dealing with his versatility as a runner. They are going to have to commit eight men in the box and that's something they don't want to do because of how well Gradkowski has been playing as of late. He's shown the ability to take full advantage of single coverage, and the Panthers will have to respect that fact.
Can the Bucs contain Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson?
There's no way you can contain both Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson. They are both high-energy players who play with a great deal of knowledge, talent and passion. The best the Bucs can hope to do is to limit Smith's touches, and to do that they will have to bracket him with a safety at all times. They can't afford to get cutesy with Smith because he's probably the most dangerous receiver in football. Every time he touches the ball he has the ability to take it to the house despite his small frame.
That probably means Johnson will see some single coverage, and while you never want a receiver of that caliber in that type of coverage, it's really the best-case scenario. The Bucs can't rely on trying to play Johnson physical at the line of scrimmage because he uses his body so well. They have to hope they can limit him to four or five catches for somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-80 yards.
Are the Panthers still the best team in the NFC South?
No, the Panthers can't be called that despite beating the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are still the best team in the NFC South until further notice. The Panthers are just too inconsistent to be the championship contender that many expected them to be before the season started.
Don't get me wrong, there is still time for this team to get its act together and start playing the type of football it can. The Panthers have typically been a team that turns it on in the second half of the season anyway, and I can see that happening again this season. They have a solid defense and an offense that can score with any team in the league when it's clicking. The key is to get this offense clicking, and that starts with quarterback Jake Delhomme. He has to become more consistent and start limiting his turnovers, especially in the red zone. There's nothing worse for a team's morale than watching a promising drive fall short of points because of a mistake. Delhomme has been responsible for far too many of those mistakes and it's time for that to stop.
Finally, they have to do a better job of converting on third downs. Last season they went 11-5 and converted 42 percent of their third-down opportunities. This season they've converted only 24 percent of their third-down chances, and that's dead last in the NFL. On third-and-1, they are converting merely 37 percent. On third-and-2 to third-and-5, they are converting 29 percent, and on third-and-6-plus they are converting 21 percent.
They have to get better on third down to come close to making the playoffs.
Joe Theismann, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and former NFL MVP, is a regular contributor to Insider.
Is Bruce Gradkowski the QB of the future for the Bucs?
It certainly looks that way. I've been quite impressed with the way Gradkowski handles himself. He is engaging and enthusiastic, and he has a passion for the game of football. Gradkowski has a lot of confidence in himself, but he is smart enough to know that he still has a lot to learn in this league. He's a perfect protégé for coach Jon Gruden and could eventually turn into another Rich Gannon for Gruden. Gannon, of course, was like a mini-Gruden on the field and in practice. He made the decisions that Gruden would've made at all times and flourished under Gruden's tutelage.
I can see the same thing happening with Gradkowski because he has that same type of intensity, even though his is a little more subtle than Gannon's. Gradkowski is a sixth-round draft choice who has had to fight to get where he is, and that has steeled him. As Gannon did, Gradkowski cares only about winning and lets the tongue-lashings Gruden is prone to give just roll off his back.
Obviously, the Bucs have Chris Simms waiting for another opportunity to lead this team next season, but sadly his poor play before his injury may hinder his chances to get another opportunity. Hopefully, he gets a chance to come back next season and compete at full strength.
What is the Bucs' best chance to win this game?
The Bucs' best chance to win this game is to rely on Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. He's a stud running back, and he's facing a Panthers run defense that has had problems the past few weeks. Julius Jones rushed for 92 yards against it just a week after Rudi Johnson rushed for 101 yards.
While the Panthers aren't being gashed by opposing runners for huge gains, opposing teams are able to consistently get three to four yards a pop. That is terrible for this defense because that can set up an offense's play action and also set up third and short situations.
Enter Cadillac.
He has the ability to shred this defense because he can pound it up the middle or pop it outside, and the Panthers will have trouble dealing with his versatility as a runner. They are going to have to commit eight men in the box and that's something they don't want to do because of how well Gradkowski has been playing as of late. He's shown the ability to take full advantage of single coverage, and the Panthers will have to respect that fact.
Can the Bucs contain Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson?
There's no way you can contain both Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson. They are both high-energy players who play with a great deal of knowledge, talent and passion. The best the Bucs can hope to do is to limit Smith's touches, and to do that they will have to bracket him with a safety at all times. They can't afford to get cutesy with Smith because he's probably the most dangerous receiver in football. Every time he touches the ball he has the ability to take it to the house despite his small frame.
That probably means Johnson will see some single coverage, and while you never want a receiver of that caliber in that type of coverage, it's really the best-case scenario. The Bucs can't rely on trying to play Johnson physical at the line of scrimmage because he uses his body so well. They have to hope they can limit him to four or five catches for somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-80 yards.
Are the Panthers still the best team in the NFC South?
No, the Panthers can't be called that despite beating the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are still the best team in the NFC South until further notice. The Panthers are just too inconsistent to be the championship contender that many expected them to be before the season started.
Don't get me wrong, there is still time for this team to get its act together and start playing the type of football it can. The Panthers have typically been a team that turns it on in the second half of the season anyway, and I can see that happening again this season. They have a solid defense and an offense that can score with any team in the league when it's clicking. The key is to get this offense clicking, and that starts with quarterback Jake Delhomme. He has to become more consistent and start limiting his turnovers, especially in the red zone. There's nothing worse for a team's morale than watching a promising drive fall short of points because of a mistake. Delhomme has been responsible for far too many of those mistakes and it's time for that to stop.
Finally, they have to do a better job of converting on third downs. Last season they went 11-5 and converted 42 percent of their third-down opportunities. This season they've converted only 24 percent of their third-down chances, and that's dead last in the NFL. On third-and-1, they are converting merely 37 percent. On third-and-2 to third-and-5, they are converting 29 percent, and on third-and-6-plus they are converting 21 percent.
They have to get better on third down to come close to making the playoffs.
Joe Theismann, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and former NFL MVP, is a regular contributor to Insider.
