Patriots-Buccaneers Preview

 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Countdown Daily Recap: Patriots-Buccaneers

SCOUTING REPORT

Patriots-Buccaneers: 10 observations After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Patriots-Buccaneers matchup. 1. Go deep: New England used to have a very vertically inclined offense, but Tom Brady has missed open receivers deep, namely Randy Moss, on too many occasions this year. Obviously that was not the case in Week 6 and the porous Buccaneers' secondary has allowed a plethora of deep passes. As good and effective as Wes Welker is, Brady has keyed in on him a bit too much at times. Still, Aqib Talib has made some big plays this year, but has also shown that he can be exploited deep. Ronde Barber has also seen better days.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
NWE	7-3	290	164	6-0	1-3	3-1	5-3
TAM	1-9	164	294	1-5	0-4	0-2	1-6
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

New England Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Brady 66.4 3049 20 6 Hoyer 81.8 52 0 0

Tampa Bay Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Johnso... 50.4 685 4 8 Leftwi... 54.2 594 4 3

New England Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Marone... 116 455 3.9 6 Taylor 45 201 4.5 2

Tampa Bay Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Willia... 117 450 3.8 3 Ward 66 243 3.7 1

New England Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Moss 63 925 14.7 8 Welker 79 854 10.8 4

Tampa Bay Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Winslo... 47 483 10.3 5 Bryant 19 269 14.2 2

Full Player Stats: New England | Tampa Bay

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	NWE	416.0
	TAM	271.0
Yards Passing	NWE	302.3
	TAM	169.8
Yards Rushing	NWE	113.8
	TAM	100.7
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	NWE	296.7
	TAM	378.3
Pass Yds Allowed	NWE	187.3
	TAM	209.4
Rush Yds Allowed	NWE	109.4
	TAM	168.9

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
New England leads 2-0
Dec 17, 2005	NWE 28, @TAM 0

Coming off one of the most dominating performances in NFL history, the New England Patriots hope to show the fans at London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday some of the league's best football.

Their opponent, however, has been playing some of the worst.

Tom Brady hopes to lead the Patriots to another decisive victory over a winless opponent as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carry a 10-game losing streak across the Atlantic Ocean for the NFL's third annual London game.

Coming off major knee surgery, Brady hadn't been his typically sharp self through the season's first five games, but he finally flashed his MVP form in the Foxborough snow last Sunday.

Looking like the player who threw an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes during a 16-0 regular season in 2007, Brady carved up Tennessee's defense for 380 passing yards and six touchdowns -- including three to Randy Moss -- before he was removed early in the second half.

New England's 45-0 halftime lead was the largest in NFL history, and its 59-0 win matched the biggest blowout since the AFL-NFL merger 39 years ago. Brady's five touchdown passes in the second quarter were the most in one period in league history.

"Every week we're learning something more about ourselves and what we can do," Brady said. "There's no doubt a game like this can give you a lot of confidence."

The Patriots (4-2) took over sole possession of the AFC East lead, and they may not need nearly as flawless an effort to beat the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay (0-6) was 9-3 last season before losing its last four games and missing the playoffs, and it is still searching for its first win under new coach Raheem Morris.

Morris, whose 27th-ranked defense has allowed 28.0 points per game, didn't seem optimistic about his team's trip to London, which will count as a home game for the Bucs and could help New England get its first road win in its third try.

"You're obviously happy to take your game international and make it a bigger game than it already is," Morris said. "At the same time, you're going to play a team that just scored 59 points."

"(Patriots coach) Bill Belichick is not going to take it easy on us," Morris added. "He just played an 0 and whatever team (last Sunday), and the score was 59-0. Now he's going to play another one. I'm sure Bill Belichick is licking his chops. And, he should be."

There were plenty of positive signs for Belichick's offense against the winless Titans, including a season-high 123 yards and a touchdown from running back Laurence Maroney, who may have to carry more of the load again with Sammy Morris' status in doubt.

Morris suffered a knee injury last Sunday and Fred Taylor is still recovering from ankle surgery. Backup BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 67 yards on seven carries against the Titans, and he could help New England on the ground against the Bucs' 31st-ranked run defense.

Carolina exploited that weakness in a 28-21 win at Tampa Bay last Sunday, rushing for 267 yards. The Panthers' game-winning 16-play drive included 15 runs, killing most of the final nine minutes of the game.

"The results right now are disappointing," Morris said. "But to see people start to grow and develop into what they can become are pretty encouraging."

The Patriots looked like a finished product against the Titans, as Moss totaled 129 receiving yards while Wes Welker caught 10 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. New England was overwhelming even though rookie Sebastian Vollmer was replacing injured left tackle Matt Light.

The team's defense -- without healthy scratch Adalius Thomas at linebacker and with 40-year-old Junior Seau back in the lineup -- was also impressive, holding the Titans to 186 total yards, including minus-seven passing.

Belichick hopes his team can harness the momentum at Wembley, but he didn't seem fascinated by the trip.

"I'm sure it'll be something we'll all remember," Belichick said, but "I'm just trying to coach a team. I'm not trying to solve the world's problems."

Brady was more excited to make the trip to Wembley, the longtime home of the English national soccer team. The stadium was rebuilt in 2007 and hosted games between the Giants and Dolphins that year and the Saints and Chargers last fall.

"It's not too often that we fly east to play a game," Brady said. "And to play in Wembley Stadium, it's as historic a stadium (as there is) in the entire world. I think our team is all very excited for that."

Brady has said he is a fan of English soccer -- specifically Manchester United, the club that has won the last three Premier League titles and is owned by Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer.

United will play a key match at Liverpool earlier Sunday, hours before Glazer's American franchise tries to end its longest losing streak since a league-record 26-game skid from 1976-77.

Sources: Bucs demote Bates, give Morris D

Continuing a tumultous year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers changed defensive coordinators Monday night, demoting Jim Bates and handing over their defense to head coach Raheem Morris, according to sources close to the situation.

Patriots have one last chance for signature win

Jets' Ryan 'disrespected' by Pats' late pass play

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan felt "disrespected" by the New England Patriots for throwing a deep pass with the game well in hand Sunday.

MacGregor: It isn't about Belichick; it's about us

Was Bill Belichick right to go for it against the Colts? Do clothes make the man? What would Jean-Paul Belmondo do? And which way is the wind blowing today?

Rodney Harrison set to tackle NBC gig

Rodney Harrison [ stats ] is ready to begin the next phase of his life. One of the most storied players in Patriots [ team stats ] history, Harrison will be introduced as the newest member of NBC's broadcast team during a conference call tomorrow, according to a source with knowledge of Harrison's plans.

Jim Donaldson: It's okay to to be optimistic about the 2009 Pats' offense, but let's be realistic

They are more than merely workouts, these sessions in which the Patriots are participating on the grass field in the southern shadow of Gillette Stadium.

Vince Wilfork a no-show again

Patriots [ team stats ] nose tackle Vince Wilfork [ stats ] is scheduled to appear at an event in support of his diabetes charity tomorrow.

Patriots.com News Blitz

Maroney talks about being healthy and Crable and Springs reflect on being back in action.

Patriots re-sign punter Tom Malone

The Patriots announced that they have re-signed punter Tom Malone today. Malone joins veteran Chris Hanson on the roster at the punter spot.

Bucs' Zuttah apparently ahead of Sears at left guard

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are undergoing a changing of their left guard, and it definitely appears as though the key figure in that change is second-year pro Jeremy Zuttah.

Jackson needs swagger

If Amarri Jackson wants to make sure he gets to training camp and through the preseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Antonio Bryant has some veteran advice for the Sarasota native.

Receiver Kelly Campbell savors his chance to make Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Each time Bucs receiver Kelly Campbell reads a headline about an NFL player who has been arrested or otherwise gotten into trouble, he can't help but immediately think about the potential consequences.

Dungy is moving forward

It had been a busy Thursday morning but now Tony Dungy was heading back across the Howard Frankland Bridge toward Tampa after a couple of meetings in a campaign to increase parental involvement in Florida public schools.

Mangurian looking for discipline on Bucs' OL

Two months before the start of training camp, Tampa Bay's new offensive line coach has a chilling message for his minions: If you're not planning on being smart and disciplined, don't bother showing up.