The Bucs' and Titans' dilemma, and other playoff musings
01/11/2008
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While watching Tennessee’s offense sputter in a 17-6 playoff loss to the Chargers last weekend, I felt a major sense of déjà vu. Just hours before Vince Young failed to rally his Titans from an 11-point defecit, Jeff Garcia had similar problems in Tampa’s 24-14 loss to the Giants.
The Titans and Bucs don’t share a division or conference, but they do share one flaw: they can’t come from behind. Not to take anything away from what they did in the regular season, but both Young and Garcia have major limitations that were on full display in the opening round of the playoffs.
Garcia threw two interceptions in the loss to the Giants and both were products of him trying to overcome his lack of arm strength. He’s perfect for Tampa’s West Coast Offense because he has a quick release, is accurate in short to midrange passes, and he doesn’t turn the ball over. But when his team needs him to be a gunslinger because they’ve fallen behind by 17 points in the fourth quarter, he’s simply not effective. Garcia was a great offseason addition because the Bucs needed stability at the quarterback position after using a combination of Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski and Tim Rattay in 2006. He led them to a 9-7 record after they finished dead last in the NFC South last year, but he was also a big part of their eventual demise in the playoffs.
Unlike Garcia’s individual shortcomings, Young’s limitations mostly stem from the Titans’ lack of offensive continuity. He has absolutely no one to throw to and LenDale White is his polar opposite in the backfield. White is perfect for a quarterback who can consistently pull off the play action pass because he can force defenses to commit more defenders to the run. When defenses load the box trying to stop the run, it usually opens the door for big plays off play action. But Young hasn’t mastered the play action yet, so good defenses can play the Titans straight up. Once the Chargers controlled the run last week, they had no problem limiting Young’s effectiveness through the air.
Obviously, both Tampa and Tennessee are good teams – they wouldn’t have made the playoffs otherwise. However, if they want to make deeper playoff runs next year and beyond, they’re going to have to add an element of explosiveness to their offenses. Both teams need more playmakers to mask Garcia's and Young’s limitations or else we’ll surely see repeats of last weekend’s failed comebacks.
More from last weekend
- I don’t know why Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is getting as much criticism as he has for going for two on back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter of their 31-29 loss to the Jaguars. I realize the odds of converting a two-point conversion are less than ideal, but he was trying to get the Steelers to within a field goal after they cut the Jags’ lead down to 28-23. If he settles for the extra point, his team still needs a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Let’s say that, from that point, the Jaguars hit the ground running, chew up eight minutes off the clock and score another touchdown to make the game 35-24. Now the Steelers have to score two touchdowns (or a field goal and a touchdown with a two-point conversion) in less than eight minutes, plus stop the Jaguars from running out the clock in between. Tomlin had the momentum and took the shot. It didn’t work, but hindsight is always 20/20. He’s a rookie head coach and this was his first playoff game. He’ll learn from this experience and be better for it.
- Even though they lost, it was a nice run by the Washington Redskins, (now) former head coach Joe Gibbs and quarterback Todd Collins. The ‘Skins never quit and Gibbs deserves major credit for keeping his team united after Sean Taylor’s death. Collins was a great story too, although his bubble was bound to burst, wasn’t it? I just couldn’t see Collins getting past Seattle and Dallas on the road.
Looking ahead
What a great round of matchups this weekend. For fans of both college and pro, we needed this after the BCS muffed its bowl matchups.
It’ll be interesting to see if Peyton Manning and the Indy offense will be out of sync early with Marvin Harrison returning to the lineup. It’s easy to assume that with Harrison back, the Colts will have no trouble scoring points. But if Manning’s timing with Harrison is off, a domino effect may happen. Manning might force passes trying to get the ball into the hands of his go-to guy, which could result in a turnover or two. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have been so good this year on their own, it would be a shame if Manning leans too heavily on Harrison when he doesn’t necessarily have to. Maybe using Harrison as a decoy would be wise until he gets in sync again with the offense. Of course, rumor has it Manning and Tony Dungy are pretty smart guys, so I’m sure they’ll figure out the best approach. - Sorry Seahawk fans, but your team is in major trouble. I love Seattle’s aggressive style on defense, but a pass-happy offense with a dinged up quarterback and no real running game doesn’t bode well at playoff time in Green Bay.
- I’m not calling an upset special here, but other than the Colts I think the Jaguars are the only team that could potentially knock off New England. They own the AFC’s best running game, a quarterback who doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, and a stingy defense. However, much like the demise of the Titans and Bucs last week, a lot revolves around how well David Garrard plays. He was brutal in the second half of the Pittsburgh game, which led to an ineffective running game and a defense that wore down because they were on the field too much. Like the Titans and Bucs, the Jags don’t have a quick-strike offense. If Garrard struggles and the Patriots mount a double-digit lead late in the second half, that potent Jacksonville running game won’t be of much help.
- Although I like Jacksonville’s chances, it’ll take a perfect game to overcome Bill Belichick and a Patriots team that’s clearly on a mission. To go 19-0 is tough, but if there’s any team that could do it, this is it. The fact that they’re going to be well-rested helps, plus Laurence Maroney might finally be hitting his stride after a tough first half of the season. If New England’s offense is balanced this weekend, Tom Brady is going to throw for 300-plus yards and the Pats will win handily.
Is there anything better than Brett Favre playing a playoff game in Green Bay? A healthy Ryan Grant is going to be a must for the Pack to survive, however – not only for this upcoming game, but from here on out as well. He provides such a nice spark and opens up passing lanes for Favre and the offense. If Grant is gimpy or ineffective, opposing defenses are going to have an easier time disguising blitz packages and sitting back in pass coverage. - It was only one game, but Eli Manning finally looks like he gets it. He took control in the second quarter of the win over the Bucs and led the Giants on two impressive scoring drives. Maybe he’s finally taken his game to the next level. This week in Dallas will be a good test because the Cowboys’ defense feeds off opposing teams’ mistakes, but Roy Williams and the rest of the secondary are vulnerable. If Manning plays as well as he did last week, the Giants could pull off an upset.
- Speaking of Dallas, Tony Romo gets his first real chance at playoff redemption. The last time we saw Romo in the postseason, he fumbled the snap on a potential game-winning field goal attempt and cost Dallas a win in Seattle. Romo and the Cowboys offense haven’t looked as crisp as they did earlier in the regular season, so it’ll be interesting to see if they play sloppy and give New York scoring chances. Plus, beating a team three times in one season is no easy feat, and the Giants hung with them on both occasions this year. Even though the Cowboys are the top-ranked team in the NFC, a win this weekend is no lock.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.