
Forum �bersicht Suche Login Registrieren Forums-Blog Landkarte

04	Dezember 2018

So much for struggling without Jameis Winston.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not only thriving in the suspended quarterback's absence White Peyton Barber Jersey , they're evolving into an offensive juggernaut that's set to perform on a national stage when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Monday night.Thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick and a talented collection of playmakers that include DeSean Jackson, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin, the Bucs (2-0) are off to their best start in eight years and have the NFL's top-ranked offense.The Steelers (0-1-1) are not far behind at No. 2, however inconsistency on defense has Ben Roethlisberger and Co. winless through two weeks."I respect what they've done. I'm not so sure I'm surprised," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Tampa Bay's emergence with wins against the New Orleans Saints and the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.They've done it with Fitzpatrick, a 35-year-old journeyman who has thrown TD passes for seven NFL franchises, delivering the best two games of his career."Man, he's got some explosive weapons. He's stepping in for Winston, but Fitz is not a step-in guy. This guy has started in multiple cities," Tomlin said."We've seen him extensively in Cincinnati and Buffalo. He's a smart guy, Ivy League-educated, always made good decisions. That's why he's been able to sustain himself and play for the length of time that he's played."What once looked as if it might be a potentially disastrous stretch to open the season with Winston suspended three games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy suddenly is an opportunity for the team's first 3-0 start since 2005.Very encouraging for a franchise that has missed the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons, the second-longest drought in the league behind the Cleveland Browns (15).Fitzpatrick believes he's playing the best football of his career."But, I mean, it's early. Consistency is the biggest thing," the 14th-year pro said. "Trying to stay consistent with a high level of performance and just continue to try to win games."As well as things are coming together for the Bucs, though, it's been rocky times for the struggling Steelers, off to their worst start in five years.Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell has not reported to the team and signed his one-year franchise tenderAnd star receiver Antonio Brown made headlines after shouting at offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner on the sideline last week and then responding to criticism on social media from a former team employee by suggesting the team trade him if it wants to find out how productive he can be without Roethlisberger.Tomlin, however Youth Chris Godwin Jersey , isn't flinching."We are two weeks in. We do not have a large body of work. We are focused on winning this next opportunity," the coach said."I am not ready to paint with a broad brush ... in terms of where our football team is or what is going to define this group."Some things to know about the Steelers and Buccaneers:JUJU ON THAT BEATAll the self-created melodrama surrounding Brown has overshadowed another significant development for Pittsburgh's offense: the continued rise of second-year wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.The 21-year-old came on strong over the second half of his rookie season in 2017 and has picked up right where he left off. Smith-Schuster is tied for Brown for the team lead in receptions (18) and his 240 yards receiving ranks fifth in the league."He just has a great knack and feel for the game, knowing when to sit down in zone, knowing when to move in man," Roethlisberger said."He uses his body and size at times, so I think he's really studied the game, and studied his game and has really gotten better."RING OF HONORHall of Famer Tony Dungy, who won a Super Bowl as a player with the Steelers and later transformed Tampa Bay from a laughingstock into a championship contender as a coach, will be inducted into the Bucs' Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony.He joins Hall of Famers Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, as well as Doug Williams, Jimmie Giles, Mike Alstott, John Lynch, Paul Gruber, coaches John McKay and Jon Gruden and late owner Malcolm Glazer as members of the ring.NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE PASTThe Steelers have made it a habit of stubbing their toe early in the season only to find their groove at midseason and reach the playoffs each of the past four years. Not that their resiliency has provided them any sort of comfort facing the club's worst start since 2013."It doesn't matter what we've done in the past," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "I'm not worried about what we've done two years ago, a year ago. Worry about what we've got to do now, the present. Be in this moment. Understand we made some mistakes. Now we've got to correct it."FLAG DAYDefensive breakdowns and Brown's behavior aren't Pittsburgh's only problems. The Steelers have hurt themselves under an avalanche of penalty yards.Pittsburgh has been flagged 24 times for an NFL-high 206 yards in penalties through two weeks.Tomlin described the issues as "popcorn," meaning they're coming from all over the place. If there's a bright side for the Steelers, it's that they've found a way to clean things up as the season progresses.A year ago they were called for 23 penalties through two games and finished with the ninth-fewest penalty yards in the league.AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. While Sunday was another excruciating loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers White Chris Conte Jersey , and a loss that left many questions around the direction of the franchise, there were some impressive individual performances against the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick: Who would�ve thought that when Fitzpatrick came in with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter that he would be able to make the most impressive list. He is on the list and he is at the top because of his play on Sunday. Fitzpatrick brought the team back from Jameis Winston�s mistakes an erased an 18 point deficit in the fourth quarter. Fitz finished the game completing 11 of 15 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns as well as 0 interceptions. The team was re-energized by Fitzpatrick and rallied around him as the fourth quarter went on. Fitzpatrick will be the starting quarterback going forward and I expect him to take full advantage of this opportunity. Mike Evans: It doesn�t really matter who plays quarterback for the Buccaneers, Evans shows up weekly and does his job. On Sunday, he finished with six catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came on a 72-yard bomb from Fitzpatrick to bring the Buccaneers back within striking distance. On the season, Evans has 46 catches, for 770 yards and four touchdowns. Currently, Evans ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards and is only 42 yards behind Julio Jones for second. Evans came into training camp on a mission,he is having his best season yet and will only continue to get better. He could become the best receiver in the NFL if Tampa Bay can just find a consistent quarterback. O.J. Howard: Howard has really come into his own this season. After an up and down rookie year, he has answered the bell everytime he is called upon this season. He finished yesterday�s contest with four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown helped the Buccaneers tie the game with a minute remaining. Howard continues to be a matchup nightmare for linebackers all over the league, and Fitzpatrick will continue to exploit that in the coming weeks. Howard currently ranks fifth amongst tight ends in receiving yards on the season with 419.Adam Humphries: When Winston returned in the second half of the Chicago Bears game, so did Adam Humphries. Hump is as reliable as they come as a slot receiver and played one of the best games of his career on Sunday. He finished with 7 catches for 76 yards and missed a touchdown by about 6 inches, literally. He is always reliable, always where he needs to be and has toughness that an undersized receiver like himself needs. We will see if the return of Fitzpatrick impacts Humphries, but if the production does stay the same, the Buccaneers should look to extend Humphries. Hump has done everything asked of him the last four years and the Buccaneers should reward him if his play continues. Jason Pierre-Paul: Another Sunday, another sack for JPP. Actually, another two sacks for JPP. Pierre Paul also added two tackles for a loss as well. The veteran defensive end is up to eight on the season and is tied for second in the NFL and only two behind Aaron Donald, who has played one more game then JPP. It was JPP�s seventh straight game with a sack and he is well on his way to double digits sacks on the year and that is unheard of in Tampa Bay. Pierre-Paul is really the only defensive player that has shown up consistently on a week to week basis and to me, is the unquestionable leader on the defense. Hopefully in the coming weeks there will be more of a balance on both sides of the ball in terms of who makes the list.