Everyone keeps saying the Bucs should fear Manning and the Broncos offense

[youngone]

We won't have to worry about Peyton if this blizzard I'm praying for comes thru. BELIEVE

[mgchat76]

Doubt it, it's supposed to be mid 60's and partly cloudy.  We've hardly seen any snow, yet.

[Hayseed]

But shouldn't Broncos also fear this Buccaneer offense? I don't have the stats in front of me but since the bye aren't the Bucs the number scoring offense in the entire NFL? Manning is going to carve our defense like a Thanksgiving turkey but who's to say we wont return the favor and put 30+ points as well?

We are so easy to mark this as a loss but after taking a sip of pewter flavored kool aid I think we can going into Mile High and win a shoot out!

Bucs win 38-34

Its easy to mark as a loss because were playing the best QB in the league in his house with this horrid pass D. We don't stand a chance. Seriously!

[youngone]

Doubt it, it's supposed to be mid 60's and partly cloudy.  We've hardly seen any snow, yet.

BELIEVE 

[Benchwarmer#1]

Wow....you think this year's squad compares to pee-wee?

This isn't David and Goliath. They have a slight advantage. That's it.

Maybe not peewee. ...Maybe more like fava-flav vs. Kimbo slice?

It's not a "slight' advantage when nicks and DJ are out and backups are installed.
It's not a "slight" advantage when the falsons defense could chase your QB around.
And it's deffinately not a "slight" advantage that tampa's "best" avalable lineman is playing worse than the backups are at the moment.

I could be wrong, but I can totally see this going bad quickly.

Look at the teams we both played....

We both lost to the Falcons by less than a TD.

We both destroyed the Raiders.

They beat the Chargers twice and we beat the Chargers once.

We barely beat the Panthers twice and they destroyed them once.

They barely beat the Chiefs and we destroyed the Chiefs.

The only game that went really different was the Saints. We lost a nail biter at the last minute and the Broncos dominated them.

I get the idea, the "we beat so and so, and they didn't" thought pattern. I'm glad you know your stuff though. You're an excellent fan of the game and this team.

However, that frame of thinking might as well be thrown against the wall just to see if it sticks. Personally, if I'm throwing anything and seeing if it will stick, it's that the match up isn't good for the bucs. They simply don't match up well.

Our pass d sucks. Their answer? Larger manning.
Freeman is the key to success. He wins, the team wins? Their answer? A dominating, sack-creating defense.
Our Ol banged up? Their answer? See above.
Our WR's are some of the best ever as a core? Their answer? See above once again.
Tampa's ST iffy? Their answer? One of the better tackling teams in the league.

Honestly, it's not even manning that worries me, it's their defense. We've had teams shut the offense down before, and they weren't as good as the bronco's defense.

[JDouble]

We'll get to see the Martin & Blount combo in full effect for the first time this Sunday. 50+ runs.

Seriously. Watch last weeks game and look what the Chiefs did with Jamal Charles and Peyton Hillis. Should be our blueprint.

[Bayfisher]

Both are great points.  The Broncos are the best team the Bucs face so far.  With the weapons the Bucs have there is no excuse for not getting the ball out quickly to avoid sacks.  The qb/receiver relationship should be hitting stride at this point.  The team understands the pass rush so I'm sure they have a couple plans to counter.  Martin needs to quickly sneak out of the scrum and be effective on screens.  The tall receivers may have to play a short game for a time.  For the defense it will take a pick or what seems to be a lost art on this team in a forced fumble recovery to have a chance. I think the lack of FF is a product of sound tackling if that makes sense. Lol! I still choose the latter. One of these cbs needs to step up and make a claim. I convince myself that I understand enough to see a victory but it will be a tough game.

[Benchwarmer#1]

Both are great points.  The Broncos are the best team the Bucs face so far.  With the weapons the Bucs have there is no excuse for not getting the ball out quickly to avoid sacks.  The qb/receiver relationship should be hitting stride at this point.  The team understands the pass rush so I'm sure they have a couple plans to counter.  Martin needs to quickly sneak out of the scrum and be effective on screens.  The tall receivers may have to play a short game for a time.  For the defense it will take a pick or what seems to be a lost art on this team in a forced fumble recovery to have a chance. I think the lack of FF is a product of sound tackling if that makes sense. Lol! I still choose the latter. One of these cbs needs to step up and make a claim. I convince myself that I understand enough to see a victory but it will be a tough game.

I'm trying to figure out that myself.

The only reasonable answer is to let Doug do what he can, as much as he can, and keep the ball away from manning as much as possible.

[Bucs N Beers]

Exactly my thought. I don't want Freeman to go into this game and "prove he's a franchise QB" unless he needs to. I want to see Doug run wild. If they can put together enough long drives and keep Manning off the field, this game is winnable. This is a game I want Freeman to be a manager if possible.