Ability to run, stop the run has Buccaneers in playoff hunt

Ability to run, stop the run has Buccaneers in playoff hunt3h agoRick Brown      ESPNTAMPA, Fla. -- Run and stop the run. That has long been Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith's mantra -- and for good reason.Of the 55 teams that have averaged more than 140 yards rushing per game and have allowed less than 100 yards per game in an NFL season, only two did not finish with winning records. Only 10 of those 55 teams did not make the playoffs.This season, the Bucs are one of three teams that fit that category, along with Carolina and Seattle. Carolina (12-0) has already made the playoffs. Seattle (7-5) and Tampa Bay (6-6) are battling for the final two spots in the NFC.Led by Doug Martin, the second-leading rusher in the NFL this season, Tampa Bay is averaging 143.3 yards on the ground. Only Seattle (146.6) is averaging more. Tampa Bay's defense ranks seventh in rushing defense, allowing 94.7 yards per game.Smith said being able to run the ball and stop the run helps a team dictate the flow of a contest. In two of the past four games, Tampa Bay has held opponents to less than 50 yards rushing."Whenever you just have to deal with a team that could only do one thing, whether it be the run or the pass, you're in a lot better shape," Smith said Friday.It has taken time for the Bucs to start locking down opponents' run games. In Tampa Bay's first four games, teams averaged 136.75 yards per game on the ground."I think it's all about gap control for us -- trusting your teammate to be where he's supposed to be (while) you do your job," Smith said. "Occasionally you break a couple and normally, if your run defense is pretty good, it's saying the back end is keeping runs to minimum gains as much as anything. Good job by our secondary with that. We'll need to, of course, answer the bell again (Sunday against New Orleans)."And that includes on the offensive side, running the ball with Martin and Charles Sims. Martin has rushed for 1,133 yards through 12 games, and Tampa Bay has averaged 153 rushing yards in the past six games. That is a main reason why the Bucs are in the playoff hunt.