Click the above photo for the 82 page PDF Program. Don’t think the Bucs have a shot at New Orleans? Let’s not forget the Bucs won there last year when Tampa Bay was nowhere near as good as they are today, and the Saints were on a Super Bowl drive. Not only that, but the Bucs have won two of the last 3 visits to the SuperDome, and 5 of the last 7! Thats a lot of winning Tampa Bay has done in New Orleans, no reason to think it can’t happen today. If it does though, you wont be able to put down the remote control. Thats because two, not one, but TWO key games start at 4pm; The Chicago Bears must beat the Green Bay Packers even though the Bears have already clinched their playoff spot, and the Washington Redskins must complete the collapse of the New York Giants who could be fighting for Tom Coughlin’s job. Only if all three of those events happen will the Bucs enjoy this final Sunday of the regular season, and extend this magical season for another week into the Playoffs. Should they make the cut, the Bucs would more than likely play at Philadelphia; imagine that starting up all over again! STATS STATS STATS- Normally the potent Saints offense is a mismatch for the Bucs, but Tampa Bay brings in some respectable numbers for the first time against the Saints… When Tampa Bay has the ball, they will bring their 18th ranked offense that is 21st in passing and an impressive 7th in rushing. To counter, the Saints have the 5th best defense (18th vs the run, 2nd vs the Pass) which could give Josh Freeman some fits. New Orleans has offensive firepower to be sure, their 6th ranked offense is 2nd in passing, but only 27th in rushing. The Bucs meanwhile have the 15th ranked defense that is made up the 28th run D and the 6th passing defense. The major difference between the two teams are the turnovers, where New Orleans is ranked 22nd with a -5, and the Bucs are 7th with a +8! LeGarrette Blount needs only 59 yards to have a 1,000 yard season which is amazing considering he didnt start running until week 6! Of course, its no surprise that the QB with the best passer rating in todays game is, JOSH FREEMAN? Thats right- Freeman’s 93.6 QB rating is higher than Drew Brees’ 92.2! Marquise Colston has 1,023 yards while rookie WR Mike Williams has 924 yards and needs only 76 yards to get his 1,000. DIRECT CONNECTIONS
- Bucs Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson worked as the quarterbacks coach at Purdue University and coached Saints QB Drew Brees through his entire collegiate career from 1997-2000.
- Bucs TE Kellen Winslow, Saints TE Jeremy Shockey and Saints LB Jonathan Vilma were teammates on the University of Miami (FL) Hurricanes when they won the 2001 National Championship.
- Saints Offensive Line Coach and Running Game Coordinator Aaron Kromer worked as the Buccaneers Senior Assistant in 2005 and Senior Assistant/Offensive Line Coach from 2006-07.
- Bucs Linebackers Coach Joe Baker worked for the Saints an assistant secondary and Special Teams Coach from 2000-01, Assistant Secondary Coach in 2002 and Secondary Coach from 2003- 04.
- Saints DL Jimmy Wilkerson was a member of the Buccaneers from 2008-09.
- Bucs Offensive Line Coach Pete Mangurian played collegiately at Louisiana State University from 1975-78, and later worked as LSU’s Offensive Line Coach from 1984-87.
- Bucs DT Al Woods is a native of Elton, Louisiana, played collegiately at LSU from 2005-09 and originally entered the league as a fourth-round selection (123rd overall) of the Saints in the 2010 NFL Draft.
- Bucs G Brandon Carter originally entered the league as a rookie free agent of the New Orleans Saints following the 2010 NFL Draft.
- Bucs DT Roy Miller, Bucs DE Tim Crowder and Saints TE David Thomas were teammates at the University of Texas in 2005, when the Longhorns won the National Championship.
- The University of Southern California Trojans, whom the Longhorns defeated in the title-game, featured Saints RB Reggie Bush and Saints T Charles Brown. Bucs Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Keenan worked in the same capacity at Tulane University from 2006-08.
- Bucs Combine Scout Tony Kinkela worked as the director of football operations for the Tulane University from 2006-08.
• Saints TE Jimmy Graham played collegiately at the University of Miami (FL) from 2005-09. • Saints DE Anthony Hargrove is a native of Punta Gorda, Florida, and attended Port Charlotte High School. • Saints CB Patrick Robinson played collegiately at Florida State University from 2006-09, and is a native of Miami, Florida. • Saints DE Alex Brown is a native of White Springs, Florida, and attended the University of Florida. • Saints Offensive Assistant Carter Sheridan played collegiately at Florida A&M University. KEEP A LOOK OUT… – CB Ronde Barber • With 26.0 career sacks, Barber needs one more to surpass Broderick Thomas (26.5 sacks, 1989-93) for seventh-most sacks in team history. – RB LeGarrette Blount • With one more rushing touchdowns, Blount will tie Lars Tate and Errict Rhett (seven touchdowns in – QB Josh Freeman • Freeman has 33 passing touchdowns with the Buc- caneers and needs two more to pass Craig Erickson (34 from 1992-94) for the sixth-most passing touch- downs in team history. • With three more touchdown passes, Freeman could tie the franchise single season record for touchdown passes set by Brad Johnson in 2003 (26 touchdowns). – RB Earnest Graham • Graham has 15 rushing touchdowns with the Buc- caneers and needs one more to pass Lars Tate (15 from 1988-89) and tie Ricky Bell (16 from 1977-81) for the seventh-most rushing touchdowns in team history. • Graham has 1,841 career rushing yards with the Buccaneers and needs five more yards to pass Jerry Eckwood (1,845 rushing yards) for ninth-most rush- ing yards in team history. – RB Carnell Williams • Williams has 20 rushing touchdowns with the Buc- caneers and needs one more to tie Reggie Cobb (21 from 1990-93) for the fourth-most rushing touch- downs in team history. – WR Mike Williams • Williams has 61 receptions this season and needs five more to pass Mike Alstott (65 receptions in 1996) for second-most receptions by a rookie in a single season in franchise history. • Williams has 924 receiving yards and needs 76 more to become just the second rookie in franchise history to achieve 1,000 receiving yards in a season (Michael Clayton, 1,193 yards in 2004). • With one more touchdown reception, Williams will pass Joey Galloway (10 in 2005) for the most re- ceiving touchdowns in a single season in franchise history. – TE Kellen Winslow • Winslow has 1,586 receiving yards with the Bucca- neers and needs 49 more yards to pass Jackie Harris (1,634 receiving yards from 1994-97) for the fourth- most receiving yards by a tight end in team history. • Winslow has 10 receiving touchdowns with the Buccaneers and needs one more to tie Calvin Magee and Alex Smith (11 touchdowns from 1985-88 and 2005-08, respectively) for the third-most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in team history. Want more facts and info? Download the 82 page PDF program media guide by clicking on the photo at the top!
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