blacksaint

Bucs game is chance to make redemption idea become reality

Friday, September 14, 2007
By Mike Triplett

The Saints' defensive backs are confident they're better than what they showed in last week's 41-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

But like cornerback Mike McKenzie said, it doesn't really matter what they think if they can't prove it on the field.

"Until we go out in a game that counts and play lights-out defense, it is what it is," McKenzie said. "That's why it's so important for us to come out this week with a real chip on our shoulder and understand that we do need to even up the score a little bit."

Don't expect a major overhaul in the Saints' secondary this week at Tampa Bay.

They won't be unveiling their own version of the Tampa 2 defense against the Buccaneers. And they won't throw rookie cornerback Usama Young into the starting lineup.

What they must do, however, is execute better.

The Saints mixed up their coverages against the Colts, but they still got burned for several deep throws, including three touchdowns against cornerback Jason David. In fact, Saints Coach Sean Payton said the Saints were playing three different coverages on each of the three touchdown passes.

"Our guys aren't put in any more vulnerable positions than the other 31 teams in the league," defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs said. "Everybody plays two(-deep zones), everybody plays three, everybody plays man, everybody plays quarters, you double certain players. Everybody does the same things. You just hope you're doing it better than the other team."

David took the brunt of the blame after last week's game. He let receivers Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison get behind him too many times, both when he was responsible for the man specifically and when he was responsible for the deep section of the field.

David said he caught himself looking in the backfield too often when he should have been concentrating on his man.

"I think a lot had to do with my preparation. The week of practice I had and the film study I did, I don't think I did as good a job as I needed to do before the first game," said David, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the Colts, who primarily played a Cover 2 defense.

"It is a little different," he said of the Saints' scheme, "but if you're a good enough football player, you can make that transition. There's just things that you need to work on and get better at. And there's nothing like game speed. You can practice it all you want, but once you get in the game and you're able to run it and know what you're doing out there, the better you'll play."

The Buccaneers don't have an overwhelming passing offense. They ranked 26th in the league last year with 174.9 passing yards per game.

But they do have a dangerous weapon in receiver Joey Galloway, who gives the Saints fits.

In five games against the Saints over the past three years, Galloway has caught seven touchdown passes.

"He's just so dangerous. He's so fast. That's the big thing with him," safety Roman Harper said of the 35-year-old veteran who hasn't slowed down much in his 13th season. "He has blazing speed and he gets out there, and he likes to flex his muscle on guys. So it's definitely a big challenge."

"Joey's a good player. He creates fits for everybody," said Gibbs, who was a defensive assistant in Dallas while Galloway was with the Cowboys. "He's been in the league a long time. He's got great down-the-field speed, good hands. He does some good things in the punt return game.

"He's obviously had his moments against us, but I think he has his moments against everybody."

In Week 5 last year, Galloway caught four passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Saints in the Superdome. In Week 9 at Tampa Bay, he caught four passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

What the Buccaneers' offense has been lacking, however, is a consistent No. 2 receiving threat. Last year, Tampa Bay's other receivers combined to catch three touchdown passes.

Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden said it's important that fourth-year pro Michael Clayton bounces back this year after struggling with injuries and inconsistency the past two seasons.

"He's had four or five different injuries that have really derailed him," Gruden said. "We're working him back in. You'll see a lot more of Clayton on Sunday and hopefully in weeks to come. We've missed him. There's no question we need a playmaking consistent performer at the flanker position, and we've missed him dearly here in the last couple of seasons."

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