GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Raymond James Stadium (65,908)
2010 Records: Tampa Bay 10-6, Miami 7-9 Buccaneers Television: WTSP-TV
Play-By-Play: Chris Myers, Color: John Lynch, Sideline: Dave Wirth
Bucs Radio: US 103.5, flagship station (103.5 FM, 620 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gene Deckerhoff, Color: Dave Moore, Sideline: T.J. Rives
Up Next: Tampa Bay at Washington (9/1), Miami vs. Dallas (9/1)
TV: 11:30 PM on WTSP 10 w/ rebroadcast SUnday morning, or 11PM NFL Network.
Check out the PDF charts below for the Miami Game
Offense Preseason Stats pdf
Defense Stats PDF
Depth Chart
Rosters
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tampa Bay hosts the Dolphins, marking the 18
teams square off in the preseason. The Bucs and Dolphins are meeting for the 26th time in the preseason, the most meetings for either team in the preseason. Miami leads the series 16-9, but Tampa Bay has won five of the last nine meetings. The first preseason contest between the two teams was on August 21, 1976, a 28-21 Miami win in Tampa. The Bucs have claimed wins in 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008.
During the regular season, Miami leads the all-time series 5-4, with Tampa Bay winning three of the last four meetings. The Buccaneers won 27-13 in 2005 in Tampa, 16-13 in 2000 at Miami and 31-21 in 1997 in Tampa. The Buccaneers also won, 23-17, in 1982 in Tampa. The first meeting between the two clubs was in the Bucs’ first season in 1976, a 23-20 Miami win in Tampa. The Dolphins also captured wins in 1985 (41-38 in Miami), 1988 (17- 14 in Tampa), in 1991 (33-14 in Miami) and 2009 (25-23 in Miami).
Check out the detailed Preseason history video here…
LAST MEETING (REGULAR SEASON)
MIAMI 25, Tampa Bay 23
Sunday, November 15, 2009
MIAMI GARDENS – Tampa Bay rallied from a 13-point, second-half deficit to take a late lead at Miami, but the Dolphins earned the victory with a field goal in the final seconds. In just his second game in a Buccaneers uniform, K Connor Barth accounted for Tampa Bay’s first three scores, hitting field goals from 51, 50 and 54 yards to become the first kicker in team history and just the fourth in NFL history to make three field goals of 50 yards or more in the same game. Tampa Bay took an early 3-0 lead on the game’s opening drive on Barth’s 51-yard field goal. The Dolphins took the lead on the ensuing possession as RB Ronnie Brown set up his own one-yard touchdown run with a 45-yard scamper into Buccaneers territory. However, T Donald Penn blocked the extra point, keeping the Buccaneers within three points. The teams would trade long field goals in the second quarter, leaving Miami with a 9-6 advantage with 2:36 left in the first half. Following a Miami punt, Tampa Bay began its drive at its own six-yard line with 1:49 left in the second quarter. Two plays later, QB Josh Freeman hit WR Michael Clayton for an apparent first down, but after review the referees made a questionable reversal of their initial ruling that the pass was incomplete and instead ruled that it was a Miami interception. Tampa Bay was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, allowing the Dolphins to begin the resulting possession at the Buccaneers eight-yard line. Two plays later, QB Chad Henne hit TE Kory Sperry for a five-yard touchdown pass and a 16-6 Miami lead. After a Buccaneers punt, Miami tacked on another field goal for a 13-point lead at halftime. Barth provided the only scoring of the third quarter, nailing a 54-yard field goal, his third 50-yard effort of the day and the fifth- longest field goal in team history. On Miami’s ensuing possession, S Sabby Piscitelli forced a Brown fumble that S Tanard Jackson recovered, marking Jackson’s fourth takeaway in as many games. Tampa Bay took advantage as Freeman connected with WR Maurice Stovall on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 33-yard touchdown, cutting the Dolphins lead to 19- 16. With just over six minutes remaining in the game, Carpenter hit a 45-yard field goal to extend Miami’s lead to 22-16. Tampa Bay drove deep into Miami territory on its next drive, but Freeman’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, giving Miami possession with 2:04 left in the game. Following two running plays, Miami attempted a pass on third down that LB Quincy Black picked off, giving the Buccaneers the ball back with 1:43 remaining at the Dolphins 26-yard line. Four plays later, RB Carnell Williams plunged in from one yard out to give the Buccaneers a 23-22 advantage. Miami began its final drive with 1:14 left in the game, advancing to the Tampa Bay seven-yard line in five plays to set up Carpenter’s 25- yard game-winning field goal.
Check out the 2009 Miami Video in your browser here…
A GOOD KIND OF TOXIC
Follow the NFL for any length of time and soon enough you’ll hear an announcer or a coach say, ‘turnovers decide ballgames.’ More often than naught, the team’s that top the standings finish with positive turnover differentials.
Follow your favorite team’s draft preparations for any length of time, and you’re sure to hear a coach say he wants players who can bring “explosiveness” to the offense. This, too, is easy to understand and is often represented in the standings as well. Looking back to last season, the Green Bay Packers who beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, ranked second in the NFL big passing plays according to Statspass, with such plays being defined as 25 yards or more. The Steelers were 10th on that list, and also 11th on the big- play rushing chart (10 yards or more).
Take the two differentials and you have a formula that often equates to success.
Credit for this combination idea goes to Brian Billick, the NFL Network analyst and former head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. While serving as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 (and there was a team with big-play ability), he began alerting his team to a combo statistic he called “Toxic Differential” (TOX Rating).
The formula for Billick’s TOX Rating is simple: A team’s total of explosive plays on offense (runs or passes that gained 20 or more yards) minus the number of explosive plays it allowed on defense produces an explosive play differential. A team’s turnover differential is added to that number to create the final TOX rating.
Fellow NFL Network analyst Jim Mora, a former head coach in Atlanta and Seattle, refers to the same idea as a “Double Positive.” Mora’s point is that excelling in either big play differential or turnover differential is going to help a team win on any given Sunday, but excelling in both at the same time almost ensures victory.
In 2009, when Billick first began sharing this formula on the airwaves, it proved to be remarkably predictive. Ten of the top 11 teams in TOX rating that season made the playoffs. This past year, seven of the top 11 teams qualified for the postseason, but a look at the standings shows an even stronger correlation.
The TOX Rating can also help explain the Buccaneers quick turnaround from 2009 to 2010 season.
The Buccaneers improved in every aspect of TOX rating from 2009, when a team in transition finished with a 3-13 record, to last year, when they won 10 games and became the first NFC team (along with the 2010 Giants) to win 10 games but not make the playoffs. The 2009 team produced 49 explosive plays but allowed 61 for a differential of – 12. They also had a turnover ratio of -5 for a -16 TOX Rating. From these numbers, it’s easy to see why the Bucs were able to affect the greatest season-to-season turnaround in franchise history, an increase of seven wins.
With the additions of LeGarrette Blount, Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn, the rapid development of quarterback Josh Freeman and the continued presence of Kellen Winslow, the 2010 team was different, and that speaks well of the team’s postseason chances in the immediate future. In 2010, the team finished with 65 explosive plays, while only giving up 51 for a +14 differential. Factor in a +9 turnover differential and the Buccaneers finished with a TOX Rating of +23, good for fifth in the League.
A TAMPA LEGEND
Tom McEwen, the former Tampa Tribune sports editor and legendary journalist, passed away this past June at the age of 88, after a long battle with cancer and other health challenges. McEwen was a driving force in bringing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into existence, and in bringing three Super Bowls to the Bay area.
McEwen has long been a valued advocate of the Buccaneers. To show their appreciation for what he has meant to the franchise, the Buccaneers will be showing a short tribute video during their season opening game against the Detroit Lions on September 11th, as they remember Tom McEwen and his many contributions to Sports in the Tampa Bay Community.
At the time of his death, the Glazer family released the following statement: “Tom McEwen was a legendary difference-maker in journalism, sports, and the Tampa Bay region. Had Tom decided to dedicate his trademark smarts, gusto, and energy to something else, there would be no Buccaneers. If Tampa Bay had its own Mount Rushmore, Tom McEwen would be etched on it. Thank you and rest in peace, friend.”
McEwen campaigned for the election of Buccaneer great Lee Roy Selmon to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he covered the team closely from its inaugural season of 1976 through his retirement in 2001. After the construction of Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers’ new home, the street just to the south of the facility was renamed “Tom McEwen Boulevard.”
As recently as February, an exhibit at St. Leo University aptly entitled, “Tom McEwen: A Tampa Bay Treasure” was unveiled displaying McEwen’s memorabilia.
MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH TONY SPARANO
Tony Sparano, entering his fourth season as head coach of the Dolphins and his 28th year in coaching professional overall, was named the eighth head coach in Miami Dolphins history on January 16, 2008. He came to the Dolphins after spending the previous five years with the Dallas Cowboys, who qualified for the playoffs in three of those seasons, including a 13- 3 record in 2007 when they won the NFC East. He also owns five years of experience as a head coach at the collegiate level at the University of New Haven.
In three seasons with Dolphins, Sparano owns an 25-23 record with one playoff appearance.
In his first year as the Dolphins’ head coach in 2008, Sparano guided the team to a single- season turnaround matched just once in NFL history. Taking over a 1-15 squad from a year earlier, he led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and the AFC East title. His ten-game improvement has been achieved only one other time in league annals, in 1999 when the Indianapolis Colts went from 3-13 to 13-3. For his efforts, Sparano was named as the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year by the NFL Alumni and the Pro Football Weekly/Professional Writers of America, and AFC Coach of the Year by the Kansas City 101 Committee.
In 2010, the Dolphins committed just 72 penalties, the second fewest total in the NFL, for a league-low 595 penalty yards. In fact, from 2008-10 under Sparano, the Dolphins have committed just 231 penalties, the third lowest total in the NFL over that time span, behind only Atlanta (207) and New England (227).
With the Cowboys, Sparano served as the team’s tight ends coach from 2003-04, offensive line/running game coordinator in 2005, assistant head coach/offensive line/running game coordinator in 2006 and assistant head coach/offensive line in 2007.
Sparano got his start in the NFL as offensive quality control coach with the Cleveland Browns in 1999. The next year, he was promoted to offensive line coach, where he oversaw a unit that allowed 40 sacks, 20 fewer than they did the year before. He moved on to the Washington Redskins in 2001, where he served as that team’s tight ends coach.
During the course of the 2010 season, Sparano was able to continue the development of his young players, as two of them, Cameron Wake and Jake Long, were named to the Pro Bowl in only their second and third years in the league respectively. Along with Wake, two other defensive starters, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, became one of the best young cornerback tandems in the NFL, while other young defensive players such as Chris Clemons, Reshad Jones, and Koa Misi made significant contributions.
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