GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Raymond James Stadium (65,908)
2010 Records: Tampa Bay 10-6, New England 14-2 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 vs. Miami (8/27), New England at Detroit (8/27)
The Bucs game will replay tonight at 11PM on NFL Network, or 11:30 PM on WTSP Ch. 10 CBS.
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LAST GAME RECAP
Tampa Bay 25, Kansas City 0
Friday, August 12, 2011
KANSAS CITY –
Tampa Bay opened its preseason slate with an impressive shutout victory in Kansas City, displaying control in all three phases of the game. The Buccaneers raced to an early lead in the first quarter, as rookie LB Mason Foster—Tampa Bay’s third-round draft selection—recovered a Chiefs fumble on the Kansas City 9-yard line, which led to a five-yard rushing touchdown by QB Josh Freeman. On the Chiefs’ ensuing possession, CB Elbert Mack forced a RB Jackie Battle fumble, which was recovered by S Sean Jones to give the Buccaneers possession near midfield. K Connor Barth extended the lead to 10-0 with a 25-yard field goal, following a three-yard rush on third-and-one by RB LeGarrette Blount and a 21-yard reception by WR Dezmon Briscoe. P Michael Koenen notched his second touchback of the night on the subsequent kickoff, booting the ball 74 yards and deep into the endzone to set up a Chiefs drive that was quickly smothered by the Buccaneers defense. As the second quarter began, Freeman, on his final drive before leaving the game, led the offense into Kansas City territory once more, and K Connor Barth’s 40-yard field goal brought the score to 13-0. The teams then traded punts before the defense made another big play, as LB Dekoda Watson and DL Michael Bennett sacked QB Tyler Palko in the endzone for a safety and the 15-0 lead that the Buccaneers would take into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Watson found Palko again, sacking him on third-and-six and forcing a fumble that, while recovered by Kansas City, led to a punt. Tampa Bay QB Josh Johnson then pieced together an impressive drive that included a 15-yard reception by WR Micheal Spurlock, and a 16-yard reception by 2011 seventh-round draft pick TE Daniel Hardy, which set up the final three-yard touchdown pass to Spurlock. As the game progressed into the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers put up their final points of the evening with a 46-yard field goal by rookie K Jacob Rogers. The Chiefs were unable to move the ball in their following possessions and the Buccaneers defense continued to apply pressure, which included two sacks by DE Kyle Moore and one by DE George Johnson. Kansas City QB Ricky Stanzi kneeled to allow the clock to expire, ending the game with a 25-0 Tampa Bay effort.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
Bill Belichick is in his 37th season as an NFL coach and is the only head coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowl championships in a four-year span. In 2007, he became the first NFL head coach to guide his team to a 16-0 regular season. He was hired by Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft on Jan. 27, 2000 and is in his 12th season as Patriots head coach in 2011.
In his 11 seasons in New England, Belichick has delivered three Super Bowl championships, four conference titles, eight division crowns and 14 playoff victories. He has won more regular-season games (121) and more games overall (135) during a ten-year stretch (2001- 2010) than any other head coach in NFL history. Belichick directed the Patriots to victories in Super Bowls XXXVI (2001), XXXVIII (2003) and XXXIX (2004), and claimed the 2007 AFC Championship. New England’s 14 playoff victories in the 2000s are tied for the highest total in any decade in NFL history. Additionally, Belichick currently ranks 10th all time with 177 total victories as a head coach. His winning percentage of .639 ranks third in NFL history among coaches with 150 or more wins, trailing only George Halas (.682) and Don Shula (.666).
In 2010, Coach Belichick led a very young squad to an NFL-best 14-2 record, a division title, its eighth playoff appearance in his 11 seasons as New England’s head coach and received several major awards in the process. Belichick was named Associated Press Coach of the Year for the third time, joining Don Shula (four-time winner) and Chuck Knox as the only three-time winners. In addition, Belichick earned Peter King’s SI.com and Pro Football Weekly Coach of the Year.
A FOOT FOR ALL SEASONS
On July 29, 2011 the Buccaneers added a key piece to their special teams unit by signing free-agent punter Michael Koenen, of the Atlanta Falcons. Entering his sixth NFL season, Koenen will handle punting and place kicking duties for Tampa Bay. In the ongoing battle for field position, Koenen’s services will be extremely valuable during the upcoming season, in which the NFL has moved the kickoff point forward from the 30 to the 35 yard line. In his Buccaneers debut, Koenen had one punt for 40 yards and three kickoffs, two resulting in touchbacks and one which saw the Chiefs starting from their own eight yard line.
Last season, Koenen was one of the League’s best when taking away the threat of an opposing teams return game with 24 of his 74 punts fair caught, ranking second in the NFL. He also placed 29 of his punts inside the 20, ranking tied for eighth in the League. On kickoffs, Koenen was equally effective, as he ranked first in the NFL in average opponent starting field position after a kickoff (22.2 yard-line). He also ranked third in the NFL for kickoffs to reach the endzone (48) and seventh in percent of kickoffs to result in touchbacks (26.4).
Since entering the League in 2005, Koenen has placed 150 punts inside the 20, tied for eighth among punters in that time span and ranks third in the NFL in both touchbacks off of kickoffs (106) and touchback percentage (23.6), behind only K Olindo Mare and K Sebastian Janikowski.
ROOKIE REVIVAL
In last year’s 31-16 victory over Carolina in Week 10, the Buccaneers became the first team to start seven rookies (WR Arrelious Benn, S Cody Grimm, G Ted Larsen, FB Erik Lorig, DT Gerald McCoy, LB Dekoda Watson, WR Mike Williams) and win a game since the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 21-19, on November 24, 2002. Of the seven rookies, three were seventh-round picks from last year’s draft, including the first career starts of FB Erik Lorig and LB Dekoda Watson. The team also had five additional rookies play in the game (RB LeGarrette Blount, T Derek Hardman, P Robert Malone, WR Preston Parker and DT Al Woods), four of which had gone undrafted.
In Week 16 against Seattle (12/26), the Buccaneers did one better, as they earned a 38-17 win to guarantee a winning season, becoming the first team to start 10 different rookies in a season and finish with a winning season since the 1970 merger (excluding the 1987 strike season). They are also the first team since 2004 (Tennessee Titans) to start 10+ different rookies in the same season.
In all, the team played at least 10 rookies in each game for the final 12 games and started at least five rookies in 10 of the final 11 games in 2010. Rookies made a huge impact on Tampa Bay’s success last season, starting on Opening Day when Tampa Bay featured seven players making their NFL debuts in the season-opening 17- 14 win against Cleveland (9/7), which included six members of the 2010 NFL Draft class.
A pair of rookies, including first-round pick (third overall) DT Gerald McCoy and fourth- round pick (101st overall) WR Mike Williams both made their debuts in the starting lineup, marking the first time since 2007 that two or more rookies started in the season opener. Along with McCoy and Williams, Buccaneer draft picks WR Arrelious Benn, S Cody Grimm, LB Dekoda Watson and DT Brian Price all saw their first action in the NFL.
BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY FELLOWSHIP COACHES
Tampa Bay will continue its longstanding relationship with the NFL’s Minority Fellowship Program during this year’s Training Camp. The Buccaneers have enjoyed repeated success working with the NFL, both with participants in the program and hiring graduates of the NFL program.
Established in 1987, the BILL WALSH NFL MINORITY COACHING FELLOWSHIP provides NFL training camp positions to minority coaches every year. The program, which was named after the man who conceived the idea – late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh – exposes talented minority college coaches to the methods and philosophies of summer NFL training camps. Walsh introduced the concept to the League in 1987 when he brought a group of minority coaches into his San Francisco 49ers’ training camp.
As a part of Training Camp coaching staffs, the fellowship coaches perform duties that mirror those of full-time NFL assistant coaches. They become working members of NFL staffs for the summer and are responsible for specific assignments, including planning and directing workouts, formulating scrimmage and preseason game strategies, breaking down videotape, and evaluating players. More than 1,500 coaches have worked in the Training Camps of NFL teams since the program’s inception in 1987.
This year, the Buccaneers’ two Bill Walsh NFL Minority Fellowship Program coaches are Darnell Dinkins and Lance Schulters.
2011 MINORITY FELLOWSHIP INTERNS
DARNELL DINKINS
Dinkins will be the Buccaneers offensive intern and will work primarily with tight ends. He played with the N.Y. Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints over the course of his eight-year career, earning a Super Bowl win with the Saints in 2009.
Dinkins entered the League with the New York Giants in 2002 as a free agent and was allocated to NFL Europe, where he played for the Rhein Fire. He made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers on September 5, 2002. Dinkins played in 89 career games with 15 starts for the Giants, Ravens, Browns and Saints, recording 30 receptions for 250 yards and four touchdowns.
Dinkins played college football at the University of Pittsburgh, where he started at free safety for three years and also saw time at wide receiver and linebacker. His best collegiate season came in 1998, where he started all 11 games at free safety, finishing second on the team with 78 tackles, while also posting six pass deflections, 2 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
A standout quarterback and linebacker at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, Dinkins was named City League MVP by both the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Courier and was a member of the 1995 Big 33 Team. As a senior, he rushed for 435 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries and threw 113 passes for 1,256 yards and ten touchdowns. On defense, he had 86 tackles, three knockdowns, four sacks and four fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown).
Dinkins, who earned a college degree in criminology, has also worked as a sports commentator for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers on both 93.7 The Fan and on Pitt Panthers Television.
LANCE SCHULTERS
Schulters will be the Buccaneers defensive intern and will work primarily with the defensive backs. He played with the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Atlanta Falcons over the course of his 10-year career.
Drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL draft, Schulters played his first four years in the NFL with the 49ers, earning the starting free safety position after the first week of the 1999 season. He had six interceptions for 127 yards in 1999 including a 64-yard interception returned for the game-winning touchdown against New Orleans. For his efforts, Schulters was selected to the NFL’s Pro Bowl in Honolulu that year.
After another All-Pro season in 2002, Schulters signed with Tennessee, where he played three seasons with the Titans before moving on to the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.
The former Hofstra star finished his NFL career with 97 starts in 121 games played, recording 19 interceptions, 583 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 24 passes defensed. Schulters is a graduate of Canarsie High School in Brooklyn, where he played for legendary coach Mike Camardese. After high school, he played two seasons at Nassau Community College before transferring to Hofstra University, where he was a two-year starter in 1996- 97. Schulters, who was born on May 27, 1975 in Guyana, will be the defensive backs coach for Bryant University this year.
CURRENT BUCCANEERS COACHES
Two current Buccaneer coaches are graduates of the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship.
Head Coach Raheem Morris enters his ninth season with the Buccaneers and third as Head Coach after re-joining the team following a stint as defensive coordinator at Kansas State University in 2006. Morris, who was a defensive intern with the N.Y. Jets in 2001, as part of the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship program, spent his first four seasons with the Buccaneers as defensive quality control coach (2002), defensive assistant (2003) and assistant defensive backs coach (2004-05).
Alfredo Roberts enters his third season with the Buccaneers as the tight ends coach. Before joining Tampa Bay, Roberts spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. He is also a veteran of three minority coaching internships, one with the Washington Redskins in 2000 and two with the Miami Dolphins in 2001 and 2002.
Morris is one of six current NFL head coaches – Leslie Frazier (Minnesota Vikings), Hue Jackson (Oakland Raiders), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals), Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) are the others – who are graduates of the program.
“It was a great opportunity to get in, to get involved with people who were in the NFL world, to establish myself and establish some of the relationships with the people that I met with the Jets,” says Morris. “If you’re willing to learn, become a sponge, it’s awesome. It helped my career tremendously.”
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