The New York Giants play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tomorrow. With that in mind we asked David Rumsey of the Pewter Plank some questions. The Pewter Plank is the go to website for everything about the Tampa By Buccaneers and Rumsey is a true expert on his team. Here is our Q&A.
1. What has been the biggest surprise this season for Tampa Bay?
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I would say the play of the offensive line and the subsequent re-emergence of Doug Martin. Those two kind of go hand-in-hand. I was expecting the Bucs to have no ground game and for Winston to have no time to throw the ball. So the biggest surprise of this year is a pleasant one.
2. What do you think of Jameis Winston in his rookie season?
I am not overly impressed, but I don’t think anyone is. I am definitely pleased with his play, though. After struggling to protect the ball at the beginning of the season he has limited the turnovers lately. I have seen progression from Winston most weeks, so I’m happy with that.
3. What is the most favorable matchup for both teams in this game?
Odell Beckham Jr. against the Bucs secondary is definitely the Giants best matchup. Julio Jones caught 12 balls for 164 yards and a TD last week. I think Beckham could have a similar game. On the Bucs side I would say Mike Evans vs. the Giants secondary. Winston has been eager to throw the ball down the field lately and I think he’ll be looking for Evans on Sunday.
4. Is Doug Martin a elite running back?
I wouldn’t go that far. Even though he is having a great season he still isn’t Adrian Peterson, Le’veon Bell or Jamaal Charles. If he plays this way for 16 games then maybe you could consider him elite, but not just yet.
5. Tell me what should scare Giants fans about the Buccaneers defense?
Rookie MLB Kwon Alexander should scare the Giants this week. He won NFC defensive player of the week this past week and he can be a force to be reckoned with. If the Giants are looking to run the ball or throw it over the middle, then watch out.
6. Whats the biggest strength and weakness of the Bucs?
The Bucs biggest strength right now is running the ball. If they can do that consistently then that will open things up for the rest of the offense. Their biggest weakness is their pass defense. It seems like opposing offenses can move the ball through the air at will on this Bucs D.
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7. How do you see this game going?
I see the Giants scoring a lot of points in this game. Whether the Bucs can keep up or not, I don’t know, but I would guess not. As long as the Giants don’t give the ball away four times (like Atlanta last week), they should come away with a win.