Scouting the Saints 2015 Opponents: Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 2, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are visiting the Dome to face the Saints on Sunday, September 20th. Let’s do some breakdowns ahead of the match-up to get a glimpse of what the Saints are marching into.

Series Matchup All-Time

(Full list here, via The Football Database)

Saints 29 – Bucs 17

The Saints are 12-7 against the Bucs with Brees.

Last 5 Games

(2013-2014) Saints 23 - Buccaneers 20

(2013-2014) Buccaneers 31 - Saints 37

(2012-2013) Buccaneers 17 - Saints 42

(2012-2013) Saints 16 - Buccaneers 14

(2011-2012) Saints 41 - Buccaneers 0

The Saints have won the last 7, with Tampa winning 26-20 @ Raymond James Stadium in October, 2011.

2014-2015 Buccaneers Totals

(Saints #1 total offense, #31 total defense according to ESPN)

Total Offense #30

Passing/YPG #25

Rushing/YPG #29

Total Defense #25

Passing/YPG #28

Rushing/YPG #19

Projected Rosters

	Saints	Buccaneers
	Offense
QB	Drew Brees	Jameis Winston
	Luke McCown	Mike Glennon
	Garrett Grayson	Ryan Griffin
RB	Mark Ingram	Doug Martin
	CJ Spiller	Charles Sims
	Khiry Robinson	Bobby Rainey
WR	Brandin Cooks	Mike Evans
	Marques Colston	Vincent Jackson
	Willie Snead	Louis Murphy
TE	Josh Hill	Austin Seferian-Jenkins
	Benjamin Watson	Brandon Myers
LT	Terron Armstead	Donovan Smith
LG	Tim Lelito	Logan Mankins
C	Max Unger	Evan Smith
RG	Jahri Evans	Ali Marpet
RT	Zach Strief	Gosder Cherilus
	Defense
LDE	Akiem Hicks	George Johnson
LDT	John Jenkins	Gerald McCoy
RDT	Kevin Williams	Clinton McDonald
RDE	Cam Jordan	Jacquies Smith
Sam	Hau’oli Kikaha	Danny Lansanah
Mike	Stephone Anthony	Kwon Alexander
Will	Dannell Ellerbe	Lavonte David
LCB	Keenan Lewis	Alterraun Verner
RCB	Brandon Browner	Johnathan Banks
NCB	Delvin Breaux	Tim Jennings
SS	Kenny Vaccaro	Major Wright
FS	Jairus Byrd	Bradley McDougald
	Special Teams
K	Zach Hocker	Kyle Brindza
P	Thomas Morstead	Jacob Schum

Key Bucs

Offense

Jameis Winston: This is strictly obligatory. The first overall pick of the draft has to be given some consideration, and given the Bucs open against the hapless Titans (though I do like Mariota), what Winston can (or cannot) do in the NFL will be no more obvious come week 2. He’ll have VJax and Mike Evans to throw to, and the 6’6" Austin Seferian-Jenkins, despite his terribly long and hyphenated name, looks to break out in his second year under, ostensibly, a better QB than Mike Glennon.

Mike Evans: I expect instant chemistry between Evans and Winston – Mike Evans will be Jameis’ new Rashad Greene, for better or worse. In his inaugural campaign, Evans posted 68 receptions 12 TDs and over 1,000 yards. Expect each of those numbers to increase in 2015 (including targets, which were 122 in 2014).

Defense

Gerald McCoy (3x Pro Bowl, 3x FT All-Pro): When you take away both his height (6’4") and his weight (300 lbs), Gerald McCoy isn’t really all that big. And when you take away his elite run-stopping ability and exceedingly above average pass rush (as a DT), he’s no better than the Bucs’ safeties. However, since you cannot take away any of those things, and since McCoy is a veritable menace, he’ll yet again be the stuff of Brett Ingalls’ nightmares this season. McCoy got a sack in his lone game against the Saints last season, but look for him to attempt to quintuple that number this season.

Lavonte David (1x FT All-Pro): While not the best pass rushing 4-3 LB (see: Von Miller) in the NFL, David remains a solid run defender and is no slouch in coverage. He’s fast and he’s indiscriminate. David had a fumble forced, 4 stuffs, and 13 tackles against the Saints in 2 games last season. He’s also PFF’s 6^th ranked 4-3 OLB (WLB) from the 2014 season. Run the ball right at him.

Alterraun Verner (1x Pro Bowl, 1x ST All-Pro): Though Verner doesn’t have the accolades of Gerald McCoy, they each likely agree that they’re certainly not the Bucs’ safeties. Verner, while having an underwhelming 2014 season, was ranked 7^th by PFF among all CBs (91 spots ahead of Keenan Lewis). Also per PFF, he’s graded as the single best run-stopping CB in the NFL (way ahead of #2, Richard Sherman). Expect Verner to be asked to take on the Saints best WR both games this season.

TL;DR

Clearly, the most obvious question with regards to this game is what Jameis Winston looks like. Neither of our wins against Tampa last season were convincing (though the draft tank game at the end of the season deserves an asterisk), and losing two of our productive receivers doesn't help. That said, with a renewed commitment to the run, including the addition of Spiller and a shored up o line, the Saints lack of production against the Bucs on the ground last season looks to pick up. Brees also didn't play particularly well in these games, but opening up the run will create opportunities in the passing game - And Brees, despite his age, can work magic with an added second in the pocket. Look for Winston to try and make some "too cool for school" passes and pad the stats of our secondary. And, as always, beware of Gerald McCoy.

First divisional game - Let's go 8 in a row against TB. Who Dat!

Feedback on depth chart and other bits of information to include in this series is appreciated.