Tampa’s Defense Is Strong

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Anwar S. Richardson

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 04:26 PM

Tampa Bay just held San Fran to its second consecutive three-and-out series. If the Bucs put some points on the board, this game will get out of hand.

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Bucs Move Ball With Ease

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Anwar S. Richardson

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 04:20 PM

Tampa Bay just scored on a 10 play, 64-yard, 5:08 minute drive, which was capped by Matt Bryant’s 34-yard field goal. The only negative about Tampa Bay’s drive was a dropped pass by TE Alex Smith, which could have placed his team on San Fran’s 6-yard line. Outside of that, Tampa Bay moved with few problems.

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Bucs Off To Good Start

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Anwar S. Richardson

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 04:12 PM

Tampa Bay just stopped San Fran on the 49ers’ first possession and it appears the Bucs’ defense will have a good chance of dictating the pace. The Bucs are throwing different offensive formation at San Fran right now.

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Tampa Bay Inactives

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Anwar S. Richardson

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 03:03 PM

Here are a list of Tampa Bay’s inactive players:

QB Bruce Gradkowski (third quarterback), RB Kenneth Darby, FB B.J. Askew, LB Patrick Chukwurah, LB Ryan Nece, G Dan Buenning, TE Keith Heinrich and DT Greg Peterson.

In addition, FB Byron Storer will start will in place of Askew.

Live in-game blogging begins at 4:05 p.m.

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Bucs-49ers Video Preview

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Anwar S. Richardson

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 10:44 AM

As a quick update, Tampa Bay FB B.J. Askew (ankle) and DE/LB Patrick Chukwurah did not make the trip to San Francisco because of their injuries.

Expect FB Byron Storer to start in place of Askew, while backup RB Michael Pittman could also see time at FB. Chukwurah has been hampered with injuries this season and Tampa Bay’s defensive line has played well in his absence.

Below is a video preview of today’s game which is sure to please:

I should have inactive players for today’s game about 30 minutes before the 4:05 p.m. (EST) kickoff, so check back here this afternoon for those updates.

See you then.

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Keys To Today’s Game

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Roy Cummings

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 10:26 AM

Play To Win
Talk about your trap games. With two games still to be played in the regular season, the Bucs have already wrapped up their division title and secured a playoff berth. Throw in the fact that Christmas is two days away and there’s potential here for the Bucs to take the weekend off mentally. Nothing would be worse. The Bucs still have an outside chance at securing the NFC’s third seed in the playoffs, so it’s important they play this game like any other because there’s plenty to be lost here.

The goal now is to build momentum heading into the playoffs and improve the areas in which the Bucs have been substandard the past few weeks. Above all the Bucs must avoid falling into a slump, and if they play to win and play as if their opponent is one of the best the league has to offer, they should be able to do that.

Shut Down RB Frank Gore
Gearing up for the playoffs means gearing up to stop the run. You’ve got to do that if you want to advance in this league, especially of you wind up facing someone such as Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. Frank Gore is no Peterson but he’s a good enough back that he will give the Bucs a chance to polish up their run-stopping skills.

The 49ers are 4-0 when Gore runs the ball 18 times or more in a game and with Shaun Hill at quarterback this week you can be sure Gore will get those 18 carries. He may get 30 carries if the 49ers have their way, so the Bucs need to get to Gore and stop him, not only to win this game, but also to get ready for the playoffs. Their rush defense will be tested there no matter who they face, so this is the time to start studying up and passing some pop quizzes.

Get Off The Field On Third Down
The Bucs were better at this a week ago against Atlanta, but that was one week of success in a month’s worth of failures. This has been a problem on and off for the Bucs all year and it’s not just third-and-short where opponents are winning the battle to stay on the field. The majority of the third-down conversions the Bucs allowed during that difficult stretch earlier this month came off plays of third-and-5 or greater.

No matter what the situation, the Bucs have to do a better job of getting off the field and giving the ball back to their offense. Their bend-but-don’t-break philosophy is fine, but the Bucs have bent too far at times, and that kind of defensive play is going to cost them in a big way at some point if they don’t clean it up. Get that opponent’s third-down conversion rate down to about 30 percent and all will be happy and bright.

Improve Play In Red Zone
This goes for everybody, offense and defense. The offense simply has not capitalized enough on the chances they’ve had inside the red zone this year and the defense has been far too forgiving in this area. With the playoffs coming up the Bucs need to be sharper here. Their offense needs to start scoring more touchdowns once they reach their opponents 20 and their defense needs to prevent more touchdowns. On the former front the key is better communication.

Penalties, turnovers and botched plays seem to be the biggest contributor to the problem. On the defensive side of the ball the key is once again the play on third down. The Bucs have allowed a lot of third-down conversions to become touchdowns, so they need to tighten up a little bit down near their goal line and take the ball away.

Run The Ball
The 49ers aren’t very good at stopping the run. That’s not good news for the Bucs: It’s great news for the Bucs. It means they probably can win this game simply by committing to the run and that’s exactly what they want to do. This is no time to be throwing the ball all over the lot and taking chances on getting your quarterback or one of your top receivers hurt. It’s no time to be getting your running back hurt either, but it seems the Bucs could make heavy use of someone such as Michael Bennett and maybe even Kenneth Darby and still win this game, and that should be part of their game plan.

The Bucs need to do whatever is necessary to win. But if that approach gets them an early lead they can scale back a bit, use their depth and finish this one off in a way that limits the likelihood of key players going down with injuries.

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Donovan: Players Must Consider Circumstances

Posted Dec 23, 2007 by Aaron Knox

Updated Dec 23, 2007 at 06:05 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Among the myriad concerns for Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan illustrated by Saturday’s 62-49 loss at Ohio State, No. 2 after Can’t Make Shots Against Halfway Decent Teams is this: the young Gators don’t yet understand that they must consider the circumstances of the game before they act.

Saturday, Donovan pointed out one sequence that essentially turned the tide in Ohio State’s favor.

Shortly after the ball crossed midcourt with the Gators up 15-13, freshman guard Nick Calathes slashed toward the basket and missed a driving layup with a fairly high degree of difficulty. It wasn’t a bad shot, Donovan said, but given the circumstances — Florida wasn’t making shots; the Buckeyes were beginning to find their stroke — Calathes should have kept the ball moving in hopes of finding a better shot. Plenty of time remained on the shot clock.

After Calathes missed the shot, OSU’s Jon Diebler grabbed the rebound. Twelve seconds later, Buckeyes guard David Lighty scored to tie the game.

Here, Donovan said, the Gators should have regrouped and searched for the best possible shot. Instead, Chandler Parsons jacked up a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining on the shot clock. Donovan only has a few basketball commandments, but one of them is this: Do not shoot a 3-pointer with more than 20 seconds on the shot clock unless you are A) Lee Humphrey or B) More open than you’ve ever been in your life. (How open, you ask? The opposing team needs to have walked off the floor, thinking a timeout was called.)

Parsons’ shot clanged off the rim, and OSU forward Matt Terwilliger grabbed the rebound. Forward Kosta Koufos scored 16 seconds later to give Ohio State a 17-15 lead. The Buckeyes never trailed again.

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Edward Goodpaster Invitational

Posted Dec 22, 2007 by Eddie Daniels

Updated Jan 2, 2008 at 01:34 PM

By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

LAND O’ LAKES – Draw up a Venn Diagram and compare former NFL coach Bill Parcels and former Land O’ Lakes wrestling coach Ed Goodpaster and you’re bound to get your fair share of similarities.

Both command the respect of their athletes, both have tasted great success and finally, each carry a deep passion for their sport. That’s where the resemblance stops.

Parcells hasn’t mastered the art of retirement, leaving four NFL franchises and vowing never to return to coaching. Conversely, Goodpaster has welcomed those free evenings and weekends into his life with open arms. Since retiring as from Land O’ Lakes in 2001, Goodpaster hadn’t been to a wrestling tournament.

Fittingly, that six-year hiatus from the sport ended Saturday as Goodpaster attended the second day of the Edward Goodpaster Invitational, hosted by his former Gators.

“When [current Land O’ Lakes wrestling coach] Brent [Coleman] called me and asked me about it, I said, ‘As long as it’s not the Edward Goodpaster Memorial Tournament,’” joked Goodpaster, who also coached at Manatee, Pinellas Park, Chamberlain and Tampa Prep. “It’s a great honor.”

Dunedin (179) won the inaugural event, followed by River Ridge (138.5), Matanzas (135) and Citrus (124.5).

Dunedin had the most placers (9), while Pasco and Matanzas shared the lead for individual champions (5).

The best match of the tournament came in the finals of the 145-pound weight class between Matanzas’ Justin Swilling and Hernando’s Jesse Graham. The bout had to be decided in the third overtime session, known as ultimate sudden victory.

Swilling, who’s low center of gravity impeded practically all of Graham’s single- and double-leg shot attempts, won the match, which was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, 3-2.

Swilling scored the bout’s first point with an early escape, which was later knotted by a Graham escape. Neither wrestler scored in the first 30-second overtime period, which featured Graham in the down position.

In the second overtime period, Swilling, in the down position, rolled out of Graham’s grasp and then out of bounds with :18 left. Just before time expired, Swilling, now working in the neutral position, was hit with a stalling call, giving Graham a point and tying the match, 2-2.

In the third 30-second session, sudden victory, Swilling got to his feet, but was unable to pull free from Graham as the two went out of bounds. One official actually gave Swilling a point, but after conferring with a second official on the mat, it was determined no point could be awarded because the escape happened out of bounds.

Again, starting from the down position, Swilling stood up as Graham held on to a leg. Swilling broke free to score the winning point and collected the 145-pound title.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

EDWARD GOODPASTER INVITATIONAL AT LAND O’ LAKES
Finals
103- Jimenez (P) p. Agazarm (R) 4:42; 112- Simonson (NC) p. Biondo (R) 3:26; 119- Fleming (R) maj. dec. Barrera (MSP) 17-3; 125- Fisher (CIT) dec. Giraldo (MSP) 10-3; 130- Madden (WG) dec. King (Duned.) 5-4; 135- Schafer (PLT) dec. Herring (Duned.) 11-5; 140- Bizzozzaro (MAT) dec. Rutherford (CIT) 6-2; 145- Swilling (MAT) dec. Graham (HER) 3-2; 152-Oetting (MAT) dec. Richardson (Dunnel.) 6-2; 160- Mills (PLT) dec. Vannata (R) 8-7; 171- Miller (Duned.) maj. dec. Lorentsen (MIT) 21-9; 189- Perez (PAS) dec. Talley (Duned.) 5-3; 215- Stroud (PAS) maj. dec. Brazeau (CEN) 12-2; 285- Garlock (LB) p. Moore (PLT) 2:30.

Third/Fourth
103- Hibbett (Dunnel.) dec. Forand (NC) 13-8; 112- Wery (SL) dec. Dykes (Duned.) 12-11; 119- Snell (CEN)  dec. Prince (Duned.) 9-3; 125- Pritz (HER) dec. Trotter (MAT) 8-2; 130- Toles (CIT) p. Bishop (HER.) 1:59; 135- Byerly (WC) dec. Torres (LET.) 17-13; 140- Kostakis (MIT) dec. Hitchcock (R) 12-6; 145- Graham (Duned.) dec. Neprtune (CIT) 6-0; 152-Cannizzaro (Duned.) dec. D. Zukley (CIT) 4-2; 160- Tragash (E) dec. Dennis (MAT) 6-3; 171- Davidson (HER) dec. Carmody (PAS) 12-7; 189- May (CEN) dec. A. Zukley (CIT) 3-1 215- Nuby (NC) p. Zeedyk (duned.) 2:35; 285- Allen (SL) dec. Johnson (PAS) 2:30.

TEAM STANDINGS
1- Dunedin (179); 2- River Ridge (138.5); 3- Matanzas (135); 4- Citrus (124.5); 5- Pasco (121); 6- Mitchell (90.5); 7- Nature Coast (88.5); 8- Dunnellon (87.5) ; 9- Central (84.5); 10- Hernando (84); 11- Plantation (74); 12- Miami Springs (69.5); 13- Eastside (66.5); 14- South Lake (56.5); 15- Lemon Bay (53); 16- Leto (44); 17- Wiregrass (41); 18- Winter Park (32.5); 19- Land O’ Lakes (31); 20- Wesley Chapel (24); 21- Berkley Prep (22).

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Edward Goodpaster Invitational

Posted Dec 22, 2007 by Eddie Daniels

Updated Jan 2, 2008 at 01:35 PM

By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

LAND O’ LAKES – Draw up a Venn Diagram and compare former NFL coach Bill Parcels and former Land O’ Lakes wrestling coach Ed Goodpaster and you’re bound to get your fair share of similarities.

Both command the respect of their athletes, both have tasted great success and finally, each carry a deep passion for their sport. That’s where the resemblance stops.

Parcells hasn’t mastered the art of retirement, leaving four NFL franchises and vowing never to return to coaching. Conversely, Goodpaster has welcomed those free evenings and weekends into his life with open arms. Since retiring as from Land O’ Lakes in 2001, Goodpaster hadn’t been to a wrestling tournament.

Fittingly, that six-year hiatus from the sport ended Saturday as Goodpaster attended the second day of the Edward Goodpaster Invitational, hosted by his former Gators.

“When [current Land O’ Lakes wrestling coach] Brent [Coleman] called me and asked me about it, I said, ‘As long as it’s not the Edward Goodpaster Memorial Tournament,’” joked Goodpaster, who also coached at Manatee, Pinellas Park, Chamberlain and Tampa Prep. “It’s a great honor.”

Dunedin (179) won the inaugural event, followed by River Ridge (138.5), Matanzas (135) and Citrus (124.5).

Dunedin had the most placers (9), while Pasco and Matanzas shared the lead for individual champions (5).

The best match of the tournament came in the finals of the 145-pound weight class between Matanzas’ Justin Swilling and Hernando’s Jesse Graham. The bout had to be decided in the third overtime session, known as ultimate sudden victory.

Swilling, who’s low center of gravity impeded practically all of Graham’s single- and double-leg shot attempts, won the match, which was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, 3-2.

Swilling scored the bout’s first point with an early escape, which was later knotted by a Graham escape. Neither wrestler scored in the first 30-second overtime period, which featured Graham in the down position.

In the second overtime period, Swilling, in the down position, rolled out of Graham’s grasp and then out of bounds with :18 left. Just before time expired, Swilling, now working in the neutral position, was hit with a stalling call, giving Graham a point and tying the match, 2-2.

In the third 30-second session, sudden victory, Swilling got to his feet, but was unable to pull free from Graham as the two went out of bounds. One official actually gave Swilling a point, but after conferring with a second official on the mat, it was determined no point could be awarded because the escape happened out of bounds.

Again, starting from the down position, Swilling stood up as Graham held on to a leg. Swilling broke free to score the winning point and collected the 145-pound title.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

EDWARD GOODPASTER INVITATIONAL AT LAND O’ LAKES
Finals
103- Jimenez (P) p. Agazarm (R) 4:42; 112- Simonson (NC) p. Biondo (R) 3:26; 119- Fleming (R) maj. dec. Barrera (MSP) 17-3; 125- Fisher (CIT) dec. Giraldo (MSP) 10-3; 130- Madden (WG) dec. King (Duned.) 5-4; 135- Schafer (PLT) dec. Herring (Duned.) 11-5; 140- Bizzozzaro (MAT) dec. Rutherford (CIT) 6-2; 145- Swilling (MAT) dec. Graham (HER) 3-2; 152-Oetting (MAT) dec. Richardson (Dunnel.) 6-2; 160- Mills (PLT) dec. Vannata (R) 8-7; 171- Miller (Duned.) maj. dec. Lorentsen (MIT) 21-9; 189- Perez (PAS) dec. Talley (Duned.) 5-3; 215- Stroud (PAS) maj. dec. Brazeau (CEN) 12-2; 285- Garlock (LB) p. Moore (PLT) 2:30.

Third/Fourth
103- Hibbett (Dunnel.) dec. Forand (NC) 13-8; 112- Wery (SL) dec. Dykes (Duned.) 12-11; 119- Snell (CEN)  dec. Prince (Duned.) 9-3; 125- Pritz (HER) dec. Trotter (MAT) 8-2; 130- Toles (CIT) p. Bishop (HER.) 1:59; 135- Byerly (WC) dec. Torres (LET.) 17-13; 140- Kostakis (MIT) dec. Hitchcock (R) 12-6; 145- Graham (Duned.) dec. Neprtune (CIT) 6-0; 152-Cannizzaro (Duned.) dec. D. Zukley (CIT) 4-2; 160- Tragash (E) dec. Dennis (MAT) 6-3; 171- Davidson (HER) dec. Carmody (PAS) 12-7; 189- May (CEN) dec. A. Zukley (CIT) 3-1 215- Nuby (NC) p. Zeedyk (duned.) 2:35; 285- Allen (SL) dec. Johnson (PAS) 2:30.

TEAM STANDINGS1- Dunedin (179); 2- River Ridge (138.5); 3- Matanzas (135); 4- Citrus (124.5); 5- Pasco (121); 6- Mitchell (90.5); 7- Nature Coast (88.5); 8- Dunnellon (87.5) ; 9- Central (84.5); 10- Hernando (84); 11- Plantation (74); 12- Miami Springs (69.5); 13- Eastside (66.5); 14- South Lake (56.5); 15- Lemon Bay (53); 16- Leto (44); 17- Wiregrass (41); 18- Winter Park (32.5); 19- Land O’ Lakes (31); 20- Wesley Chapel (24); 21- Berkley Prep (22).

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Tampa Prep Edges Chamberlain For City Title

Posted Dec 22, 2007 by Katherine Smith

Updated Dec 22, 2007 at 11:08 PM

Tampa Prep senior guard Connor Fenlon hit a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining to give the Terrapins a 52-51 victory over Chamberlain in the City of Tampa Championship Saturday night.

Fenlon found redemption after turning the ball over twice in the final minute of the game. Dejected after the second turnover led to Chamberlain’s go-ahead basket and two-point lead with 22 seconds remaining, Fenlon said he asked to be taken out of the game during the Terrapins timeout. Luckily his father, Tampa Prep coach Joe Fenlon didn’t hear him.

“I was really down on myself, but the guys kept telling me to keep my head up,” Fenlon said. “After all that happened, I really wanted to take that shot.”

Chamberlain senior guard Dantavis Adkins led the Chiefs with 18 points, including four three pointers. Senior forward David Waller led Tampa Prep with a game-high 23 points and was selected tournament MVP. Members of the All-Tournament Team included Adkins and teammate Matt Kendrick and Tampa Prep’s Jake Haslam and Jamal Cherry.

Fenlon’s basket gave the host team the championship trophy for the first time in four trips to the tournament finals. It was also the seventh-consecutive victory for Tampa Prep, ranked fourth in Class 2A’s most recent state poll.

“I think a win like this is going to be a boost for us the rest of the season,” Fenlon said. “We proved we can play with and beat the bigger classes.”

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