Bucs scout Giants early, come away impressed

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
Published December 31, 2007

TAMPA - The Bucs got an early start on film study for their first-round playoff game. Stuck in a local hotel the night before Sunday's meaningless regular-season finale, most players watched the Giants' nationally televised game against the Patriots.

All were impressed.

"It was on every station," defensive tackle Chris Hovan said. "It was great for us because we got to see history, but at the same time, we got to scout our opponent. New York is a very physical team."

Tampa Bay 9-7 plays New York (10-6) in an NFC wild-card game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The teams have met 16 times, never in the playoffs. The Bucs lead the series 9-7 but lost the most recent meeting, 17-3 last season on a windy day at Giants Stadium.

Despite being locked into the NFC's No. 5 seed, New York coach Tom Coughlin played his starters the entire game against New England, which sought to complete the NFL's first 16-0 regular season. The Giants led 28-16 in the third quarter but gave up 22 straight points and lost 38-35.

With nothing to gain, no one would have faulted Coughlin for resting his key players. Instead, the Giants put on a powerful display in every facet.

The Giants lost two of their final three games but can count themselves among three teams, joining the Colts and Ravens, who competed with the Patriots.

There for the Bucs to see were a multifaceted offense and punishing defense.

"They gave New England a run for their money," left tackle Donald Penn said. "They're good."

On offense, New York starts with bruising 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs, who rushed 15 times for 67 yards and caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.

"I'm going to have to get in a couple extra sets of bench press this week," Hovan said. "You have to get your pads low and drive through the tackle. Usually one guy is not going to get (Jacobs) down. We're going to need one or two guys, maybe three or four. It's going to be a collective effort."

Able to use the play-action fake, quarterback Eli Manning looked sharp in picking apart the New England secondary. He went 22-of-32 for 251 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Manning connected with receiver Plaxico Burress four times for 84 yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard reception on the second play of the game. He threw four passes for 50 yards, including one touchdown, to rookie tight end Kevin Boss, the late-season replacement for injured starter Jeremy Shockey.

And when the Giants defense was on the field, it was impossible not to notice a fierce front four featuring ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. New York limited running back Laurence Maroney to 2.4 yards per carry and, more important, knocked down quarterback Tom Brady repeatedly.

The Giants finished the regular season with a league-high 53 sacks.

"They played hard," said receiver Ike Hilliard, a first-round pick of the Giants in 1997 who played eight of his 11 seasons in New York. "Their front seven is something to be reckoned with. Our guys up front and our offensive ball club, we better be ready to play a physical game. If not, we'll get embarrassed. It's that simple."

Joanne Korth can be reached at korth@sptimes.com or (727)893-8810.

[Last modified December 30, 2007, 22:04:21]