cross-posted in the usenets:

1) DAMMIT! When will the Bucs defense learn that the fantasy teams
get like 2500 bonus points when a D pitches a shutout! We all can't
rely on Peyton or LT to get us all the points you know...

Just kidding. Now THAT was an impressive win. Against a weak team
destined for the last place slot and a top 10 draft pick. That said...

2) Player of the game: the Bucs defense was outstanding for almost 4
entire quarters, in an away game, against quarterbacks who aren't
really as terrible as the stats this game made them appear (Leftwich
and Harrington are NOT as bad as the antihype suggests), and so you
have to look to the defensive unit for your honoree. I'm gonna hafta
give the nod to Ronde Barber. Although he didn't get that INT he
needs to set a team record, he still made a big-time play early in the
second quarter by returning the fumble for a TD. That return set the
tone of the defense, put Atlanta in a 14-point hole that their offense
couldn't handle (the Falcon's scoring average is 15 points per game,
not a good sign), and gave our offense some breathing room as they
struggled themselves during the first half (they didn't make any
3-down conversions until Quarter 3).
2a) Props also to both our DTs Hovan and Haye, to LB Ruud, and to DE
White for outstanding plays on the D side of the ball.
2b) Offensively, props go out to RB Graham for another 100-yard
rushing day, and for the 26-yard TD run that capped his day. He may
yet make it to the Pro Bowl (VOTING NOW!).
2c) Jeff Garcia played to his strengths today: ball management, good
play actions and pump fakes, almost mistake-free football. Except for
one thing, and it wasn't entirely his fault although, seriously, you
gotta keep track of your timeouts...

3) Goats of the game: the Refs. I'm sorry but this was a sloppy
game... from them. They called a roughing the passer against the
Falcons when Abraham got blocked (almost held really) into Garcia.
They made some lousy on-field calls on two of the fumbles. It's no
wonder both the Falcons and the Bucs used up their challenges in the
first half, to where the Bucs had no timeouts left because their
challenges went nowhere. :-/

4) Stats of the game: I would have gone with the zero points thing,
but damn it all the Falcs scored in the last 2 minutes of the game...
:( So I'm gonna go with Yards-Per-Rush, where the Bucs had 4.8 YPC
and the Falcons about 2.6 YPC. Of course the Bucs were rushing more
often, since they secured an early lead, but still the Bucs were
getting good yardage even when Atlanta's defense was expecting it...

5) Other things to consider: with the win, and with the Saints and
Panths losing, the Bucs are now firmly in control of the South. With
nearly every other team on the schedule with losing records, the Bucs
are looking to finish pretty by the end of December...

6) Players to vote for on the Pro Bowl ballots: QB Garcia, RB Graham,
WR Galloway, TE Smith, OG Joseph. On Defense... hell pretty much
everybody the Bucs have on the ballot. ;) But if you want to be
fair, both DTs Haye and Hovan, plus LB Ruud, S Jackson, and CB
Buchanon. Put in for Bryant and Bidwell too. ;)