Shorthanded Bucs take on Julio and the Falcons
McCoy, David join Hargreaves on sideline Monday night
Three weeks ago when the Atlanta and Tampa Bay first clashed, Falcons receiver Julio Jones had one of his monster days – 12 catches for 253 yards, in a 34-20 Atlanta win.
The Buccaneers’ top cornerback, Vernon Hargreaves III, already had suffered the nasty hamstring pull that has sidelined him since early November.
This time when the teams meet – Monday night at Tampa Bay (8:30 p.m., TSN via ESPN) – the beatenup Bucs defence not only won’t have Hargreaves back but also will be without its best defensive lineman Gerald McCoy ( biceps injury) and best linebacker Lavonte David (hamstring).
Yeah, ouch.
The Bucs defence doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel from week to week schematically. But the Falcons said they’re planning for something – anything – different from the last time Jones chewed up the Bucs secondary.
“Julio did have some big numbers against them last time we played them,” said Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who completed 26-of-35 for 317 yards without an interception in the first meeting, Nov. 26. “But maybe there’s some cloud coverage or double-team for him (this time).”
Along that line, Atlanta offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said his challenge each week is to continually tweak his play-calling, to keep the perennial Pro Bowler Jones from becoming a mere decoy.
“The key is to find ways to keep him not just involved in the offence, but the focal point.” Steve McCoy, David join Hargreaves on sideline Monday night Sarkisian, Falcons offensive coordinator.
Jones ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards (with 1,161) and tied for 11th in catches (with 73). Oddly, however, Jones has only three TD catches this season, which is on pace for his lowest total since he caught two TDs in missing all but five games of the 2013 season.
The 28-year-old Jones has been named to the Pro Bowl four times in his seven-year career, and in each of the past two seasons has been named an all-pro. This year’s Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Tuesday night on NFL Network.