New York Jets vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tale of the Tape

Aug 29, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan looks on before a pre-season game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Aug 29, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano during the first half against the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

We will call this our “tale of the tape”. Just like when boxers have a match coming up, and they compare the height, reach, weight, ..etc., we are going to do the same with the matchup. We will look at the overall series between the two teams, the last time they played each other, and other similar points. Here is our first one, for the Jets and the Bucs:

Coach Ryan is 3-1 for his career as a coach on kickoff weekend, and looking for a third straight win against the NFC.

Don’t count out these Bucs, as they are a young, up and coming team. Last year, they had a 3,500 passer in Freeman, a 1,200 rusher in Doug Martin, and a 1,200 yard receiver in Vincent Jackson, the first time they have had that prolific of a trio on team history. Doug Martin’s 1,926 yards from scrimmage were the third most in NFL history for a rookie.

Can the Jets continue their good fortune against Tampa Bay? Overall, they are 6-0 against the Bucs at home. Talk about playing well, Antonio Cromartie and his 25 INTs since 2006, fifth-most in the NFL during that time period.

The Bucs should not only worry about Santonio Holmes, if he plays. Stephen Hill did catch 2 TD passes during week one of last season.

We will have a more extensive preview of the game on Saturday.