Dynasty baby, and Tampa Bay is no dynasty in the making. It is worth noting that VideoMama likes soaps more than Bubba Clinton likes deceiving, so I saw plenty of the television show because we often ate with the TV on. I digress, because what this is really about is a column I read from my a guy I love to hate or hate to love, I haven’t figured out which. At any rate, he posted this one liner from an email he had received: “Marcus of Montreal wonders where all this talk about the Bucs becoming a dynasty comes from.” His reply is priceless.

“Probably from Tampa. You want to know what is meant by "a dynasty?" Try this statistic, which I think I must have mentioned triple-figure times: During the period of the Steelers' playoff run of the '70s, 1972 through '79, their record against teams that eventually finished the season below .500 was -- get ready -- 50-1. They simply did not lose to the bad teams. They were bullies, tough guys. A dynasty.”

If you want my take, push read more.

If any wrinkly Florida natives read this article and are bright enough to screw in a light bulb, I should first point out that Tampa Bay did go 8-0 against losers this year. Gee, now they only have a 42-1 run left, right? The odds of that happening are about as good as Evan Marriott nude in the next Playgirl, err okay maybe Trista Rehn nude in the next Playboy. It’s not going to happen. I’ve already pointed out how the change of personnel lifted up the team in the playoffs, relative to their failings under Dungy. Now here’s a quick run down of what will go wrong in 2003.

Quarterback Depth: Brad Johnson missed 3 games, and during that time the team put up 3 field goals against the Panthers, 5 field goals against Chicago and a garbage time (1:14 left) score against Pittsburgh. Pretty much no offensive touchdowns, and their backup signal callers completed 58% of their passes with 1 touchdown and 5 turnovers. Why is this important? As bad as King and Rob Johnson were, at least they were around to know the system. Both are free agents and exploring their options. If both depart, given the state of the salary cap these days, you’ll be looking at a green backup and third string player. Brad Johnson may have a “tough guy from Texas” reputation, but he has missed plenty of games due to injury over his career. If he goes down, and he will, they might not even score a field goal on offense.

Running Game: Did anyone else notice that the Raider defense was worn to hell by the time Pittman starting looking like O.J. Simpson? Don’t judge too much on one game, the Bucs can’t run the ball unless they have a team on the mat. Pittman and Alstott (even including the playoffs) combined for 1,548 yards on 448 carries and for those of you without a calculator on your tool bar that is 3.46 yards per carry. Unless Aaron Stecker turns into Warrick Dunn (and he might) pretty quick, teams are likely to play more nickel defense to stop Chucky’s attack. Their offensive line played extremely well in the Super Bowl against hung over Raiders like Regan Upshaw, but it is clearly a weakness.

Wide Receivers: Keyshawn Johnson is all about personal glory. Now that he has his ring, watch for more sideline fights with Gruden at the first sign of adversity next season. Keenan McCardell is old, and even writers in Tampa admit he has lost his ability to gain separation. Teams can double MeShawn (wish I could take credit for that, but I’m quoting someone) and/or blitz. Joe Jurevicius is a solid #3 player, but if McCardell has an age related injury and he has to start, watch teams eat this offense alive.

Defense: Yeah, they looked great. I would too if I knew what was coming. They beat the teams in front of them, but putting them in the same breath as even the 2000 Ravens is a joke. I was there during Oakland’s 16-3 AFC Championship game loss and the 48-21 Super Bowl loss. No comparison whatsoever. Oakland had a better offense with better players against Tampa Bay, but the intensity of that Baltimore defense was astounding. McCrary’s jump off the line was frightening from the defensive end position. Ray Lewis is still better than Derrick Brooks overall. I could go on. The point is that even a better defense took its lumps once a few players left the building. Tampa Bay is sure to have some personnel turnover, and eventually their opponents will go into a pro set offense and work them over. Speaking of which, want to know how to beat them?

Beating the Bucs: Using Oakland’s personnel, because I know it best. Run Jerry Porter wide left, Jerry Rice wide right, Doug Jolley in the slot to the right (strong side). Jon Ritchie and Charlie Garner (strong side) are in the backfield in the pro set formation. (Yeah, I play NFL Gameday, what’s it to you?) What you’re left with is maximum protection and plenty of offensive options. With both backs capable of giving support for blitzing corners or rambunctious defensive ends, the receivers have extra time to get open and make a move or two. To slow down the rush, simply have one of the backs do a “look out” block and then loft him a screen pass to either side. Forget changing personnel, just run the no huddle. If a wide receiver gets tired, shuffle in Tim Brown. If a back gets tired, shuffle in Tyrone Wheatley. For any team other than Oakland, slow down the pressure by running a shotgun, which is how the Jets rolled on that vaunted Baltimore defense in their Super Bowl year (look it up).

Their defense will not be as dominating, so without a consistent running game and insurance at quarterback, they had better hope McCardell finds the fountain of youth and Brad Johnson find’s Bill Romanowski’s bottle of pills. I’m done for now.