| [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times] |
| Much has changed since last Rams-Bucs clash |
| Recent history has added an extra coat of luster to a matchup of mediocre teams. Less than 10 months after their seismic encounter — with the stupefying finish — in the NFC division playoffs, the Rams (3-4) and Bucs (3-5) clash again at Raymond James Stadium. The meeting will be the teams' fourth since Tom Brady arrived in Tampa. The Rams have won the previous three by an average margin of 5.3 points. Two of them were three-point games, including the Rams' 30-27 playoff triumph. "It feels like a rivalry game between us because every time we play against them, it's always a close game," Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean said Monday. "So that's pretty much like, the scenario going into this week; we know what type of game it's going to be." They're also aware of the type of game it won't be. Which is to say, anyone construing this rivalry game as a rematch is misinformed. In terms of personnel, leadership and — to a degree — scheme, the teams that will trot onto the field Sunday differ significantly from the ones that squared off Jan. 23. No less an authority than Tom Brady reiterated that point Monday when speaking of his own struggling club. "You've got to rebuild every year, and that's part of the deal in the NFL — nothing's the same from year after year," Brady said on his weekly Let's Go! podcast. "We have so many new players on our team from that (Super Bowl) team a couple of years ago. We've moved on from that one, we moved on last year, and we came up short last year." Before the buildup to Sunday commences in earnest, let's examine some of the significant differences between the teams that met last winter, and the ones that will reconvene this weekend: • Bucs coach Bruce Arians has retired, and seemingly so has the vertical component of the team's passing game (Brady's 6.7 yards per pass attempt ranks 22nd in the NFL). On the other side, Kevin O'Connell — the Rams' offensive coordinator last season — now is Vikings coach. • Bucs defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, whose monster game in January (six tackles, four quarterback hurries) included a fourth-quarter forced fumble that set up Tampa Bay's game-tying touchdown, remains an unsigned free agent. Similarly, Rams All-Pro linebacker Von Miller, who had a fourth-quarter strip sack of Brady, now plays in Buffalo. • Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had four catches for 85 yards in that playoff encounter, remains retired. • Three of Tampa Bay's starting offensive linemen in the playoff game won't be around Sunday. Left guard Ali Marpet retired, right guard Alex Cappa signed with the Bengals as a free agent, and center Ryan Jensen suffered a knee injury the second day of training camp. For the Rams, right tackle Rob Havenstein is the only offensive-line starter from the playoff game who started in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the 49ers. |
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