DE Gaines Adams' 45-yard interception return at Chicago marked one of five times the Bucs have scored without help from the offense this season
Forget the cute intro. Here's what you're going to get in this article: charts.
And stats.
At various on Buccaneers.com, we've walked both sides of the line on statistics. We love 'em and we hate 'em. In general, following the lead of Head Coach Jon Gruden, this site has tried not to overemphasize stats, acknowledging that the bottom line of wins and losses trumps the importance of league rankings or passer ratings or run/pass ratio.
But we also acknowledge this: Statistics are, in and of themselves, completely neutral. They are merely numbers that are generated by the actions of football players on the field. They are numerical representations of the players' and teams' accomplishmentsââ'¬Â¦at the most basic level, wins and losses and points scored and points allowed, and then expanding endlessly from there.
Gruden dislikes the overemphasis of statistics too far removed from the bottom line, and it's hard to blame him. There are many ways to win a game in the NFL, and no coach wants to hear his latest victory or division title questioned by a statistic that says it should have gone the other way.
But even the most hardened anti-stat coach will concede that certain numbers are worthy of discussion. Gruden, for instance, will eagerly agree that the team that wins the turnover battle is most likely going to win the game.
So, with that, we dive into a few more out-there stats and invite you to take them or leave them as you see fit. You'll find plenty of news updates on Buccaneers.com later this afternoon, and in the very recent archives, but right now, we're all about charts.
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