Scouting Report: Falcons at Bucs

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- One thing that is constant in professional football is change.

And the Falcons have seen more than their share over the last three days.

Gone is Bobby Petrino, who resigned as the team's head coach Tuesday. That left Atlanta (3-10) in search for a new leader just in time for a division game against the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5).

That leader comes in the form of interim head coach Emmitt Thomas, who brings 28 years of coaching experience (six with the Falcons). The locker room is shaken, but a steady hand has seemed to already taken hold.

“We’re going to fight as hard as we can for him and whoever is leading this team," starting quarterback Chris Redman said. "We’re all playing for ourselves, too, and we’re going to go out there and lay it all out on the field. We have great fans here and we owe them to play to the best of our abilities and we’re going to do that.”

Thomas has been relatively low key at practice, leaving most of the on-the-field duties to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg to the jobs they retained after Petrino's departure.

Players have embraced the coach's down-to-earth style.

“Ever since I’ve been here I’ve always been an interactive coach -- both sides of the ball," said Thomas, who also serves as the team's defensive backs coach. "I know those guys (on offense) well. I can’t tell them what the play is going to be or the technique to use but I can give them a boost…

“The main thing is to show me when they play on Sunday. That’s the best way to (show their support). I’ve always interacted with the guys since I’ve been here. Because of this situation I’m a place holder right now until they make a decision on the head coach. And I’m happy to do it.”

ON THE GROUND: Buccaneers fans figured their running game would take a fatal blow when Cadillac Williams was placed on injured reserve. Turns out, Earnest Graham is more than capable of running the football and fighting through his own set of injuries. Graham is 202 yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the season and is averaging more than 4 yards per carry.

Graham rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown when these teams met in November. He leads the Bucs with nine rushing touchdowns and has at least one score in the last five games.

Stopping the run game is key for the Falcons as they look to limit the Buccaneers' power game and take the play-action pass off the table.

"We know they’re going to try to come in and put that power game on us," rookie defensive end Jamaal Anderson said. "They’ve been running the ball effectively. Earnest Graham has been doing pretty good. Last week I think was maybe his worst game in four starts (61 rushing yards, but two scores). We have to take care of that first then we have to stop Joey Galloway. They’re going to try to take big shots down the field with him."

The Bucs have rushed the ball 351 times this season for a 4.3-yard-per carry average. Backup Michael Pittman has managed to take some heat off Graham with a little more than 200 yards on the ground. He is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, however, with an ankle injury.

Atlanta plans to recommit itself in the run game following Petrino's departure.

An offense that once featured a plethora of running plays will be trimmed down to only the most successful calls.

The Falcons rushed for a season-low 37 yards Monday night against New Orleans and has plenty of motivation -- both in the backfield and along the offensive front -- to run the ball well and grind out a victory in Tampa.

"We’re going to simplify things a little bit -- cut back the game plan and get it more focused," center Todd McClure said. "Before we had so many plays in and it was hard to concentrate and know what we were doing when we went into the games."

Jerious Norwood rushed for a season-high 94 yards two weeks ago while Warrick Dunn, who recently passed the 10,000-yard rushing mark, looks to add to his career total against his former team.

“I think we’re just trying to simplify things and not run 100 plays," Dunn said. "(Jackson) is going to give us an opportunity to go out and just play. The plays that we practice we’re going to run and just hopefully go out and execute.”

THROUGH THE AIR: Quarterback Jeff Garcia is expected to return to the starting lineup for the Buccaneers this week. With that, Tampa Bay gets reunited with mobility and vision. Garcia can see the entire field and is able to place the ball on target for big plays no matter the coverage or pressure. The Falcons know they must limit the deep ball with Garcia, mostly by getting him to the ground.

The Bucs offensive line has allowed 26 sacks this season. John Abraham notched one sack of Garcia the last time these teams met.

He said Thomas' coaching style allows for quality veteran leadership, which will get the Falcons through this rough time and allow for more spirited play come Sunday afternoon.

"He’s doing a good job of letting us have fun and letting the players control the practice a little more -- have a little more say about what’s going on," Abraham said. "It’s us out there now instead of worrying about somebody else.

"It’s a big game. Anytime you’re playing an opponent that we play twice a year it’s a big game. You definitely want to come back and make a good outing."

Garcia wasn't too flashy in a Bucs win over the Falcons last month. But he was brutally efficient. He threw for just 159 yards, but his passer rating clocked in at 110.2 and one of his two touchdowns was a 44-yard bomb to Galloway. No receiver had more than three catches in that game as Gracia spread the ball around the field.

Redman threw for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Saints -- his first start in more than five years. He will lead the Falcons this weekend.

"We're staying with Redman because we think he gives us the best chance to win," Thomas said Thursday. "I talked with the offensive coaches… They all single out the guy and think Redman is the guy. We feel comfortable with him. We’re going to make Joey Harrington No. 2 and we’re going to go to war with that guy."

Redman said the team will be focused entirely on Sunday's game.

“They’re a great team and we know they have a lot to play for here," he said. "We know they’re going to play really tough. I wouldn’t say it’s a great thing but obviously we played them once this year and we kind of have a feel for them. But we have to go out there and produce.”

His favorite target could be wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who tied a career high with nine receptions last week and has done well against the Buccaneers in the past. Three times he's posted four or more catches against the Bucs.

The team will contend with a Bucs pass rush and secondary that make the defense one of the best in the league (No. 2 in opponent points per game). Defensive end Greg White and defensive tackle Jovan Haye have combined for 13 sacks.

Cornerback Ronde Barber, always a leader in numbers, has just one interception this season but his lone fumble recovery went for a score against the Falcons back in November.

Linebackers Derrick Brooks and Barrett Ruud are each credited with more than 100 tackles this season.

SPECIALTIES: The Buccaneers and punter Josh Bidwell rank 17th in the league in net punting average. When it comes to the return game, the Buccanners are still the only team in the league never to return a kick for a touchdown. The closest they've come this season was when Michael Spurlock returned a kickoff 45 yards.

SHUFFLING THE CARDS: Thomas said second-year safety Jimmy Williams will see more time on defense this week. He's been inactive the last two weeks.

“When you’re a backup as a defensive back you have to be a good special teams player," the coach said. "His special teams play hasn’t been what we thought it should be in the past. Hopefully, since he’s been down, he’ll realize that this week and come back and play excellent special teams and be able to help us on third down.”

When it comes to injuries, defensive back Antoine Harris (knee) is listed as questionable.

• RELATED: Falcons-Bucs Injury Report

TALE OF THE TAPE: Some stats to consider as the Falcons travel to take on the Bucs.

NUMBERS, NOTES AND COLORS: Some digits, thoughts and colors to get you ready for the Bucs game...

• The Falcons will be in white jerseys for Sunday's game.
• Wide receiver Roddy White is just 5 receiving yards away from reaching 1,000 for the season.
• Wide receiver Adam Jennings caught his first career touchdown pass against the Bucs in November.
• White is fourth in the NFC in receiving yards, the highest ranking for a Falcon since 1998 (Tony Martin, third)
• The heaviest player on the Falcons roster is Justin Blalock (329 pounds).
• The Falcons have won 12 games over the Bucs in the series -- six on the road and six at home.