As we look forward to this coming weekend's matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most everyone is at least a whole lot of curious about Shaun Hill. As some of you'll recall, SB Nation has been working with Samsung on a defining moment campaign. Recently the campaign changed from defining moments of the previous weekend to defining moment predictions for the upcoming weekend. Accordingly, my prediction is up and is about Shaun Hill's matchup with the Bucs (it was just posted and is likely close to the bottom). Feel free to vote for the moment if you get a chance. No prizes, but simple site pride.
Anyways, I predicted another solid performance by Shaun Hill leading to an upset over the Bucs, more just because I'd rather go out on a limb and hope for the best rather than be negative. I predicted 19-28, 187 yards and 2 TDs in a win. My prediction raised a question for which I don't quite know the answer:
Do the Buccaneers still play a version of the Cover-2 defense Tony Dungy brought to town?
I've tried to figure it out for sure but there is no definite answer that I can find. If the play the cover-2, it's possible the underneath passing game could be left open and Shaun Hill has shown an ability to take what the defense will give him. Of course, it's possible the Bucs will mix in plenty of different defenses to keep the inexperienced Hill off balance.
The other question to consider is how much rest, if any, will the Buccaneers' starters get? The Bucs clinched the NFC South last week and have no chance of getting a first round bye. They're tied with Seattle for the 3rd and 4th seeds and the only difference between the two seeds will be who hosts the Giants (more than likely) and who hosts New Orleans/Minnesota/Washington. While often I like to face the lesser players, this is one time that would not be the best result. I want to see what Shaun Hill can do against the #3 defense in the NFL (6th against the pass, 7th against the run). If the Bucs rest their starters, another excuse will rear its head. Let's see what Shaun Hill can do when challenged by a real NFL defense (because as Deion noted, the Bengals aren't a real NFL defense).
EDITOR'S NOTE 12:10AM - If you do go vote for my predicted moment, it's listed as "Week 2 of the Shaun Hill era."