Game 6: Eagles at Bucs

Some thoughts before we start tracking today's game:

• The Eagles have scored at least 24 points in each of their games. The Bucs have scored 24 points once. Something's gotta give.
• SIM RICE, COME HOME: In recent successes against Philadelphia (granted, the teams haven't faced off in three years), defensive end Simeon Rice terrorized Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (2003 Times photo by Bill Serne; click to enlarge). In today's St. Petersburg Times, columnist Gary Shelton called out that Simeon.
• AFTER BOOGER: Defensive tackle Anthony McFarland has been traded to Indianapolis. Ellis Wyms is now the successor to Warren Sapp. Beat writer Rick Stroud said McFarland's departure is the latest sign the Bucs are breakin' up that old defensive gang of ours.
• TEDDY BEAR: No. 1 draft pick Davin Joseph seems like a well-grounded fellow, according to Stephen F. Holder's profile.
• IN BRUCE WE TRUST? Shelton and fellow wise guy John Romano have a back-and-forth about Bucs rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and the heat Philly will bring with its pass rush.

Game on.

FIRST QUARTER

• Well, the Eagles are good at shooting themselves in the foot. Opening drive deep into Bucs territory, then an unforced error (fumble). Later, another long gain followed by an interception.
• On the Bucs side, little of anything on offense. Cadillac Williams has 13 yards on six carries. Gradkowski is 1-of-4 for 8 yards. They did win a challenge.
• Eagles 0, Bucs 0

SECOND QUARTER

• Shades of the NFC Championship Game. Bucs show blitz. McNabb audibles to short slant pass. Ronde Barber steps in for easy pick and walk-in touchdown. (AP photo; click to enlarge.)

Bucs 7, Eagles 0

• The replay is excellent. Ronde is covering the slot, but he leaves his man to step in front of the slant pass intended for the outside receiver.
• McNabb seems rattled, or overheated as Fox analyst Brian Baldinger is wondering. McNabb fumbles snap on third down.
• Bucs three downs and out again. Fifteen offensive plays, 28 yards. But no turnovers.
• McNabb is capable of handing off. Consecutive Eagles runs gain 33 yards.
• Hello, Ellis. Wyms gets his third sack in two games.
• Bucs defense looks stout. If the Bucs get any offense . . .  on the other hand, would it surprise you if Jon Gruden played field position and hammered the Iggles with Cadillac?
• Nice work in the pocket by Gradkowski. A couple sidesteps buys him time. First down.
• Again, after a poorly thrown deep ball, Gradkowski shows his quick feet to avoid the blitz and find Paris Warren for a first down and his first National Football League catch. Paris who, you say? Second year out of Utah. Hometown Sacramento. That's about it on the Bucs site.
• Jeremy Trueblood's tripping penalty takes Bucs out of field goal range. Well, Matt Bryant can kick it 52 yards, but he's likely to miss and there's no point in giving McNabb a shorter field.
• Bucs thwart screen pass, but McNabb escapes and scrambles for 20 yards.
• Bucs send blitzers and nobody is watching Brian Westbrook -- how does that happen? -- and he gains 29 yards.
• First-and-goal at the Bucs 6 with nine seconds left.
• Oh my. McNabb finishes a two-interception half with a mental blunder. He doesn't throw into the end zone and his receiver is tackled short. The clock runs out.

HALFTIME

• McNabb, with 156 yards, is en route to another 300-yard day, and yet he's played poorly.
• The Eagles offense has gained 250 yards, well above their league-leading average, but those three turnovers killed them.
• Questions for the second half: Which cracks first? The Eagles' frustrated offense? Or the Bucs defense, which is on pace to be on the field for 70-plus plays.
• Cadillac: 10 carries, 20 yards.
• Gradkowski: 6-of-12, 59 yards.

THIRD QUARTER

• Cadillac for 6, Cadillac for 7. Cadillac for 11. Cadillac for 7. Cadillac for water break. Okay, Cadillac for 1 but the Bucs needed 2. Fourth and short at the Eagles 36.

Bucs 10, Eagles 0. Nice opening drive.

Bucs 17, Eagles 0. Help me, Ronde. Barber is all over McNabb. 66 yards for another touchdown.

• The Bucs defense is giving McNabb the short stuff underneath.
• The Bucs defense is giving McNabb room to run.

Bucs 17, Eagles 7. He's having a bad day, but McNabb is fighting like hell. He avoids several sackers and throws a touchdown pass.

FOURTH QUARTER

• McNabb just puked. Good timeout by the Eagles.
• Two good running backs on display: Cadillac and Westbrook.
• Stats update: McNabb has 211 yards passing, 76 rushing and one Chunky Soup barf.

Bucs 17, Eagles 14. McNabb buys time. Touchdown, Reggie Brown. Somebody spike McNabb's Gatorade with Ex-Lax.

• Bucs needs to buy their defense a break. First down, Cadillac. Ten carries for 58 yards this half.
• Big sack, but facemask and unsportsmanlike on Jerome McDougle, who kicked the penalty flag. Thirty yards of penalties and Bucs are at Eagles 43. Clock ticking.
• Bucs miss deep throw, but clock stops.
• Third-and-critical: Gradkowski to Ike Hilliard for just enough.

Bucs 20, Eagles 14. Bryant field goal, but most important, a six-minute drive when it matters.

• Here we go. Two minutes, 49 seconds.
• An Eagles first down at the 2-minute warning.

Eagles 21, Bucs 20. On third-and-6, Westbrook takes a 4-yard pass and makes about six Bucs miss. A 52-yard touchdown.

• Westbrook has 13 carries for 101 yards, seven catches for 113 yards.
• Bucs need 30 yards to get into field goal range.
• Bucs reach Eagles 44. No timeouts. 10 seconds left.
• Well, here goes Matt Bryant from 62 yards.

IT'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!
Bucs 23, Eagles 21

Comments

[Senor]

Was it a 52 or 62 yd field goal?

What a joke seeing all those "Eagle Fans", tickets are impossible to get, but all of those "Eagle Fan"/ Bucs season ticket holders can cry...cry...cry...we OWN you in football now and in hockey!!!!

And it was a 62 yarder!!!!!!!!

[mohammed_is_gay]

AND IT"S GOOOOOOD!!! BUCS WIN BUCS WIN

[esteban]

This might a turning moment for the Bucs season. First they take out a solid Cincinati team and then they take down Philadlephia and probably the best player in the NFL this year, Donovan McNabb.

Big time win and a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

I don't know about the rest of the season. I do know this was SWEET. God, I love the NFL and the BUCS.

[Ed]

I think I saw one of the refs out htere with that pink saw dust stuff they use a school when kids puke on the desk. I think Donovan lost his chunky soup when he saw all the Philly fans there, I know I almost did.

That announcer, Sham I think was his name, was so pro-Eagles...nice to shut him up real quick.

I am a season ticket holder and this was awesome! Did anyone tape the game? DVR? Let me know because I want to see this again and again. Thank God for Matt Bryant as that long walk down from the stadium the car would have been a long one had the Eagles gotten away with this one. And as for you "Bucs" season tix holders that wore Eagles' crap today...you deserve to suffer. Shame on you.

[Mike T]

Those Eagle fans were the same that were Packer fans back in the day and/or Bear fans. My first Bucs game was in 1986 when I was five years old. Our family of four got in for 20 bucks. I love the Bucs and yet I can't afford tickets because all of the "fans" have sucked up the tickets. But no matter who was in the stadium yesterday, that kick was phenomenal.

Oh, and I want to know where "Big Nasty" was when the Bucs were pathetic? NFL Fan Hall of Famer my a$$.

[Wayne Huber]

Without a doubt. This game was THE HILIGHT of an otherwise dismal season that began with such big expectations.