Postgame wrap

Okay, I posted this in the running game blog post, but I'll just give it it's own post.

Here are a couple of observations to mention.

First, on the injury front, Greg Spires tells me he has an Achilles strain. For all we know, it could be at least a partial tear. They'll know more once they get him on an MRI machine tomorrow. No immediate word on Torrie Cox and the severity of his knee injury.

Now, as for the offensive line and offense in general, from where I sit, they did a poor job handling the Jacksonville blitz. Arron Sears told me the Jags did a great job disguising things and then blitzed constantly. And, as Jon Gruden pointed out, when they blitz, that means you've got some one-on-one matchups downfield that you have to win. Obviously, they didn't win nearly enough of them.

And as far as Jeff Garcia is concerned, I thought he made a bad decision to throw that ball while getting decked on his second interception. That was a killer, too, because they were in scoring position at the time. He seemed to downplay it when asked afterward about the turnovers, but I have to disagree that that play was the result of a great defensive play, as he stated. It looked like he forced the throw. The guy has had a great year, I'm just calling a spade a spade. Frankly, it's better to take the sack. Don't you think?

And here's another nitpik (I'm full of them tonight). Not sure why Gruden/Garcia decided to get greedy on that third down play on the final drive. Instead of just working an underneath route or finding a back out of the backfield to get in field goal position (wasn't that the objective?), Garcia went deep to Hilliard and missed on an overthrow. That's a very low percentage play and probably not the wisest move in that situation.

Anyway, that's just my two cents, for what that's worth. Agree? Disagree? That's your prerogative. Either way, have at it.

Comments

[Trotter]

Still no critique of this soft cover 2 D with no pass rush. This is getting old. Where is Kelly, he needs to get on the field. Yes the O made mistakes, but the D lost the game when the lead was 6 points, they are soft.

[Stephen]

The defense made corrections in the 2nd half to minimize the running game pretty nicely. I would agree at times the pass rush needs to improve but for the most part it was the offense that dissapointed yesterday as they could not take advantage of the big plays especially with a blitz happy team. Also, the turnovers and dropped passes were killer as well. NFL is great when things are going to good but QB's are going to have their bad days. Over all this team has to defend home turf and win the division and it will all pan out. Getting some of these injuries taken care of wouldn't hurt either.

Two reasons for the loss; poor offensive line (as usual) and sloppy play. Garcia is not young anymore and cannot handle the hard hits. If he keep getting clobbered by 300 pound linemen, he's not going to stay focused and play with poise. Living in Boston and seeing the Pats do so well when Brady has all the time in the world to throw the ball, I don't understand why its so difficult to create a strong line. Maybe it's new players coming in every year or the lack of cohesiveness on the line, but after two 2nd round picks, a 1st rounder, and plenty of money spent does it take this long to create a good line?

Finally, it plagued this last year and it's plauging them again, but mistakles and sloppy play by the Bucs D is ruining them. The Bucs never had a good offense during the days of Dungy, but they could always rely on their D to bail them out. Players such as Barber, Brooks, Ruud, and June are not creating turnovers and many of them are missing tackles.

[aaron]

the d didnt lose the game, garcia. did. as good as he played the first few games he stunk this one. his interceptions led to points by the jags. if it wsnt for the int's, we would have had the lead. three times i counted him overthrowing a man deep. the most costly one was the last on to ike, that would have put us up for good. horrible throw. we knew what we were getting with garcia though. he is very accurate throwing short, but he doesnt have the arm to be accurate throwing the long ball. this is what we have and we should realize that. i am still very dissapointed. we should have won.

[DR]

Yeah aaron, did you notice that when Garcia throws it down field, it looks as if he's shot putting it?

[aaron]

his release does kind of look awkward. he is our best qb and that scares me. our run games is very average, maybe a bit below average. our qb is fantastic in throwing short, but doesnt have the arm to throw the long ball. i know i am going to catch hell for this because everbody here loves garcia, but he IS the reason we lost the game, plain and simple. i think our defense is doing a fine job. big improvement over last year.

[aaron]

i dont like gruden but i think he called a good game. the call to go long to ike was brilliant. too bad our qb couldnt hit the WIDE open man.

[DR]

Garcia doesn't have a great arm but I thought there is no quarterback in the league who can out throw Galloway and his blazing speed? I was driving down Dale Mabry and Galloway ran past me and gave me the finger for being too slow. I was driving 55MPH, I was amazed!
Gruden isn't a good coach. Yeah he doesn't take the blame for performance but he takes the blame for putting the performers out there. I don't know how anyone can be happy with the talent he has brought to this team. The coaching staff as well. Players with potential aren't reaching their potential and thats a discredit to the coaching staff. When a player's best year is his rookie year, you got to wonder what the hell is going on in practice.

[Clint]

Come on! The game was brutal. Bucs defense got beat by a one dimensional (run) team. No pass rush at times of need and a Qb that seemed to be forcing the play which led to the interceptions and poor throws.

[Tom]

Garcia is definately not the best at throwing the deep ball. That's why he is suited for the West Coast offense and it's horizontal passing attack. However, the wind was swirling pretty good out there. That is not an excuse for Garcia's poor throw. Just an observation.

At the same time, how can anybody be too hard on Garcia. He is the reason that we are even competitive.

[Tom]

Btw, those of you who want Gruden gone might have to contend with not having Kiffin here either. It is well known that Gruden is a big fan of Kiffin and they have some history together. If you bring in a new head coach, you may have to clean house. That includes getting rid of Kiffin and Raheem Morris, which I think is the one of the best young coaches in the NFL.

[RJ]

Is it me, or why is no one calling for Grudens head? His inability to win is terrible. He took over a Dungy built team and won a SuperBowl. Now he has done nothing afterward. Injuries kills us again this year, we have no running game (what happened to signing Bennett) and the O-line is still young. Gruden needs to go and Bill Cower needs to step in.

[RJ]

Is it me, or why is no one calling for Grudens head? His inability to win is terrible. He took over a Dungy built team and won a SuperBowl. Now he has done nothing afterward. Injuries kills us again this year, we have no running game (what happened to signing Bennett) and the O-line is still young. Gruden needs to go and Bill Cower needs to step in.

[AL]

RJ is an idiot

[DR]

Tom, you're stupidity is amazing. Del Rio challenged Garcia and Garcia failed. Jags were stacking the line against what running game??? Bucs have no running game. The Bucs got beat AGAIN on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Garcia couldn't hit Galloway or Hilliard in man to man coverage. Barry Switzer, I mean Gruden hasn't drafted talent and brings in has beens from free agency. You're a horrible fan. Hoping to keep Gruden around is accepting mediocracy.
Blaming injuries is a joke too. Every team has injuries and they still do well. Why? Because they have depth. It's embarrassing that the Bucs are $17M under the cap and have no depth. Not much in the starting positions either. I want to see a good Bucs team in the future and really can't predict that with the talent Gruden has brought here. How many more losing seasons will it take to make you guys understand that Gruden is a bad coach? I know the season isn't over but have you looked at the schedule. The Bucs will need to overachieve greatly to get into the playoffs.

[Tom]

Oh jeez, here comes a new one! No, you're not the only one who has said it was Dungy's team and not Gruden's. Unfortunately, you don't seem to remember that Sam Wyche was the one that brought in Sapp, Brooks, Lynch and Nickerson. So Dungy walked into a great situation with 3 future HOFs on defense and a HOF FB!

If we don't make the playoffs this year or lay a fat egg like we did last year, I will be the first in line to call for his resignation. However, right now, it's too early to be talking about that.

[Tom]

DR, you're not the sharpest tool in the toolbox are you?

I never said that our losses the past two weeks have anything to with injuries. Players didn't execute. Now you're going to say that it's Gruden's fault for having those players here. Just like it is Parcell's fault for having a crap QB who couldn't even handle a snap to win a game in the playoffs, right? You're a pathetic moron.

You say that we're 17 million under the cap and that sucks. That's a good thing because we're not handcuffed by the cap like we were with McKay. Besides,name me one player we could've gotten in the offseason other than GARCIA, that would've made a difference.

[DR]

Adalius Thomas on defense, a monster with speed who play on the line as well. Donte Stallworth. Kevin Curtis. Brandon Stokely. Drew Bennett. Could have gotten into the trading war for Moss, and even Welker. They did nothing however. They were content with Boston, Clayton, Hilliard and Stovall competing at WR. Weak. Nice talent pool Gruden. Galloway, mediocre hands at best isn't a #1 possession receiver either. That's what this team needs.
Romo a crap QB? They may be the dumbest statement ever made in any blog ever. Tampa wishes they had a QB with his talent. Of course they don't because they can't evaluate talent. You know nothing about football. You back to your dart throwing and bowling games you fat tub of lard.

[Tom]

You blame Garcia for fumbling the ball last week and missing throws this week. You can't take the heat when Romo makes a mistake like throwing 5 ints against the Bills. You're a sorry sack of meconium.

Adalius Thomas is great LB in the the 3-4 but doesn't fit the cover 2. If you knew anything about football you could figure that out. Stallworth was an underachiever until he got to play with the greatest QB ever. Hillard is better than Stokeley and Bennett. Who knew about Curtis and Welker? Did you?

[Skylar]

Wow...it really can get nasty on here. Children, let's play nice. We all have our opinions, so let's just back them up with facts, ok? Let's start by evaluating this talent pool of DR's (I love this part:) Stallworth - was already on the Patriots & is # 36 in the league (on the best passing team,) Curtis - 5 of 8 games under 100 yards and 4 TD's, Stokely and Bennet aren't even in the top 50 recievers. Galloway & Hilliard are 24/25 respectively. As for Thomas, he's an inside lineback with 36 tackles and .5 sacks, a far cry from the 66 league-leading tackles by Ruud (a Gruden draft pick) going into this week. Stovall obviously is in because of injury, so that's not a valid point. Romo has played well in the regular season, I will give you that, but he does have that big "Duh" on his forehead for losing that playoff game last year. Also, he was a full 10 pts behind Garcia in QB rating going into this week. I'm not saying he sucks, because that would be a bit ignorant, but he does have something to prove, which is why he remains unsigned in Dallas cause Jerry aint not fool. Anyway, you're late with my pizza again so get to it DR:)

[Tom]

Skylar, I am laughing my bollocks off. That's some good stuff. I just watched Good Fellas again and the one scene reminds me of DR.

"Go get your shoe shine box, DR!"

[Pete]

Here's my take ... from where I sit ... if you have a six-point lead at home in the fourth quarter against a backup quarterback, there's no way you should end up on the losing end.

As many mistakes as Garcia had, the defense should have stepped up and closed the door on the Jags. I mean, Reggie Williams, Ernest Wilford and Matt Jones (the Jags triumvirate set of wide receivers) made plays on our D on that drive to take the lead.

I also lay blame with the offense for not stepping on their throat after the blocked punt (can't settle for field goals).

I had no problems with the call to go down the field to Ike Hillard at the end of the game ... it was gutsy ... but it was obviously the right call, Hillard was wide open ... but the QB and WR didn't make the play! As a coach, you call the play with the intent of the players executing the play (that goes for a 50-yard bomb or even the "safer" 10-yard slant).

I have never called for Gruden's head, and there's no way you can now. No one expected this team to be 4-4 at this point. And the Bucs are 4-4 with 11 players on the IR. He should be in the running for coach of the year if this team makes the playoffs (which, despite the negativity in here, there still remains a very good chance of that).

Look, two very winnable games coming up here, the Bucs need to get their acts together, stop turning the ball over and making silly mistakes, and get back in the race for this thing.

In the meantime, we now have to hope the Jags can go into New Orleans and steal one from the Saints the same way they just stole one from our boys.

[DR]

LMAO! Ahhh, Skylar and Tom teaming up. You know what happens when you put 2 stupid minds together? It gets even dumber!
Adalius Thomas would start on every single football team in this league. No matter what system he's in. That beyond stupid to say he couldn't play on Tampa's defense. Thomas would start on Tampa's piss poor defensive line. You sissies love speed and that guy is 265lbs and can cover receivers man-to-man.
Skylar, you're telling me that Stallworth went from the Eagles to the Pats immediately? That's another dumb statement. Tampa should have thrown money his way as soon as he became a free agent last year.
Who knew about Curtis or Welker? Is that a joke? Oh yeah, you know nothing about football. If you watched the Fins last year, Welker was their most talented player. He was traded for a 2nd round pick which is crap. Welker is the biggest pick up for the Pats. Crisp patterns, great hands, great return man with amazing footwork. I was pissed that the Fins would give up their best player for an unknown. Then they go and draft Ginn. That team may lose every game this year AND next year. The Fins judge talent just like the Bucs.
Bennett and Stokely run better routes and have better hands. Hilliard never broken the 1,000 yard mark and he's just another subpar NFL player from Florida.
Its just too funny that you keep dogging Romo. Wow, he made a mistake last year in the playoffs. I'm a true fan and didn't care about that play. They lost that game before that play. They didn't deserve to win. They weren't going to make it to the Super Bowl anyway. Unlike you Bucs fans, who actually thought you had a good team 2 years ago with that bum for a QB. What's his name again? You'll never hear that name in a starting line-up again.
The way the 'Boys lost last year will help them more than hurt them. They learn from their mistakes.
Jones hasn't signed a contract yet because its still in the season. He has already said the top priority is signing Romo to a contract. You don't want distractions during the season. When the 'Boys release players, they do it professionally. They don't stab players in the back like the Bucs have done numerous times.
Yeah, Romo threw 5 INT's but good teams overcome mistakes. The Bucs can't even overcome 2 fumbles against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Great QB's have thrown many INT's in a game. You guys have so much blind respect for Romo since you hold him to such high standards. He threw 5 INTs, one less than Favre's 6 INTs in a playoff game. You losers with zero knowledge will enjoy watching the 'Boys play in January. Maybe Gruden,Garcia and Galloway will invite you guys to their houses so you can watch the games with them.

[Tom]

Pete, you make a lot of sense. I was also disappointed that the defense couldn't stop the Jags from scoring. There were a lot of missed tackles. Unfortunately, our players on defense are not the "playmakers" of the past.

On the gamble for the big play to Hilliard, the Jags were taking everything away underneath. They were begging us to gamble and we took a shot. Gotta hand it Gruden for allowing his players to win the game. In the Dungy years, we would never have done anything to put our offense in position to win.

I love the Bucs but it is even trivial to speak of any other teams right now other than the Pats and Colts. They are two of the best teams I have seen in maybe two or three decades.

[Skylar]

DR...first of all, I don't need anyone to help me B@@tch-slap you like I always do. Secondly, you absolutely sidestepped that fact that I b**tchslapped you and went off on some tirade that I can't even follow. Fact is, those players that you said we should have gone after all are achieving below our starters. I point it out and you can't defend it. Curtis is the only one ahead of our receivers and he had a 221 yard game. He had 4 TD's this year...whippy freakin' doo! Like I said, Romo is OK, but he's nothing special yet; you may want to let that one simmer. And Jones had a chance to sign him before the season and chose not to because he didn't have full confidence that he would be the man. I've never professed Simms to be anything other than a hack, so why don't you defend what you say instead of making things up? Isn't my pizza getting cold?

[Kurt]

Skylar, that was a nice b@@tchslap. I don't know why he even tries; he's got no game. You got him on every one except that we did have a chance to get Stallworth, but he was always an underachiever and really still is considering he's the second receiver and Welker is blowing his drawers off. Anyway, I digress. Didn't he say that Graham was a hack a couple of weeks ago too. Yeah, he's only averaging 4 yds a carry and 7 yards per pass. Those are just shy of sucky Tomlinson numbers no doubt. Yo Pete - good analysis.

[Skylar]

I do enjoy b@@tchslapping him, although my hand gets tired at times. Yes, he did try to profess his hatred for E Graham, but had to eat crow shortly thereafter. He even said he was averaging 2 yards per carry which was another one of his bogus stats. I digress also. It's almost unfair going to a battle of witts with someone who is so unarmed. I accept my wrongness in saying Stallworth was not available...for some reason I thought the Pats got him near the end of the season last year. My apologies DR, although that really doesn't support his lack of production and why we should have gone after him. I mean how does one underachieve at receiver on the Patriots?

[DR]

Is somebody slapping me? Verbally, I think not. I guess I need to tell you that Bennett has been hurt most of this season. If you knew football, you would know that. Stokely has been dissappointing this year. The Bucs WRs are so strong that they didn't need to spend some money on Stallworth? He had a great year in Philly despite being injured. He is injury prone, but would have fit in well with the brittle Caddy. Graham has one strong game and he's the man ha? Look for Bennett to be taking his spot any game now. Will Graham still be the man you say he is when he's benched?
By the way- Romo, 6 years, $61M, $31M guaranteed. He hasn't done much? Man, you're an idiot. Romo lead the 'Boys to a playoff spot last year. He's leading them to homefield advantage this year. No Romo, no playoffs.
Yes, Colts and Pats are far better than every other team in the league. However, to put them as one of the best ever would be difficult. The NFL is at its weakest level of play that I have ever seen. Look at the QBs in the league compared to 12 years ago. Its a joke. The AFC East may be the worst division ever by year's end, even with an undefeated team.