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Bucs Play Not To Lose And Do Just That
By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune
By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 26, 2008
IRVING, Texas - The Bucs nearly pulled out a heart-stopping victory on Sunday afternoon. It didn't happen.
So let's not get carried away with what nearly occurred in the end, when the Bucs drove to the Dallas 18-yard line, but failed on a fourth-and-5 play. No, you need to look much, much earlier than that.
Let's put the blame where it belongs.
On the mentality of losing football.
That's what the Bucs brought to Texas Stadium.
Losing football – in every way.
Caution, where daring was needed. Lack of poise and discipline. Then an inability to fight back in the fourth quarter, when the field position was generally excellent.
The Dallas Cowboys got the victory they desperately needed, turning back the Bucs 13-9. But give the major assist to Tampa Bay, which did everything possible to make it happen.
In the final minutes, the Bucs (5-3) drove from their 26-yard line to the Dallas 18, converting a pair of fourth-down chances and looking like the offense had suddenly awakened. Nope.
With a chance to assert themselves in the NFC, the Bucs took a major step backward.
When early offensive opportunities presented themselves, the Bucs settled for field goals. When it mattered most, there was no dependable running game and quarterback Jeff Garcia was indecisive.
When the defense should have stepped on the Cowboys' throat, it imploded.
The game turned late in the first half with Tampa Bay leading 6-3. It was third-and-3 from the Dallas 25-yard line. Garcia was rolling, rolling, rolling, motioning for the receiver to change his pattern, rolling, rolling some more, then losing his footing and rolling over on his back for an 8-yard loss.
Instead of pinning the Dallas offense deep with a punt, the Bucs attempted a 51-yard line by Matt Bryant. No good.
The Cowboys had field position – and new life.
The Cowboys, setting up shop at their 41-yard line, went 59 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead touchdown, a 2-yard fade from Brad Johnson to Roy Williams (and over Phillip Buchanon) with one second remaining.
But the Bucs' defense made it happen with four – count 'em, four – penalties on the drive.
There was a horse-collar tackle by Ronde Barber (when Dallas would've been faced with a fourth-down punting situation). There was pass interference on Buchanon and illegal contact on Aqib Talib. Then there was unsportsmanlike conduct on Cato June – and that set up Johnson's TD toss to Williams.
The Bucs (5-3) could've made a statement, perhaps positioning themselves as one of the NFC's teams to beat.
But they are still just one of the guys behind the Giants, Commanders and Cardinals, who must be considered front-runners for the conference's spot in Super Bowl XLIII. They could've maintained pace in the NFC South. Instead, they just made the job a lot more difficult.
* Jon Gruden (56-53) remains tied with Tony Dungy (56-46) as the all-time victory leader in Bucs history. Gruden dropped to 21-31 in regular-season road games.
* The "Clifton Smith era'' had mad a major blip. Smith, an undrafted free-agent from Fresno State, replaced inactive (and ineffective) rookie Dexter Jackson as the primary return man. Smith had some nice first-half moments, with three punt returns for 48 yards and a kickoff return for 16 yards. But Smith lost a fumble on the second half's opening kickoff. When Dallas stalled and punted, Ike Hilliard was back for the return.
* After losing to Cowboys quarterback Brad Johnson, the Bucs are now 4-8 when facing teams with former Tampa Bay quarterbacks. For the record, it's 3-1 against Chris Chandler, 1-3 against Steve Young and 0-3 against Vinny Testaverde.
* Good riddance to Texas Stadium. The Bucs finished 1-9 in the place (barring a postseason appearance), including two playoff defeats. Tampa Bay's only victory in Dallas was a 10-6 victory in 2001. It was Brad Johnson's first start with the Bucs.
