Week 5: @ Denver Broncos

Despite Late 4th Quarter Heroics, Dismal Playcalling Sees Bucs Come Up Short, 16-13

What a game. The same day (and time) that the Rays suffer their first ALDS loss, the Bucs put on a performance to forget. Now, I'm not bellowing doom and gloom or anything. Every team stumbles. What makes this one hard to take is that we could have won this game. We should have won this game.

However, it was not meant to be. The Bucs were one mile high and one field goal too short. The reasons were all over the board. Here goes...

Quarterbacks: B

Want the good news? Brian Greise didn't throw any interceptions. How about the bad news? He didn't throw ant TD's either. And he got hurt. Greise is calling it an elbow bruise but said there is no structural damage to the area, so he may be able to return next week. Enter the drama.

Jeff Garcia came in to relieve Greise, having only been made backup QB earlier that day. He did pretty well, appearing rusty at first and then finding a stride later in the game, going 13 for 17 attempts and racking up 93 yards. He led the Bucs to their only touchdown, but also threw a pick that was subsequently fumbled and recovered by the Bucs. Overall these guys didn't do too bad. I'm curious to see what happens this week, though. Who to start? You ask me, you gotta give it back to Greise. It needs to be his job to lose from bad play, not due to an injury.

Runningbacks: B

These guys suffered from horrible play calling. The number aren't too bad. Earnest Graham 10 carries for 59 yards, Warrick Dunn 11 carries for 74 yards. What isn't apparent, though, is how Gruden's horrible playcalling affected the game. On a vital 3rd and 2 late in the game, Gruden elects to run Dunn on a wide sweep with the Denver defense in full lock down mode. Duh. Doesn't take an armchair QB to figure out that that may not work. And it didn't. Ugh.

Recievers: B

Ike Hilliard once again established his role as the go-to clutch catcher for this team, catching the Bucs lone TD and stretching drives by making the crucial catches on 3rd down. Micheal Clayton caught three passes, which is kind of nice. Jerramy Stevens had a pretty good game, although he let a sure TD pass slip threw his fingers. Antonio Bryant racked up the majority of yards, 58. Once again, the playcalling disaster this week affected the receiving corps as well.

Offensive Line: B

Davin Joseph returned to the line after three weeks of injury, and he did well. The line gave up three sacks, which is a high number given their previous play. Center Jeff Faine let his temper get carried away, drawing a penalty for unsportsman-like conduct by hovering over a fallen Bronco defensive lineman, talking trash, that negated a holding call on the defense that resulted in a 3rd and 5 instead of a 1st and 10. Jeremy Trueblood, normally great, was false starting all over the place. In all, it was a strange game for the line. They did, however, provide great lanes for the running game.

Defensive Line: B

The D line was pretty good. I gotta talk a little about Gaines Adams. He's everywhere. If you watch the game you'll see him all over the place. Rushing the passer, running to the sideline to make a tackle. The guy is a beast. Anywho, the line kept up pressure but didn't get enough to force any major mistakes. All in all a somewhat regular game. They just need to step it up some.

Linebackers: A

The LB were flying. Mr. Barrett RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD was no exception, racking up 6 tackles before injuring his knee early in the 4th quarter. Why were Ruud's tackles lower than his usual 10 or so? Because Cato June was pulling the slack, racking up 5 solo tackles, including one sweet special teams tackle. Linebackers, getting it done once again.

Defensive Backs: C

No big pass plays allowed, but no INTs either. These guys consistently let the medium to short pass get through their coverage. Ronde Barber had some great coverage, though, only allowing Broncos star receiver Brandon Stokely to catch three passes, although one was a TD. Aqib Talib played well, but whiffed on some pump fakes that allowed some passes to get through. All in all the play was okay, but these guys couldn't stop the pass when we needed it the most. There's always next week...

Special Teams: A

Great play from special teams helped out a lot to keep us in this game. Dexter Jackson was alright, only pulling his "slip-down" technique on a couple of returns but otherwise kept things solid. Mr. Matt Bryant, earning respect by rocking the killer 'stache and kicking 2 for 2 on field goal attempts, bringing new meaning to the phrase "Martin Fennelly - kiss my 3 point kicking ass". On the kick coverage game, we were spot on. 

Coaching: D

Once again, Monte Kiffin curved the grade up to a D from the F that Gruden deserves for his efforts. On 3rd down we sucked, calling for retarded plays that almost looked like they were intended to fail. 3rd and 2? Sweep to the left. 3rd and 10? Draw play that everyone sees coming. Pathetic. That's all I got to say.

Conclusion

And now Gruden is set to make some more bonehead moves. He'll treat this QB controversy with all of the class of a horseshoe throwing contest. I'm so tired of the way Gruden calls games. In the 4th quarter, down 10 points, he managed to make the team look like we were milking the clock, like we had the lead. Meanwhile, the Broncos are just throwing the ball down field like they're the ones in the hole. And that's why they won. Not because they were the better team, because they weren't. They won because they were the better coached team. Plain and simple.

Next week we play the Carolina Panthers at home. They won't be nearly as easy as to beat as the Broncos. Next week will be a major gut check game for the Bucs. A loss could send us into a downward spiral. A win could propel us into the playoffs. Only time will tell...