Hope The London Game Was Worth It
December 11th, 2011
As former Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece said on the Bucs postgame show this afternoon, heard on the Bucs radio network, the meltdown in Jacksonville is the kind of a game that “pisses you off.”
For the first time all season, the Bucs jumped out to a commanding lead. Sadly, it took 13 weeks to pull that off, but nevertheless, it happened.
Then the Bucs totally took the tailpipe and collapsed about as bad as any NFL team Joe has ever seen.
But to be real, this collapse began the moment the Bucs boarded a Virgin Airlines jet at Tampa International Airport early on a Monday morning for their trip to London to play the Bears.
The Bucs had just come off a thrilling 26-20 win over the Saints to raise their record to 4-2 and if not a division title, certainly Wild Card dreams were dancing in Bucs fans heads.
But somewhere in the clouds above the Atlantic Ocean, those dreams dissipated, and so too did the season.
The Bucs have never been the same since. In fact, they have been the polar opposite. Before the trip, the Bucs were a solid team. After the trip, the Bucs have become some disgusting leftover from a wild all-night partying escapade by Joe.
What happened in London? Was it jet lag that sapped the Bucs for the season? Was is the awful British cooking which made Adrian Clayborn sick? Did the Bears rip their soul away?
Joe just hopes for Team Glazer the trip was worth it because it sure seems like it killed the Bucs’ playoff hopes, and maybe will cost the head coach his job.
As Nece said today, “It’s hard to believe changes [aren’t] coming.”
Let’s hope one of those changes is a moratorium on playing games in London.
December 11th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
I certainly agree the London “home” game was the beginning of the end. It’s a terrible disservice to the players, coaches and season ticket holders and has proven to wreck the schedule for the entire second half of the season.
It’s proven to be too much to overcome and must not happen again PERIOD.
We’ll see what the Royal Glazerbaum’s put first when it comes to future games at “home” THOUSANDS OF MILE AWAY!
Terrible game today on it’s own and it looks like the team has given up on themselves and their HC.
Looks like we’ll be starting over again. Hopefully the Royal Glazerbaum’s put the Buccaneers first and do whatever is necessary to stop this mess from continuing the way it is.
December 11th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Let them start their own league. Wait, they don’t care!
December 11th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Really??? That’s what we’re going to blame now? The London trip?
Good Lord….
December 11th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
DSZ:
Do the math. The Bucs haven’t been worth a crap — in fact, they haven’t won a game since — after that plane left for London.
Does this team today look anything like the team that beat the Saints?
December 11th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
The Bears made the trip too, lost their franchise qb and havent quit – but wait they have a real HC.
Stop searching for excuses when the problem is clear and undeniable – its not the lockout its not London – to borrow what someone else said- we have Captain Fear as a Head Coach with Snoop Dogg barking advice in his ear all game long.
December 11th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Blame?
How about, “they folded like a 2 dollar suit case in a panama wind storm”
December 11th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I don’t like the trip as much as anyone, but this is B.S. Joe.
We’re 4-9 because we’re undisciplined, can’t tackle, penalty-laden, horribly unimaginative on offense and have a terrible scheme on defense.
It has absolutely nothing to do with something that happened two months ago.
December 11th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
ridiculous post, like an away trip could effect the whole season
December 11th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
lets remember the Giants won the superbowl after coming to London
December 11th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
The sheep are grasping for excuses like drowning sailors for life-rafts. None of these excuses are convincing:
All together now: our players are TERRIBLY coached (or not coached).
That is okay though, we are great dancers at practice, we have a good team attendance at night club events, we are great at relocating our huddle 15 yards away from where it was after penalties, we are awesome at false starts and offensive holdings, better at team gang mis-tackling, dominant at committing turnovers.
December 11th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Shouldnt have played in London, because it was a slap in the face of the fans.
NFL players using that as an excuse for a seven game loasing streak and getting blown out by the Jags is rediculous.
London is nice!
The horrific play of the team has nothing to do with London.
were a bad team that is badly coached. Simple.
December 11th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Another waste-of-space article for Joe to vent his anti-British rhetoric. Incidentally Joe, look back over the past few years of London games….you will see it has next to no impact on the participant’s seasons.
December 11th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
We need to get rid of the thug mentality that couch RAh seems to be ok with. Talib looked like a clown on the sideline today. Freeman has sucked this year because he is trying to hard to make up for our terrible defense. Think about how great Blount would have been on one of our Dungy led teams. He could pound the ball three straight plays and if it did not net ten yards he would get three more tries in a short time. All we need is a defense that can stop the other team enough for our offense to have a chance to work.
December 11th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Yeah Talib was on the sideline dancing and rapping like he was on american idle put the shackles on him and send him to alcatraz him and the rest of the lost souls can make videos and stab each other up in the shower with a rusty shank