No Moral Victories For Mike Williams
September 16th, 2012
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This Bucs loss, which stung as bad as acid reflux at 4 a.m. after a long night of many beers, wasn’t as painful to some Bucs players.
“We hung with the World Champions,” some Bucs said.
“We can play with any team,” others sighed.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams was not one of them. For him, the simple fact is what matters at the end of the day is what’s on the scoreboard. And for the Bucs, it was less points than the Giants.
“We still didn’t win the game,” Williams said. “It didn’t matter if we lost by one or lost by 50; it didn’t matter if we fought hard or didn’t fight hard. Losing is losing.
“We have to look at the film to see where we can get better. We have to play better.”
It seemed Williams had a long catch of a Josh Freeman bomb with 12 seconds left deep in Giants territory. But after an official review, the play was waived off, declared an incomplete pass.
Williams took the road to less fines and wouldn’t blame a scab ref for overturning the play.
“The refs made their call, that’s their job,” Williams said. “My job is to catch balls and block and catch touchdowns. [Overturning the catch] was not my call. That’s their job.”
September 16th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Thank you Mike Williams. Face facts, we didn’t win. And people look at the score and say we did well. No, when you have a complete meltdown due in large part by terrible play calling on both sides of the ball it’s not a good thing. The coaching staff needs to take this as a learning experience and really re evaluate their decision making in game. Soil-his-pants Sully needs to step up, put the ball in Free’s hand and let him play QB and stop calling plays scared. I think he’s capable and I still believe in him but if the coaching staff doesn’t they have to get a new one. Can’t play scared and win. As for Blitzin Bill, he needs to be talked to. That was gross incompetence if I have ever seen it.
September 16th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Williams shouldn’t have dropped the ball after the catch. But it seemed to be a pretty obvious reception to me. Baffled that the refs overturned the call.
September 16th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Still pissed he didn’t convert that 3rd down with 7:00 to go. Field awareness was horrible. The defense was obviously gassed and needed a long drive.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Now our fans satisfied with losing will call MW a “crybaby”.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
I’m with you Snook. We will lose there’s no doubt. But to lose in that situation is unacceptable.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
@jbrooks:
Youre exactly right.
Prepare to have the satisfied with losing fans call you names.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
2012 1st half points: 40
2012 2nd half points: 10
That tells you all you need to know about the 2012 Bucs so far.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Did they let the giants score that last drive? I thought so, but sometimes with our defense it’s hard to tell.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Update: we just blitzed again. And got no pressure.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Under Raheem we didn’t do anything till the fourth quarter. Under the new staff the new trend is to play until half time and then let the opponent catch up. Same thing in the first game against Carolina. Soil-his-pants Sully calls a great game until the third season and then it’s back to brad johnson era style of running up the middle and completing 2 yard passes. Sink or Swim for Free this year and sully isn’t doing him any favors by handcuffing him for 3 quarters and forcing him to win it at the last second. And I thought it was common knowledge when you’re up by that much in the fourth to play bend and not break defense. And then they have the balls to say that’s the new buc way, all or nothing. Well you got nothing and will continue to get nothing with that defensive philosophy.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:22 pm
* third series
September 16th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
So I couldn’t hear the game where I watched. What was the deal with the Mike W no catch at the end? They determined the ball was coming out when he went out of bounds? Looked like he had control and both feet in and made a football move to lower his head and start to absorb the impact of the closing corner. I know it doesn’t matter. I am just curious how the call was explained.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
@snook
Haha, he even called an all out blitz on a qb kneel. As I’ve said he needs to join Blitzers Anonymous and get help. Disgusting play calling.
September 16th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
“Now our fans satisfied with losing will call MW a “crybaby”.”
Gotta call BS on this. NO-ONE is ‘satisfied’ with losing. It hurts, no ifs, ands, or buts. Taking positives from the game isn’t the same as being satisfied with the final score. If you can’t understand that you’re myopic. and welcome to your opinion, just don’t slam those who can see at least a few positives from this game.
September 16th, 2012 at 8:24 pm
I see plenty of positives. I like our 1st half offense. Just don’t understand why they put it away in the 2nd half. Two weeks in a row.
Raheem really beat this fan base down. We’re satisfied with close losses as progress. Very sad.
September 16th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
that third and seven nonconversion was the dagger in the heart I don’t see why they don’t feature Dallas Clark more he’s a zone busting behind the linebackers type of cat deceptive speed and crisp routes
September 16th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Williams should be mad and at himself. He dropped enough balls last year to know he can’t leave anything to chance and he must hang on to the ball thru out no matter what. I don’t blame the officials with the call. He should have protected the ball better.
September 16th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
@Snook,
Snook,
I ask you again, who is happy? Who is satisfied? You keep saying it, but I’ve yet to see one person say they are happy or satisfied. I’ve never once been happy we lost a game. Never, not even in preseason. But you are damn near suicidal right now. Yes, we were probably too conservative. Yes, we should have won the game. Yes, the coaches made some mistakes. However, it was that same conservative play that won the game last week. If we threw the ball all over the field and Freeman threw 4 INT’s, you would be saying we should have ran the ball more. Please attempt to tell me otherwise. Hindsight is always 20/20. That’s a great team we lost to. Plus their backs were against the wall. We were in their backyard. They have an ELITE QB. I’m not jumping off any bridges as a result of being 1-1. I suggest you chill a bit, because you are on a Thomas 2.2 GMC-hate type rampage right now.
September 16th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
I thought it was a catch by Williams, but I never had any doubt they would reverse it. Not in New York late in the fourth with replacement officials. He got absolutely popped, so I have no blame for him on that one.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
It was definitely a catch but it wouldn’t have necessarily won the game. We still needed a TD and conversion.
They might have run a Benn around on the next play.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Miguel it looks like the new coaching staff has switched to the parkeround.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
I like the Parkeround much better. At least it got 7 yards. The Benn’d around didn’t get 7 yards TOTAL all last year.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Freeman did make some really nice throws though. His arm strength is very impressive, and he goes through stretches where he looks very accurate. However, it seems like whenever he throws late across the middle, bad things happen.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
i did like benn on returns though. coach trusted him after the first dropsy, and he ran with it.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
i still say freeman is being hamstrung by the playcalling. the coordinators are learning to, and hopefully they learn from this game.
September 17th, 2012 at 12:15 am
Thats the right kind of attitude. I would really like to know which ones of our players were complacent and saying “We hung with the World Champions”.
September 17th, 2012 at 12:47 am
It was a catch and a fumble out of bounds, don’t give a damn what fox expert “jerry pariah” has to say
September 17th, 2012 at 2:06 am
I’ve been waiting since the NFC Championship game against the Rams for us to get one of those close calls under review. I’m still waiting. I remember another one against the Deadskins in the playoffs as well. I had no doubt that play was getting reversed from the second I saw it on replay. Not because it wasn’t a catch, but because we seem to never get it. No way those scab refs have the balls to give a close call to us in New York. Not going to happen.
September 17th, 2012 at 11:02 am
I agree it was a catch and a fumble out of bounds. And that the refs wouldn’t not call it right because they were in NY. BS call.
September 17th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
I fuggin love Mike Williams. Awesome approach to the game.
September 18th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
He didn’t drop the ball, He caught, had possession, turned upfield then got a FF out of bounds.