Pivotal Blunder
September 16th, 2015
Buried in the soul-sucking Bucs loss to the Titans was a pivotal screwup on special teams that was a real points-stealing, momentum killer.
Yes, Joe has tortured himself by re-watching the game and studying it frame-by-frame.
With Tampa Bay trailing 21-7, the Bucs received a punt with just under 12 minutes left in the second quarter. Bobby Rainey caught the ball and cranked out a 24-yard return to the Tennessee 38 yard line. That’s already in field goal range for kicker Kyle Brindza.
But hold up. A penalty flag flew. Johnthan Banks was whacked for a block in the back, and the film shows it was a senseless penalty.
The Bucs instead started at their own 47 yard line and went 4-and-out. Yes, 4-and-out. Doug Martin was stuffed on 4th-and-inches.
Tennessee then ran the ball down the Bucs’ throat on five consecutive plays, before Marcus Mariota threw his third touchdown pass.
Without that Banks penalty, the Bucs likely get three points and trail 21-10 and get the crowd back in the game, and avoid a short field for their defense.
It was a pivotal blunder by a veteran cornerback.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Lovie gave him a nice talking to and told him not to do it again or he’ll get another talking to.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:35 am
Just wait on it.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:37 am
@bucrightoff Did you already have a talk to with Lovie SMith ? you are so bored to death you prefer drink acid than have a seconde one lol
September 16th, 2015 at 10:44 am
Lovie doesn’t talk to his players.Watch the film. He had Frazier put him in timeout.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:44 am
bucrightoff, LOL!!!!
September 16th, 2015 at 10:46 am
The only way the Bucs could win that game is if the Titans all had strokes from laughing at the Bucs defense.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:49 am
The bigger mistake was Lovie going for it on 4th down. The defense had just stopped the Titans (for the first time) on third down creating the good field position, even with Banks’ mistake. The game was dangerously getting out of control already by that point, field position was HUGE. Lovie should have taken the defensive approach, pin the Titans back once again, play stout defense once again, and maybe even get the pick six back with Mariota pressured.
Instead, our new OC can’t call a play to get a yard (like a JW quick-snap dive?) and the Bucs give back the field position on a questionable referee ball placement call. The rest is down hill for the Titans and another Bucs loss.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:54 am
The BUCS game in New Orleans will be the most important game of the 2015 season. If the BUCS follow-up with another “Titans” game performance, the season is OVER!!! Having a team ready for game day is the responsibility of the head coach and entire coaching staff and they are on the “hot-seat” Sunday!!!
September 16th, 2015 at 10:56 am
What’s up with this guy? He’s steadily regressed since Revis left.
Haha and joe, “soul sucking”… I gotta put together a list of the words you’ve used to describe that stomach curling, TV smashing bull.
September 16th, 2015 at 11:25 am
REPLACE HIM WITH JENKINS, LOL….”simple as that”…
September 16th, 2015 at 11:33 am
bush league Lovie football.
September 16th, 2015 at 11:40 am
I would take Verner out before I took Banks out. That’s not saying much. But as I’ve said since his first season with the YUCS, Verner is garbage! MF gets beat consistently. I swear I thought Leonard Johnson was out there Sunday. Then I looked again. And not to be surprised it was Vern. #VernUSuk
September 16th, 2015 at 11:52 am
It’s the ‘Curse of Chucky’. They let Doug Williams go and 14 years of losing went down at the Old Sombrero. IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!!!
The Boyz fired Chucky and he’s haunting us from the Oringinal Hooters in Clearwater.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:06 pm
For those that study film, Banks is just another terrible pick by the rock star.
or, as it has been suggested number of times, has never been coached up.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Big Irish writes the truth.
Bucs 0-5 at the bye and Lovie is gone.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
JOE that meant nothing.
The Titans offense did what ever they want , when they wanted to. Preventing a touchdown in first half would have excited fans.
Turn off those dam canons !!!! Especially when your down by 21 it’s old already. To make it so bad I hate them and we only hear them once a game cuz we can’t score.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:42 pm
I was already gone by that point.
September 16th, 2015 at 12:49 pm
I think the Pivotal Blunder happened on Winston’s first pass.
September 16th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
I really don’t see but maybe a win over the Jags and perhaps Washington this season where does Joe get 6 wins from? I can see an 0-5 start too.
September 16th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Do you think this killed momentum more tha Winston’s pick 6, that’s what really took the crowd out of the game. You keep trying to make excuses for that bust of a QB the bucs drafted #1.
September 16th, 2015 at 3:01 pm
The terrible call to go for it on 4th down wasn’t on Lovie or Koetter…I’m not one to blame the officials but that reversal was truly head scratching.
All the other penalties..MM’s fumble was clearly after the whistle..a ticky tack call to start the game on that hit…the three formation penalties..I could accept all of them.
But I was truly stunned they would overturn a judgment call of inches at midfield when there was doubt. Even if Martin was inches short once that call was made you don’t respot it from the TV cameras. The announcers were also surprised by that call.
We can’t have it both ways. The game was over after the pick 6..Lovie at least played to win.