Play Of The Game
December 21st, 2020
Draws two flags on one play.
Joe can’t recall a defensive player getting flagged for two separate penalties on the same play, and the zebras walked off both penalties.
This came at a very inopportune time for Dixie Chicks cornerback A.J. Terrell and Joe’s good friend Mike Tanier of Pro Football Network seems to think this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back in the Bucs’ come-from-behind win at Atlanta.
Terrell managed to commit 28 yards of penalties on one play when the Falcons were clinging to a 24-14 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while covering Mike Evans: 13 yards for pass interference when Evans reached the top of a short sideline route and 15 more for grabbing Evans’ facemask while trying to jostle his way back into position to make a play. The double penalty gave Brady a rapid pass to the end zone, and the rest was a microcosm of Falcons history.
There’s plenty of blame to go around in the Falcons’ eventual 31-27 loss to the Bucs. But if we start naming everyone who chokes in the second half of the Falcons’ loss, NFL Recap will never have time to cover anything beyond Week 15.
While the win was cool as can be for Joe and the rest of Bucs fandom, Joe felt a tiny bit sad for two ex-Bucs coaches on the Dixie Chicks’ staff, Dirk Koetter and Raheem Morris.
Joe has — for years — has written Morris should get another shot as head coach. His qualifications are greater than that con artist Josh McDaniels, but McDaniels has his name always floated when there are openings. Always.
The way the Bucs made the Dixie Chicks choke (again) pretty much sealed Morris’ fate. He and Koetter will likely be unemployed in two weeks (though Joe heard years ago that Atlanta owner Artie Blank is fond of Koetter.)
For Koetter, if he is relieved, Joe wonders if that will be it for him? He will be 62 in February.
Meanwhile, Joe hopes opposing cornerbacks continue to find ways to get two flags thrown on them on the same play, and have both penalties stepped off. That’s a nice trick if you can pull it off.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:09 am
‘ Joe felt a tiny bit sad for two ex-Bucs coaches on the Dixie Chicks’ staff, Dirk Koetter and Raheem Morris.’
Me too.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:13 am
And we had 1 penalty yesterday.
I wonder if that is a franchise record?
December 21st, 2020 at 11:26 am
No penalty game earlier this year Doosh
Go Bucs
December 21st, 2020 at 11:30 am
By my research, Evans has forced 151 yards of accepted penalties from opponents this season.
He’s been flagged for 55 yards that he has given back to the other team.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:32 am
I know Mike complains about being interfered with on almost every play….that’s because he’s being interfered with on almost every play…..
What an absolute beast to cover and his hands are like vacuum cleaners…..
December 21st, 2020 at 11:35 am
I too feel their pain. Is it just me or are there teams you love to hate and others you just want to beat.
I always want to beat the Falcons and Panthers as Division rivals.
But I LOATHE the Saints. I want to crush them like they did us.
I do not know why I hate the Saints. I love New Orleans one of the coolest towns around. I admire Brees. Payton is a total jerk but he is successful.
Maybe it’s their colors and logo…whatever I hate the freaking Saints. Nothing would be better than to have their flameout continue for two more games while we win and overtake them for the Division title. What an awesome Christmas present.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:36 am
If Bowles ends up getting a HC job somewhere else next season and Morris is available, I’m all for bringing him back as DC.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:38 am
TBBF
Agree completely but there is a flipside. ME whining to the refs…Lattimore whining back at the refs…DB’s handfighting ME and yes interfering at times…
But here is the result. ME gets to handfight back and he too gets away with a lot.
If it comes down to calling the game loosely I’ll take it because ME is far better physically at interfering than the defenders.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:39 am
I’ve been a big fan of football for 55-60 yrs. I decided to wait till today to comment. Don’t know if it’s true but I read that BA said that the Bucs use Tompa’s game plan for the first half and Tommy Boy’s the 2nd half. I hope this isn’t true because that would make Curly Larry, and Moe the dumbest coaches on the planet!! I can’t help but remember that coaching genious in Cleveland, Hugh Jackson going 0-16. did they fire him? NO the next year he went 1-15. THATS 1-31. Now it seems that sports writers and bloggers with Tampa would take that 1 win and talk about what a good defense the Bucs had I’ve watched Tom his entire career including Mi. I’ve seen him carry the Pats several yrs with little defense. If Todd Bowels is a good DC, i’m a Rhodes Scholar, (really smart person) I think the Bucs should spot the other team 17 points. They’d be undefeated. Just a joke. Tom has been in a superbowl 9 times. There are teams that have NEVER won 1 and more that didn’t win when they DID make it. I’m old enough to remember the Bills losing 4 in a row hahahhaah
December 21st, 2020 at 11:41 am
Joe felt a tiny bit sad for two ex-Bucs coaches on the Dixie Chicks’ staff, Dirk Koetter and Raheem Morris.
Never feel bad for millionaires. They won’t feel bad for you.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:42 am
Even if these coaches are fired, they still will get paid the remainder of their contract, working class folks don’t have this benefit.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:42 am
thats BA in the 1st half and Tom’s in the 2nd half haha (senior moment)
December 21st, 2020 at 11:43 am
I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t think I’ve every seen two penalties assessed on one individual before. Seems like it’s either interference or face mask, with one being declined and the other taken for whichever gives best field position.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:49 am
If the Bucs beat Detroit, the Atlanta rematch could be 2nd string vs 2nd string. Bucs rest starters while Atlanta plays for draft position.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:50 am
here’s the OC giving talking to his QB before every game. “just pass baby” if you run the ball, I will bench you and put Slinblade in at QB. Carl Childers could pass for 300 yds in the 1st Qtr before Bowels makes an adjustment
December 21st, 2020 at 12:10 pm
I’m really starting to wonder if Brady is worried about hurting all these stars feelings and is trying to spread the ball evenly instead of just going to the hot hand or people actually working open.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:12 pm
With all the available openings next year, I expect both Dirk and Raheem to land as coordinators somewhere, if Rah is a successful coordinator, he will be walking the sidelines as a head coach in a couple of years, maybe the Glazers bring him back after the way they treated him by not spending any money, then again he has sold his Tampa Bay home
December 21st, 2020 at 12:14 pm
“…Joe felt a tiny bit sad for two ex-Bucs coaches on the Dixie Chicks’ staff, Dirk Koetter and Raheem Morris.”
Not THIS Bucs fan! Those two former-HCs were the bookends for the “lost decade” that you often write about, Joe. Perhaps your professional relationships with these men has clouded your judgement. Consider the alternative:
A Bucs’ loss would have made us all feel much more than “a tiny bit sad.”
-Is that the understatement of the week, or what?!
Given these two options, I’ll gratefully accept the win without ANY consideration for how our opponent feels, even if they were former Bucs.
I get where you’re coming from, Joe, it’s simply that I feel differently than you.
And, I fully concede that you were only “a tiny bit sad” about the whole affair. As for me…nada.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:15 pm
Piratic:
Joe never expressed or wrote feeling bad about a Bucs win. Never, ever.
As has already been stated, those guys are and have been well-compensated working in the NFL.
(For the record, Joe had no relationship with Raheem. Well, that’s not correct. Joe did have a relationship with Raheem. Toxic. Raheem despised Joe.)
December 21st, 2020 at 12:26 pm
Trip Down Memory Lane
Same time last year the Bucs were 7-7.
In game 15 Winston threw 4 INTs costing the team a win vs the Texans.
4 days later Winston announced publicly we wanted $30 million a year.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:58 pm
Rah was being considered for the HC job in Atl… not anymore, can’t blow leads the same way Dan quinn did.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:58 pm
I felt bad for them too, probably because they’re both nice guys. For me, all hate is directed at the Saints, and probably because of Sean Payton, though for some reason it’s no where near Packer level hate.
December 21st, 2020 at 1:20 pm
Don’t feel bad at all. Raheem said he wanted to ruin our season.
I was also surprised they enforced both penalties on that play. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that, especially when both are called on the same guy!
December 21st, 2020 at 2:55 pm
I saw that double penalty in college Saturday too. Don’t remember what game but it’s one of the few plays that you can get two penalties enforced on the same play.
December 21st, 2020 at 6:11 pm
@Joe
That’s disappointing. Raheem comes across as a jovial never met a guy he didn’t like. But I’ve seen different personalities in public from the ones in locker rooms as well.
December 21st, 2020 at 6:31 pm
When that play happened, I remarked to my friend I had never seen a double-whammy penalty like that and then Moose said, “That’s the only time penalties can double up.”
Been watching football for 40 years. I can’t remember ever seeing that.
December 22nd, 2020 at 4:12 am
The double whammy happened last week against the Vikes. My wife even said that when it happened against Atl. Would be nice to have that at least once a game.