Survival
October 4th, 2021
Winning.
There is only one word Joe can think of with this win. It’s what good teams sometimes resort to in order to win.
“Survival.”
That’s what Joe thought the Bucs did tonight at New England. In a game drowned by hype, the Bucs quite literally were playing with a hand tied behind their back and the other hand was in a cast.
No Rob Gronkowski who was dearly missed. The offense seemed to sputter without him.
On defense, egads. Carlton Davis went down with a quad injury and he was in some kind of hurt. So the Bucs were playing without their top three corners and it showed.
Belicheats QB Mac Jones played out of his rear end, at one point completing 19 passes in a row, the first time a rookie did that in 30 years, per NBC’s Al Michaels.
Yet the Bucs found a way. They found a way to move the ball when they had to. Found a way to get first downs when they needed to (how about Michael Vick-Brady running for a first down?).
It was gritty. It was grimy. It looked awful at times. It looked dire other times.
And then when Nick Folk (former Bucs kicker) clanged the potential-game-winning field goal off the left upright, the Bucs survived. Like a coal miner being dragged out of the earth after a cave-in.
Oh, some Bucs were outstanding. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had two sacks early. The run defense was fully dominant. The linebackers and safeties made huge plays at key times.
Good teams find ways to win when things are not going their way. The Bucs may not be a Super Bowl team now, but they are a good team.
And more important, tonight they are winners again.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:14 am
Tires ain’t pretty. It does not matter how. Just get the Win. They did.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:14 am
3-1 baby. No apologies.
If we can get the offense in gear, we can survive the defensive injuries while we wait for more help. But the run/screen game must be better, and hopefully Gronk wont be out for too, too long.
A good Sunday in the NFC South.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Corners are dropping like flies
October 4th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Davis will be missed. So dumb he was covering a g d punt.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:17 am
Every week right now will be a game of survival. The Walking mash unit secondary is a gaping wound right and teams will keep on peppering them with the pass.
The offense has to step up and begin to play a much cleaner game.
That was the best kick by a Buc kicker I can remember in a very long time. In the rain on another mistake filled game by the 2021 Bucs.
I am reminded of Neil O’Donoghue making the kick in the pouring rain against KC to win the Division in 1979.
No the kick was not as big as Neils kick, but it was a great kick under pressure in bad conditions, especially after the chip shot Succop missed.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:17 am
Think about that… a number 1 corner hurt on a punt return….. unless he’s catching the ball this is unheard of. Who in their dumb a s s mind said put Davis in at gunner? Fire them now while it’s early enough in the season.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:17 am
This year is really starting to remind me of 2003 in terms of all the injuries. This team, thankfully, has better depth and better coaching and obviously the best QB of all time, but that 2003 team started off well, then just got destroyed by injuries.
BUT, the difference was, in game 4, against Indy, the 2003 Bucs lost in a huge game to returning Tony Dungy and the Colts. This year, the Bucs win game 4 in a huge return of Brady to Boston. Hopefully the 2021 team can start playing better while we wait for guys to return. The 2003 Bucs lost a lot guys for the year, then Gruden melted down, threw fits, kicked players off the team, etc. As long as Arians isn’t as brain dead as Gruden, hopefully the comparisons stop tonight.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:18 am
Yeah, why the hell was Davis on punt coverage on a soaking wet field?
Come on, man! Coaches have to be smarter than that.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:18 am
What other CB free agents are there out there?
October 4th, 2021 at 12:18 am
Let’s not forget the Succop game winning FG……that’s 2 of our 3 wins….Succop has kicked a winner.
Solid & clutch…..
Also, somehow, some way….the Bucs Defense forced a 56 yarder…….despite the awful calls from refs….
October 4th, 2021 at 12:19 am
Hard to say davis does not get hurt anyways playing cb . Non contact injury playing on bum hamstring didnt take much to get hurt
October 4th, 2021 at 12:20 am
I kept saying that for 15 minutes.. Why is a starting corner, with a bad hamstring, covering punts?? Awful. Any other player could and should have been on the field at that time.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:20 am
Seemed like everything was going against the Bucs this game including the weather, the injury gods hating the secondary, the refs towards the end, and the (probably) weather induced drops.
Getting a win in this kind of game on the road is huge
October 4th, 2021 at 12:21 am
You’re right Joe.
Rain. Emotions. Injuries. Road game. Lesser opponent who had the right gameplan.
Let’s go kick Jacoby Brisset’s *ss
October 4th, 2021 at 12:21 am
TampaBayBucFan — you’re right; good job Succop!
October 4th, 2021 at 12:22 am
all the rest of the NFC South combatants lost but Bucs gritted it out for an ugly awesome win! and Rams lose bigly to the Cardinals
In the Jameis years we lost that game and every game like it over and over. Tom Brady keeps us in it and we have a damn good chance.
Hope the defense can heal up for Miami
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!
October 4th, 2021 at 12:25 am
Pretty much Denny I was baffled our last healthy CB was on the field for a ST snap. Who was also fighting an injury.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:25 am
This needs to be our wake up call. 3-1 is so much better than 2-2. Season was salvaged tonight.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:27 am
They dragged us down into the mud with them, but we were able to drag ourselves out. I knew it was going to be that kind of game, coming out on top was all you ask for, and we did it. This game has been weighing on Tom, and the whole team for way to long. Sigh of relief now that it’s over. Time to settle down, and start playing some Buc ball.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:29 am
Sloppy, ugly, ‘lucky’ win but it’s better than a lose!
3-1… the other N.South teams lost to N.East teams (BaaHaaHaaHaa!)
injuries at 1 position is worrisome but life in the pass rush is being awakened!
October 4th, 2021 at 12:32 am
ModHairKen Says:
October 4th, 2021 at 12:14 am
Tires ain’t pretty.
It does not matter how. Just get the Win. They did.
This has got to be a Sam Behr quote “Tires ain’t pretty” lol
That is a blast from the past Sam Behr from Allied Discount Tires lol
BTW Sam was on the radio broadcast team for the Orlando Renegades back in 85
3-1 is alot better than not. They won the 1st qauter of the season, a weekly survival contest.
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 4th, 2021 at 12:35 am
I never doubted we would win this game though. Even as the Pats were lining up for the field goal, I knew Folk was attempting his longest.
Secondary is hurting, Sherman is not in shape (yet), and we need some fresh players.
Brate was rusty or the rain was causing more problems than the coaches let on.
October 4th, 2021 at 12:52 am
I know he missed one early, but Succop is money when the game is on the line. So glad we have a kicker we can count on. When you think about considering how badly the Bucs played at times there were a bunch of different guys stepping up at different points in the game who made huge plays. Bucs win! Bucs win! Bucs win! Fire the cannons!
October 4th, 2021 at 12:59 am
Bonzai – People here remember Folk for sucking, but he made something ridiculous like 37 in a row or something before a couple of weeks ago.
But frankly, I had no doubt, if Brady gets the ball back, with over a min to go, are you really telling me he doesn’t march down the field and get the win?
October 4th, 2021 at 8:26 am
Brady’s receivers didn’t help, hit Evans right on the hands as he had his man beat to the inside with room to run into the end zone. Hits Brate right on the hands for an easy 25 yard gain on the seam route that Gronk runs.
Brown struggled on those 2 end zone throws but otherwise he was the best wr on the Bucs. Brady was overhyped and ball was coming out fast and high all game.
Short passes still killing the Bucs. 4 games in a row teams have been completing over 70% of their throws. They gotta solve that and get some punts.
Succup, JTS and Brown made big plays. Fournette busted a few solid runs. Jones should never be on the field in a passing down. He was become a short yardage back. Need to get Vaughn on the field to spell Fournette in passing downs.
Devin White continues to break through on blitzes but misses the QB most of the time. His game has regressed from last year.
Team needs a bye week quickly.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:19 am
Davis plays ST’s. Always did.
October 4th, 2021 at 10:57 am
Yes Doctor, they ahouls call Malcolm Butler
October 4th, 2021 at 10:57 am
*should