Joe is absolutely flabbergasted by the playcalling of Greg Olson and Raheem The Dream. Make no mistake; their second-half insanity cost the Bucs the game.

TWICE they took the ball out of the hands of their quarterback, who was playing well, when he could have iced or nearly-iced the game.

First, it was the horrendous fake punt call, which Joe already has broken down. So Rah, you’d rather have Dirk Johnson throw it on 4th-and-8 than Freeman?

Joe could have understood if Rah went for the 55 yard field goal there, but Johnson to throw?

Second, it was handing off to Derrick Ward on 3rd-and-7 to run off right tackle on the Bucs’ final meaningful drive to set up a 51-yard field goal to tie the game.

So much for being that aggressive, go-for-the-win football team that you talked about so much, Rah. You chickened out. Not only that, no question the odds were probably better for a 3rd-and-7 throw then a 50+ field goal.  

On top of that mess, the Bucs are afraid to run the damn ball on first down. They can’t run the ball consistently, and either Cadillac Williams and Ward are on the downsides of their careers or the Bucs offensive line is terribly overrated.

The Falcons kicked a third-quarter field goal to pull the game to 17-13 with the Bucs still leading. Starting the next series on their own 20, the Bucs send Freeman back to pass and he’s nearly sacked and the Bucs are flagged for a holding penalty.

Where was the run?

Then they run on 1st and 20 with Derrick Ward for a two-yard loss. Second down was a dropped short pass to Antonio Bryant, followed by a seven yard dump off to Kellen Winslow on 3rd and 22.

After the punt, Barrett Ruud forced fumble and a turnover. Then the Bucs ran on first down for eight yards — hooray — then convert first down. Then they go ahead and throw on first down againt for two yards out of the backfield to Ward, who then ran for two yards on second down followed by a too-short dump off to Winslow and a punt.

Then in the fourth quarter, with first down on the Atlanta 40 up 17-13, they throw again on first down incomplete, which led to a 3-and-out and the fake punt from hell.

Joe is frustrated beyond words. This was a game taken away from the team by the head coach.

Raheem The Dream revived the defense, but that doesn’t mean he knows how to be a head coach.

Joe’s played a lot of sports. Some guys just win — whiffle ball, pickup basketball, or NFL football, it doesn’t matter. Raheem The Dream just isn’t one of those guys.