“Just A Terrible Game”
October 14th, 2021
Thing of the past.
Joe thinks it is easy to say the worst road game the Bucs played last year was a Thursday night at Soldier Field.
Untimely turnovers, a very, very physical Bears defense, a major injury to Vita Vea and the famous forgetting how to count to four by salad-bar-hating, park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller-coaster-scared, numbers-rules-peeved, helmet-tossing, football-punting, Bucs-Super-Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Brutal night along the shores of Lake Michigan.
“Just a terrible game,” Mike Garafolo said this morning on “Good Morning Football” in his preview of the Bucs-Eagles game tonight.
But Garafolo says he thinks the Bucs have figured out their 2020 struggling with primetime games and looking awful on “Thursday Night Football” on the road.
Garafolo has spoken with various Bucs coaches and players and he is convinced the Bucs have solved the riddle to these midweek, primetime contests.
You can see Garafolo’s report in the NFL Network video below (with a brief appearance from NFL Network It Girl Kay Adams!).
From @gmfb on the #Buccaneers‘ schedule adjustments following last year’s TNF loss while Nick Sirianni hosted his #Eagles assistant coaches for some throwback-style prep for the short week. pic.twitter.com/UaugysVtKf
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 14, 2021
October 14th, 2021 at 1:34 pm
The issue in the Bears game was Tyler Johnson was your top WR. Nothing against Tyler, but he should not be your #1 WR. Everyone else was injured. Evans was playing on basically one leg, Miller was out, Godwin was out and Gronk was still getting himself into football shape. I mean Mickens and Vaughn had 2 receptions, that show far down the depth chart you were going.
This is the game that made it clear that the Bucs needed a legit #3 WR option, and why they signed AB. If the Bucs had AB, they win that game.
October 14th, 2021 at 1:53 pm
Solving the “riddle” probably involved adjusting sleep schedules, taking more ice baths, and acquiring happy pills from the infamous pill-popping, Natty-Boh-binge-drinking, Rojo-peeved, Trask-bashing, meltdown-having, Monday-morning-quarterbacking, Ray-Jay-breaking-and-entering, Gruden-hating @Medicated Pete on game day.
#GoBucs
October 14th, 2021 at 2:03 pm
Also had a ton of penalties in this game. O-line really struggled. Brady barely knew these guys. We are light-years away from this performance.
October 14th, 2021 at 2:21 pm
Think they’ll be just fine tonight. This is not the same Bucs team that played the Bears last year. BBQ eagle anyone?
October 14th, 2021 at 2:26 pm
@Joes
WRONG good sirs. The season opener @ NOLA was the worst road outing we had last year. I literally put a bag over my head after that game and wore it for the rest of the day. Was thinking same ol Bucs, just like every other Bucs fan.
October 14th, 2021 at 2:43 pm
Eh, I disagree red dawg, think the Joe’s have it right. The Saints were a formidable opponent and this team had no live reps together. The bears stunk and the Bucs found a way to stink worse that night.
Good point by Rod, great point by BigPoppaBuc, and all I can add is that it was also the game that VV got injured. That trifecta of ugly should seal it.
October 14th, 2021 at 2:46 pm
Well that NOLA road game in week 1 I threw in the trash. No preseason, limited offseason, Brady on a new team, etc. I didn’t think that was going to be a good game.
The NOLA home game where the Saints blew us out was far more concerning because it was midseason.
The Chicago game was just tons of injuries, penalties, and stupidity.
October 14th, 2021 at 3:15 pm
The reason we lost the Aints opener last year was special teams. That’s a fact.
October 14th, 2021 at 3:21 pm
The best thing about that opening Saints game, was Payton, trying to run up the score, got by far his best WR hurt late in the 4th quarter, and that injury has compounded with other injuries and slantboy missed almost all of last year and has yet to play this year.
I personally have nothing against running up the score, on Sunday I thought it was disgraceful for Arians to have the team take a knee at the end. BUT, if you’re going to run up the score, you do it with backups. Gabbert should have had every opportunity to throw a TD pass to Tyler Johnson to end that game. Backups are people too, and shouldn’t just be put on the field to run up the middle and take a knee. That’s where Payton screwed up. If he wanted to give the Bucs the middle finger, he should have had Winston in there throwing at the end of the game, but instead he used his starters and lost a very valuable one because of it.
October 14th, 2021 at 3:28 pm
The Bears game, was a cluster-fest. It was a collective team effort, lol
Between the penalties, and the offense not knowing what they were doing, yet.
Just for simplicity, without writing an entire article.
Brady throws the ball one way, and Mike Evans is turning the other way.
Just watching this game from the couch, I didn’t know what down is was either.
October 14th, 2021 at 3:32 pm
I’m one the the best couch-potato QB’s out there, on the free agent market.
October 14th, 2021 at 4:25 pm
We played our worst game on the road, and only lost by one. We’re better offensively, and Plilly’s defense isn’t as good as the Bears D we faced last year. We should win by at least 10.
October 14th, 2021 at 4:31 pm
@”…Garafolo has spoken with various Bucs coaches and players and he is convinced the Bucs have solved the riddle to these midweek, primetime contests…”
———————
Have they??? So far our two road games, national TV, have been terrible..
October 14th, 2021 at 5:09 pm
I will believe it when I see it.
Ingles could be a formidable opponent with a scatterback QB, a poor man’s Dak.
October 14th, 2021 at 5:09 pm
The bears game was over bad call by ref on shaq. It help the bears flip the field bad call.
October 14th, 2021 at 5:20 pm
I’d love to be proven wrong, but winning on a Thursday on the road with a wounded team is a tall order, especially against teams that attack the corners…where the Bucs are weakest right now.
I suspect we will see a lot of Hurt’s legs and short passes replacing their run game, a strategery that has had some success against the Bucs D.
October 14th, 2021 at 7:55 pm
That game, along with this years Rams game, was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever seen. Bucs certainly had their issues, but them officials were criminal!
October 14th, 2021 at 11:31 pm
Leftwitch worst play caller should of scored 50. And u people think he’s a candidate for coach,????? Todd bowled is better.. you kill a team not play f-ing conservative!!!!!! Score with 2 minutes left we almost lost!! Pure garbage Offensive calling 3&1 & 4&1 u punt no balls……….
October 15th, 2021 at 2:25 am
Leftwitch sucks
October 15th, 2021 at 2:27 am
It’s true leftwitch is not a coaching candidate. 3&1 and u go deep. Get first down with playoff Lenny than go deep!!!!! It’s not ROCKET SCIENCE
October 15th, 2021 at 2:29 am
Bowled has a better chance for a coaching candidate