Scoring First Critical
November 23rd, 2024
“Bake, you know what scoring first means.”
This was just sad two weeks ago.
When Ricky Pearsall sliced through the Bucs secondary two Sundays ago scoring on a 46-yard pass from Brock Purdy, Joe leaned back in his chair in the press box of The Licht House and sighed.
Joe softly mumbled to the Sage of Tampa Bay sports, Ira Kaufman, seated to Joe’s immediate left, the Bucs just lost.
Ira was aghast. “You mean they should just pack up and go home already?” Ira said in shock. Joe replied, “All Joe knows Ira is the Bucs have lost every game this year when the opponent scored first.”
That sad streak (0-5) continued when San Francisco marched down the field in the final seconds with the ease of an underwear football practice — not one of Purdy’s four pass attempts on the drive hit the ground — and Jake Moody booted a 44-yard field goal at the gun for the win.
(The NFL really needs to bring back the honored tradition of a ref firing off a .38 to mark the end of the game.)
So Joe was reading Rich Hribar’s worksheet on Sharp Football Analysis for the Bucs-Giants game and noticed this nugget:
The Giants have led for 9.9% of their offensive snaps, the lowest rate in the league.
So basically the Giants — with their starting quarterback Danny Dimes, who they just released yesterday — have led the fewest amount of snaps this season.
If the Bucs defense allows Chief Illiniwek himself, Tommy Cutlets, a third-string quarterback, to score first, not only could a loss ruin the Bucs’ season and keep them out of the playoffs, but someone in authority at One Buc Palace has to take a good, long and thorough look under the hood why a defensive-minded head coach has such a trash defense.
And yeah, if the Bucs allow Big Blue to score first and then lose to a sad sack team like the Giants, then Joe thinks it is fair to call the Bucs’ defense “trash.”
November 23rd, 2024 at 12:38 am
Tommy Cutlets will look like John Elway on Sunday. Book it
November 23rd, 2024 at 1:19 am
Aight Derek, but if he does in fact look like a 3rd string QB, you never post here again….
November 23rd, 2024 at 1:31 am
Derek, I remember when John Elway was a kid and played for Stanford and came to Oklahoma and dominated a good OU football team. DeVito is a good player. But he won’t ever look like John Elway. Book that.
November 23rd, 2024 at 1:44 am
It was 1980 in Norman Oklahoma. Elways 4th career start. They were unranked playing the best team of the 1970’s and jumped to a 31-0 lead. Switzer said it was the best game he had ever seen a QB play at Owen Field. A star was born that day. Big News back in the day. Worth a read if you have the time- it’s on the internet.
November 23rd, 2024 at 1:53 am
Sounds fun. Who was the Oklahoma quarterback that day, Thomas Lott?
November 23rd, 2024 at 2:34 am
Joe, it was J.C. Watts.Had to look that one up.
November 23rd, 2024 at 2:52 am
Joe Lucious Selmon was on that team(Bucs fans know Leroy’s brother) had another brother Dewey. Sterling’s dad Derek Shepard was a receiver there but not til 1983. But in 1980 it was Sterlings uncle I believe was the backup QB to Watts.
November 23rd, 2024 at 3:18 am
sign danny dimes…lol…
and have him stand in a bucs uni on our sideline…
it will mess everyone on the giants sideline up in the head – as he cheers for the bucs when we score…
and if we just so happen to blow them out, let danny dimes come in and take the final knee of the game…
how wacky would that be
November 23rd, 2024 at 3:34 am
tommy cutlets is the 3rd stringer, auditioning for the back up qb job for next year…
he caught lightning in a bottle for a moment last year…
hopefully he doesn’t do it again in the crispy cool sunday new york weather
November 23rd, 2024 at 3:54 am
This is Bowels running the D and coming off a bye…we know those records….not to mention a 3rd string QB we’re up against….um, yeah, WE KNOW THAT HISTORY WITH TODD!!!!
November 23rd, 2024 at 4:19 am
Thinking about some of these sad streaks. Since the Giants let Jones go, I am worried about Tommy being a superstar, since he is vying for a better spot. The defense must bring the pressure on him.
November 23rd, 2024 at 4:34 am
It sets up like a classic trap in Vegas. Beware if the line suddenly drops from -6 Bucs to -3.5 or 4 which will indicate the wise guys figure Bowels will find a way to lose. On paper Bucs should win big but Todd Bowels plays down to the level of an inferior opponent and plays not to lose. This is a big equalizer. Bucs may win but take the Giants and the points. Bucs 33 Giants 31, decided by a Bucs winning FG or the Giants shanking the game winner.
November 23rd, 2024 at 6:43 am
Well the good thing about our remaining games is we should win at least 6 of them. The Giants, Carolina twice, the Saints, who already fired their coach, all wins. If we lose to one, or some of them the season is over. It should also be over for Bowles if that happens. I think losing to Atlanta twice should be enough, but losing some of these remaining games should leave no doubt in the Glazer’s minds that Todd needs to be replaced. It’s out of our hands, it’s up to the Players, and coaches to save the season. If they can’t, it’s up the the Glazers to decide. I’m going to sit back, and find joy in either running the table, or preparing for what will be a new era of Buc football. Good luck guys, you get to determine your own fate.