Bucs Lose, Season Over
December 28th, 2008
This may be one of the last runs Bucs fans may ever see of Cadillac Williams.
Joe is almost too depressed to type.
* That knee injury to Cadillac Williams seemed almost an instant replay of his horrific injury against Carolina last year.
* In arguably the most critical play of the season, the Bucs needed a first down in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-four at midfield. Quarterback Jeff Garcia throws to Michael Clayton… and he drops it. Earlier in the game he caught his first touchdown pass of the season — in the last regular season game. Last! And this guy has the balls to whine about not getting any respect? Clayton, who drops far more important passes than he ever catches, kvetches about how he might need to move on. Really? As Joe has pointed out before, there are plenty of truck drivers and bouncers out there who can “run good routes” and block. A wide receiver needs to be able to catch the ball, not be a one-trick pony.
* Joe loves Derrick Brooks to death but if he was unable to run before the Raiders’ last touchdown, what the hell was he even doing on the field?
* Two more questions:
1) Was Cadillac Williams — who appears to have blown his left knee — rushed back too soon?
2) Is this the end of Chucky? Joe will have much more on this later, but it’s really hard to defend a coach who entered the month of December with the No. 2 seed, and an outside shot of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, and finished the season with a historic franchise record choke — four straight losses. After all, Father Dungy was fired for far less sins.
Joe will have much, much more on this season-ending loss later tonight and throughout the week.
December 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
The QB you been pimpin’ all year was PATHETIC!!! Tha ball to Clayton was not a well thrown pass, and had it been caught, it was SHORT of the 1st down. Garcia is a below-average QB, FACE IT!!!
December 28th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Dave:
If Garcia is “below-average QB” what does that make Son of Bob, a second-string high school quarterback?
Garcia was the best quarterback on the team.
BTW, the Bucs had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Not sure you can pin this loss on Garcia.
December 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Hopefully Cadillac is alright, it was actually his right knee he blew out in Carolina last year. This one looked just as bad on his left, hopefully it’s not though.
December 28th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I doubt Garcia will return, regardless of whether it’s Chucky’s decision to make. Garcia’s a great symbol for a team that was ultimately too old, too fragile and just not quite good enough.
Garcia was the latest in a series of stopgaps for a permanent franchise quarterback who never came.
Or was Bruce Gradkowski (5/16, 18 yds. in a 31-0 loss to Pittsburgh today) supposed to be it? The Gradkowski Experiment is both proof that Gruden thought HE could win no matter who was on the field and proof that he could not.
Benching Garcia for Son of Bob was more evidence.
Speaking of which, whose decision is it whether Chucky comes back? The Bucs overarching problem is a lack of a football person — other than the head coach — directing the football operations.
That’s where the Glazers need to start if they’re serious about rebuilding this team. Changing the coach won’t change the results if the owners don’t install a strong GM.
The team simply has not developed talent through the draft the way successful teams do since Rich McKay left.
The stretch run (stretch limp?) exposed the age of the Bucs defense, which they had managed to disguise for much of the season. Monte Kiffin got out while the getting was good. And the offense did not have any real weapons. The team’s two best threats, Earnest Graham and Antonio Bryant, never scared anyone.
Gruden better hope that the Glazers don’t hear any talk radio this week.