Tampa, Florida					Thursday, September 09, 2010

Down and Out in Tampa Bay
Monday, December 1, 2003
TAMPA—Dial 813 870-2700 and you’ll get this greeting: “Home of the World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers,’’ from the pleasant ladies answering the switchboard at Number One Buccaneer Place. “Not for long,’’ countered one caller this Monday, Dec. 1, 2003. Others rebutted with worse. The switchboard ladies didn’t deserve the smart-alecky talk. But, the Buccaneers did. Only a few hours earlier on a smoky, cold night in Jacksonville, good weather for a hanging the late Jimmy Kynes used to say, the strung-out Bucs were strung-up by the Jaguars of that northeast Florida city 17-10, summarily assuring this Buc team will not make it to the NFL playoffs and have any shot at all at defense of this precious title—precious to all, it appears, but the Bucs themselves. The 2-9 Jags lynched the then 5-6, now 5-7 Bucs , and left them for dead in that dismal circumstance, the old, wet, slippery, dank surface of the old Gator Bowl which was far from filled for the appearance of the defending champions of the world, as the ladies still say. From the Jacksonville standpoint, it was a matter of some satisfaction—surely 3-9 is better, I guess, than 2-10, and the big rookie quarterback out of Marshall University with a winning 48-yard touchdown pass by Byron Leftwich to a sprawling Jimmy Smith, plus an overall night of 20-34-2 TDs and 224 yards dismissed any possible criticism of the first round draft pick given for the lefty. The big guy threw darts most of the night, in large part because he was never sacked, never really harassed by this once proud and producing Tampa Bay defense. If he can set up, plant that big left foot down hard as if stepping on a Florida roach, he can fling it, and with accuracy. He could become a star, with Sunday and the Bucs a starting place. That fourth quarter pass to the All-World Smith broke the 10-10 tie and the Bucs backs. It slammed the coffin on a Buc team for the night and for the season. The Bucs are now no better and no worse in this NFL title chase than this Jag team that has fallen on hard times lately. But, that is enough about the Jags. They won, the Jags. They eliminated the Bucs and sent the Bucs to third in the three-team race for the Florida state professional championship. Can’t get any lower than that. Can’t get any lower than the dismay of Buc fans who truly only wanted a respectable season out this fantasy of a team, like making the playoffs, for them, for themselves, and for the head coach, Jon Gruden, whose patchwork, assembly of a team that could win the Super Bowl in his first year at Tampa, is now in hindsight, all the more terrific. Now, some facts about the Bucs of 2003. Coach Gruden said two weeks ago this is not the same team that won it all a year ago, beating equally disappointing Oakland at San Diego, after rushing through the playoffs with climatic wins over Philadelphia and San Francisco. Now, some of the players by name were the same, like quarterback Brad Johnson, but by name only. Jacksonville, for example, sacked and stampeded Johnson Sunday night as if he were a rag doll, a big, slow, ragdoll. Johnson had an awful night. This past week, word was out with the insiders that this was not only not the same team that won the Super Bowl less than a year ago, but by such a margin that worry was not just about the Jag game ahead, but the rest of the season. One insider said, “This is not just not the same team as 2003, but a very, very bad team,’’ surely on offense and with the special teams but the defense is fractured, hurt, lame, injured, bad when it has	to be good.’’ I can say this, in recent years were building to their Super Bowl quality, repeatedly, the Buc defense in late games protected small leads and preserved victories, and they loved doing it. Yes, all said, we want to be in there having to produce and protect. Yes, we love to have the hat put on us.’’ However they have felt this year, the hat has been squarely on their heads repeatedly, but knocked off by the enemies. Yes, the Bucs had a lead Sunday night at Jacksonville, too, and had a 10-10 tie when the rookie from West Virginia (Leftwich) threw the ball as high and as he could and wideout Jimmy Smith got under it when Buc corner Tim Wansley pulled up near the goal with a pulled hamstring. Would not have mattered. Smith had Wansley beaten, as he did most of the night. This freshly lynched team is just “not a good team at all,’’ said this insider. Of course, most of us agree. That same insider had said last week, the Jag defense, the best part of that team “is waiting in the grass for the Buc offense. They know it is no good.’’ He then asked me to name a player on offense around whom the Bucs could built a good offensive unit. Yes, he meant, with fullback and clutch runner Mike Alstott injured and out for the year, perhaps forever. The names of wideouts Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicsius came up, but McCardell, good as he is, is not there yet and Jurevicius just back from a broken leg, injured a leg on the game’s first play at Jacksonville and did not return. “No, no one,’’ said the insider, “no one to lead on the field or around whom we can build. No one.’’ Moreover, the special teams have lagged badly, and the defense has shown kinks and weaknesses, and given up losing points late lately. Hard to find anything praiseworthy about this Buc team. Then at Jacksonville, it was more of the same, all around. Placekicker Martin Gramatica, missed a 45-yard field goal that would have given the Bucs a 13-10 lead and remains all out of sync. Punter Tom Tupa must have a tired leg. The Bucs are surely tiring of his short punts in critical situations, as they are of Gramatica’s misses, as they are of having no breakaway speed anywhere on this team, least of all in the backfield or in legs of return men. Moreover, the kickoff cover teams are no better. “It’s a bad team, now, everywhere,’’ said the insider. And, if you want more, ask yourself “how do you fix it? Draft? Gave away two first round picks for malcontent wideout Keyshawn Johnson who Gruden benched last week, as well as a suitcase full of picks for Gruden himself. Add I think they have payroll cap problems, too, unless they let Warren Sapp (All Pro Tackle) go,’’ with his contract coming up for renewal. Won’t get into that. Thing is, the Bucs just hit the crossroad and were forced in one direction by losses. Now, the next cross road approaches. One way says fix it now, if you can. The other says, says get on with next year now, or work on this year, and the next at the same time. Whatever, hard for us to remember when the Bucs are out of it with four games left on the schedule—only four, since the playoffs are out. May be a very good thing that the Bucs are sold out and are said. . . said to have a waiting list of 80,000 seeking season tickets. Might want get some down payments now, the owning Macolm Glazers might. Or, go big time into the soccer business. The Glazers with recent purchases are now the second largest stock holders of Manchester United. ##
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