Bucs Nation - Bears vs. Buccaneers 2015: Another disappointing lossA Tampa Bay Buccaneers Blog - Fire Those Cannons!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48049/bucs-fave.png2015-12-28T09:38:58-05:00http://www.bucsnation.com/rss/stream/104338752015-12-28T09:38:58-05:002015-12-28T09:38:58-05:00DLT's Diatribes - How Improved Are the Bucs, Really?
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<p>A season of promise has gone down the drain. Are the Bucs as improved as we think they are?</p> <p>As the seconds ticked off from yet another Bucs loss to another lousy team, a startling revelation dawned on me. Its not that this is a young team trying to find their way. Its not that the Bucs have let games slip away that they should win. They're a poorly coached football team that is playing terrible football. Its been that way all season, only the offense - led by rookie QB <span>Jameis Winston</span> - has masked a lot of it.</p>
<p>It got me thinking - how much better are the Bucs under Lovie Smith after two seasons?</p>
<p>- Let's start with the facts. In 2014, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Buccaneers</a> played in one of the worst divisions in football in NFL history, won by a team that only won 7 games. They were winless against their divisional foes and finished with the league's worst record. This season, they've played one of the weakest schedules in the league. They played only 4 teams on their schedule with a winning record (six games total since they play Atlanta and Carolina twice).</p>
<p>The Bucs are 4-6 against teams with a losing record. Assuming they complete this season's collapse and lose in Carolina, they will be 2-4 against teams with winning records (both of those wins at the expense of Atlanta).</p>
<p>The Bucs lost at home 42-7 to the worst team in the NFL, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Tennessee Titans</a>. The Bucs were considered playoff hopefuls because they played three teams that were already out of the chase in New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago - two of those games on their home turf. They lost all three.</p>
<p>In fact, Tampa Bay is on a 1-4 skid - with only one of those games coming against a winning team.</p>
<p>What I'm saying folks is the Bucs aren't losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Panthers</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/">Cardinals</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Packers</a> here. They're losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">Rams</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Bears</a>. The Titans and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">Saints</a>. Bad football teams that you have no business losing games against.</p>
<p>These are the kind of schedules that are mocked and doubted; like Raheem Morris' 10-6 season which has always come with the asterisk, "Yeah, look at that schedule they played."</p>
<p>Yet against these types of schedules in back-to-back seasons, the Bucs have gone an abysmal 8-23. Even more damning - they're 3-13 at home under Lovie. Think about that. 3 and 13.</p>
<p>- Now you can say that Lovie inherited a crap factory from Greg Schiano. That might be true. The team didn't have a quarterback. Only had <span>Vincent Jackson</span> and <span>Doug Martin</span> (who had been injured) and a defense that boasted three all-pros in <span>Gerald McCoy</span>, <span>Lavonte David</span> and <span>Darrelle Revis</span>. Yet even with those obstacles and a ridiculous amount of off-the-field distractions, Greg Schiano managed to win 4 games in his final season.</p>
<p>His defense was 17th in the league and surrendered 24.3 points per game. They had won 4-of-5 before dropping their last three games. The offense was indeed terrible under rookie <span>Mike Glennon</span>, finishing dead last in the league in yards and 30th in scoring. Yet the year before, when <span>Josh Freeman</span> still has it somewhat together, Tampa Bay finished 9th in the NFL in yards and 13th in scoring.</p>
<p>So Lovie Smith took that team, dismantled it - completely tearing apart a decent offensive line and turning them into one of the worst in the NFL. Only a handful of Buccaneers remain on the roster that were holdovers from the Schiano era. Darrelle Revis wasn't good enough to be on this team. Niether was Mark Barron. They didn't fit Lovie's system.</p>
<p>Pro Bowlers Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and <span>Alterraun Verner</span> (who came over from Tennessee) apparently can't play in this system - at least not the way we saw them play under their previous coaches. <span>Johnthan Banks</span> was turning into a very solid corner until the system got him, too.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the Bucs were fielding a team of undrafted free agents, Bears and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> rejects. Yet, even with all of these guys who apparently know THE SYSTEM - they can't cover anyone.</p>
<p>The stats look better, though. The Bucs are ranked 10th on defense. We all wanted a top ten defense didn't we? Does anyone truly believe the statistics? Especially when the Bucs are tied for 23rd in scoring defense? Lovie's year two Bucs gave up more points than Schiano's year two Bucs.</p>
<p>- Offensively, you can't question the improvement. A lot of that credit goes to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and rookie stud QB <span>Jameis Winston</span>. Yet, you can't discount Lovie in this improvement. He hired Koetter. He and Bucs GM Jason Licht drafted Jameis, <span>Donovan Smith</span> and Ali Marpet. They also drafted <span>Mike Evans</span>.</p>
<p>The Bucs are 7th in the NFL on offense, averaging 22.1 points per game. Doug Martin remains in contention for the rushing title. Jameis has set franchise rookie records and has a chance to have one of the best rookie seasons for a QB in NFL history (more on that in a second).</p>
<p>- Yet when it comes to Lovie, I go back to him as a coach. Since taking the Bears to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">the Super Bowl</a> in 2006, his teams have made the playoffs once in the last 9 years. Think about that for a second. One trip to the post-season in nearly a decade. Even Jeff Fisher - Mr. 8-8 - has taken teams to the playoffs more times in that span.</p>
<p>And there in is the scary part for the Glazers. Has the improvement been enough? This is the same ownership group that fired Tony Dungy after a playoff game. They fired Jon Gruden after a 9-3 start because he lost 4 straight to end the season. They fired Raheem's 4-2 (coming off a 10-6 year, mind you) team collapsed to 4-12. They fired Schiano after losing their last three games. Losing in December doesn't show improvement.</p>
<p>The sad truth is Greg Schiano won more games than Lovie in his two years as coach. Raheem had a boatload more victories. Hell, Sam Wyche and <span>Ray Perkins</span> did better. In fact, only three coaches in Bucs history won less in their first two years than Smith has. John McKay, who was working with an expansion team had one less win than Lovie, Leeman Bennett (the worst coach in franchise history) and Richard Williamson (who only got one season).</p>
<p>Add to that the frustration of seeing other franchises that were just as bad as Tampa Bay turn it around more quickly. Houston, in their second season under Bill O'Brien, is a win away from securing their second winning season and a division championship. Jay Gruden's Washington franchise has won their division in just their second season under his leadership (and dealing with the clusterfudge that was the RGIII fiasco).</p>
<p><span>Todd Bowles</span> in his first season as <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a> coach has them poised to make the playoffs with 10 wins (two more than Lovie's amassed in two years). In Dan Quinn's first season, he's matched Lovie's two-year total and is poised to give the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Falcons</a> a winning season for the first time since 2012. Bruce Arians inherited a 5 win Cardinals team and has won 10, 11, and 13 games in consecutive seasons.</p>
<p>Mike Zimmer in two seasons has the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> in the playoffs. Even the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/oakland-raiders">Raiders</a> under <span>Jack Del Rio</span> are a win away from matching Lovie's two year record.</p>
<p>The point is - the Bucs should be closer than this.</p>
<p>- So let's talk continuity. The prevailing feeling is you can't fire coaches every one or two years and expect to ever get better. A prime example of patience working - Ron Rivera - coach of the Panthers. He won 6 games and 7 games respectively his first two seasons and the Panthers have now won 3 straight NFC South titles - the first team in the divison's history to accomplish that feat.</p>
<p>Only, Rivera's teams always saved his job by finish seasons strong, with long win streaks. Lovie's Buc teams have gone 1-7 in December (on their way to 1-8).</p>
<p>The flip side of that is Jeff Fisher. Fisher is in his fourth season as head coach and the franchise has once again missed the playoffs. Fisher, like Rivera, has his team tantalize with late season surges that keep you from cutting ties. Yet they've never won more than 7 games in a season.</p>
<p>A better case study is Gus Bradley. Bradley's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jaguars</a> won 7 games in his first two seasons - but because the team drafted a young QB in <span>Blake Bortles</span>, ownership decided to give him one more season. The result? Jacksonville is guaranteed their 8th straight non-winning season, 5th straight double-digit losing season. If Bradley survives, it will be a miracle.</p>
<p>Another example of firing a guy quickly. Todd Haley got 2 1/2 seasons with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com/">Chiefs</a> before getting canned. Romeo Crennel got one season with the Chiefs before getting the ax. Then they hired Andy Reid and have been in the playoffs two of the last three years.</p>
<p>Continuity for the sake of continuity doesn't lead to success, just as much as changing coaches every year doesn't work. The key is to find the RIGHT guy to lead the team.</p>
<p>- I'm not saying the Glazers should fire Lovie. I'm okay if they bring him back. However, I'll say this - if the Bucs lose Dirk Koetter to another team as a head coach - then keeping Lovie is pointless. Continuity will be lost for Jameis and frankly Dirk Koetter and the offense may be the only thing Lovie can point to and say - hey, look there. Give us time. We're getting better. it certainly isn't his defense - which he was brought in to fix.</p>
<p>No one really knows what the Glazers are thinking. Sure, we all think Lovie's safe. Even with major publications like Pewter Report calling for his head and fishwraps like the Tampa Bay Times wondering outwardly if he should come back, most (including myself) felt that if Lovie got this team to 6 wins he'd be safe for 2016.</p>
<p>Yet that was before we realized the horribly crappy schedule the Bucs faced this year. It was before this team ended the season with a (presumed) 1-5 swoon. As I said before, the Glazers don't look kindly to bad finishes.</p>
<p>We all figured Jon Gruden was safe as well until the Glazers saw Raheem Morris get an interview with Denver.</p>
<p>If the Glazers feel the threat of losing Dirk Koetter, they could pull the trigger on Lovie and elevate Koetter to head coach. Unlike Gruden, no one would really bat an eye at it.</p>
<p>Now, is Dirk Koetter qualified to be an NFL head coach? Like Bruce Arians and Mike Zimmer before him, he's been a candidate for coaching gigs for a while. He's had nine years as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and he seems to command the respect of his players on that side of the ball.</p>
<p>He does have 9 years of head coaching experience, albeit in college, where he posted a 110-66 record at Boise State and Arizona State. In other words, he's more qualified than Greg Schiano or Raheem Morris ever was. His greatest skillset is he adapts his system around the talent he has - he doesn't try to toss away good players to find system players.</p>
<p>The Bucs could do worse than Koetter and they keep that offensive consistency intact for Jameis' continued growth. Its something the Glazers should think long and hard about.</p>
<p>- When we look back on the 2015 season, there will be two prevailing themes. The Bucs are great at beating themselves and they are a mentally weak football team. Nothing was more illustrative of that than the sequence in the second quarter with the Bucs up 7-0. Tampa Bay got an interception by <span>William Gholston</span> on a batted pass, who rumbled to the Bears' 15 yard line. Point blank range for the Bucs to at least get 3 and possibly a soul crushing 14-0 lead for a Chicago team ready to pack it in for the year.</p>
<p>Instead, a selfish, stupid facemask penalty on Verner wiped out the pick. The Bucs' defense responded by caving in like a bunch of emo Darth Vader wannabes. The Bears proceeded to waltz down the field, score a touchdown and basically own the game from there.</p>
<p>The penalty hurt them - but their reaction to the penalty is what beat them. It shouldn't take an entire quarter to recover from a bad break. That's what I'm talking about when I'm referencing mentally weak football. There was no reason to cave. Okay, bad break - forget about it and go make another damned play. Instead, we got "Woe is us, man we have no luck, golly gee, we're doomed," and sure enough, they were.</p>
<p>- Jameis Winston missed on two crucial deep balls that could have been game changing plays. Yes, the throws weren't perfect. That's what happens when <span>Demar Dotson</span> whiffs on his block and watches a defensive lineman crush his quarterback. However, at some point, the Bucs receivers have to make a damned play on the ball. We saw it all day yesterday. <span>Julio Jones</span> high points an underthrown pass by <span>Matt Ryan</span> and turns it into a touchdown. <span>Larry Fitzgerald</span> did the same thing for a score against Green Bay. Not the best thrown ball in the world by <span>Carson Palmer</span>, but he made a play on the ball.</p>
<p><span>Josh McCown</span> wasn't a great deep ball thrower, but Mike Evans made him look better than he was last year by using his tremendous height advantage to sky over receivers and make plays on the football. We've rarely seen that out of him this season. Jameis has to be pinpoint accurate for Evans to make a big play.</p>
<p>I wondered if Evans had some sort of injury that was preventing him leaping up to get the ball, but then a play later he did it to secure a first down on a shorter pass. So he's not hurt.</p>
<p>Jameis also sliced a ball to Dontae Dye that yes, was a difficult catch, but could have been caught. The ball was there.</p>
<p>Memo to Bucs receivers - make a damn play on the ball. Deep balls are 50-50 propositions anyway. Most NFL quarterbacks will lead it a little too far or leave it a tiny bit short. Its up to the receiver to adjust downfield and make a play on the football.</p>
<p>Could Jameis have been more accurate on those throws? Sure. Could the receivers have made a better attempt at the catch? Definitely.</p>
<p>- Let's end this diatribe on a very positive note. Jameis Winston is having one of the best season's for a rookie quarterback in NFL history. He's alread re-written the Bucs' rookie record books. According to the Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman, if Winston throws for 23 yards, he'll pass <span>Peyton Manning</span> for the third most passing yards by a rookie in NFL history. If he throws two touchdowns against Carolina, he will pass <span>Andrew Luck</span> for the third most touchdown passes by a rookie in NFL History. If he throws for 283 yards, he will be only the third rookie in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in his rookie season, joining Andrew Luck and Cam Newton. If he has a monster day, throwing for 4 touchdown passes, he will tie Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson's rookie touchdown passes record.</p>
<p>Jameis has been everything the Bucs could possibly have hoped for when they made him the first overall pick in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL draft</a>. Certainly, he has a ways to go to become the superstar we hope he'll become but the baseline he's established is something special. Great job, rookie.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/28/10673138/dlts-diatribes-how-improved-are-the-bucs-reallyJCDeLaTorre2015-12-28T08:04:33-05:002015-12-28T08:04:33-05:00Should the Bucs fire Lovie Smith?
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<figcaption>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.bucsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> gave away a very winnable game to the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Bears</a> yesterday, losing their third straight game as they continue to plummet from the heights of being a legitimate playoff contender, to the depths of a top ten draft pick. Not surprisingly, the chorus of #FireLovie chants has swelled over the past month -- and not without merit.</p>
<p>After all, the Bucs put up their worst record since 1986 last year, and while there's been improvement this season, there have been plenty of problems too. A 6-9 record certainly isn't worth bragging about, and the Bucs defense is on track to allow just about as many points this year as they did last season. That's particularly concerning given Lovie Smith's heavy hand in the defense -- his field of expertise after all. And while the defensive issues can be blamed on talent, that's still talent collected by Lovie Smith and Jason Licht, who claim to make every roster decision collaboratively.</p>
<p>Making matters worse is the fact that the Bucs had a real chance at playing themselves into a playoff spot with games against beatable teams in the past three weeks -- and instead the Bucs produced three losses in increasingly disappointing fashion.</p>
<p>Now, there's one problem with all of this: the fans don't get a say in whether or not Lovie Smith is fired. That's a decision the Glazers make, and they have little reason to fire their head coach. He has two years left on an expensive contract, they're still paying off Greg Schiano's relatively inexpensive contract, and while the team has disappointed in recent weeks it certainly has shown signs of improvement. In addition, the problems appear fixable: on defense, the issue is mostly a lack of talent. On offense, a lack of experience. A good offseason could turn this team into a contender with Lovie Smith at the helm.</p>
<p>None of us know which way the Glazers are leaning, and we've seen them make unexpected decisions before. All we can do at this point is make some educated guesses.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/28/10673174/will-the-buccaneers-fire-lovie-smithSander Philipse2015-12-27T16:51:42-05:002015-12-27T16:51:42-05:00Winners and losers
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<figcaption>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> lost their third straight game, falling 26-20 to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> in an ugly but winnable game.</p>
<h3>Winners</h3>
<h4><span>Keith Tandy</span></h4>
<p>He got his first start of the season at safety and immediately recorded three stops in the first two drives of the game. While we didn't see him much over the rest of the game, he continues to make plays when he gets some playing time. I'm not a big fan of Tandy, but there's some room for him on this roster somewhere.</p>
<h4><span>Mike Evans</span></h4>
<p>Four catches for 61 yards is a solid game, but he played better football than that. Evans prevented a pick at the start of the second quarter by coming back to the ball and swatting it out of a defensive back's hands, and he was open deep a couple of times but let down by Winston's deep accuracy. With a little more work on his hands and Winston and Evans finding some deep ball chemistry this offseason, next season could be very special.</p>
<h4>Challenges</h4>
<p>Two challenges, two successes. That's a new one. Neither challenge was particularly difficult, but the Bucs haven't had much success on challenging plays in years.</p>
<h4><span>Jameis Winston</span></h4>
<p>It was an up-and-down game for <span>Jameis Winston</span>, not getting much done in the first half, and throwing an ugly interception under pressure in the second while also missing on three open receivers down the field. But he also made a number of big plays, including a 50-yard touchdown throw to Charles SIms on a scramble, a 46-yard throw to <span>Cameron Brate</span> on another improvisational play, and a couple of big first-down throws he seems to make every game. But the biggest throw came at a meaningless time: a beautiful 43-yard Hail Mary throw, caught by <span>Austin Seferian-Jenkins</span> for a touchdown -- with just one second on the clock. Far from a perfect game for Winston, but he continued to show all the positive traits we've seen this year.</p>
<h3>Losers</h3>
<h4>Lovie Smith</h4>
<p>This is the third straight game the Buccaneers have lost to bad, very beatable teams. The Bucs are now 6-9, heading for a likely 6-10 finish and a very disappointing end to a promising season. The team has also had consistent issues with penalties, game management and personnel, all of which point directly back to Lovie Smith. While I would not expect him to be fired with two more years on his contract, it's certainly not impossible after this streak.</p>
<h4>Penalties</h4>
<p>The Bucs had just four penalties for 47 yards, which was a big improvement over previous games. Unfortunately they came at some horrible times.</p>
<p>In fact, three of them were called in a row in a key sequence in the first half. A first down was called back for illegal hands to the face on <span>Donovan Smith</span>, forcing the Bucs to punt. An interception on the ensuing Bears drive was then called back for a facemask penalty, setting up the Bears in Bucs territory. They then got the ball to the goal-line via a defensive pass interference penalty on <span>Sterling Moore</span>.</p>
<p>Three penalties and what could have been a 14-0 lead was instead turned into a 7-7 tie game.</p>
<h4><span>Doug Martin</span></h4>
<p>Two fumbles is bad, but in trying to get the league rushing lead Martin managed just 49 yards on 17 carries against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Meanwhile, <span>Charles Sims</span> had 45 yards on just four carries. Martin also didn't do anything through the air, with his one six-yard catch ending in that one fumble. The one bright spot: a four-yard touchdown in the first quarter.</p>
<h4><span>Connor Barth</span></h4>
<p>Had his fifth miss since week 12. Though most of those were from long distances and it's likely just an unlucky streak, this is not a good luck for a kicker who's not particularly strong on kickoffs and can't seem to hit an onside kick so it's even remotely contested. He'll likely get some competition this offseason.</p>
<h4>Defense</h4>
<p>Continuing to let quarterbacks complete passes at a high rate, though they're still doing a very good job at stopping those passes from going anywhere: <span>Jay Cutler</span> completed 20 of 27 passes, but got just 156 yards. The defense was mostly disappointing for letting the Bears run out the clock at the end of the game, and once again failing to record a turnover. That's now one takeaway over the past five games -- it's hard to win games like that.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670122/winners-and-losers-for-buccaneers-vs-bearsSander Philipse2015-12-27T16:05:15-05:002015-12-27T16:05:15-05:00Bucs give it away to Chicago
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<figcaption>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> managed to lose a perfectly winnable game, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> walking out with a 26 to 21 victory in Tampa. The Buccaneers could easily have won this game in multiple ways. If they hadn't turned it over three times, if the defense had managed to force a takeaway(they have just one over the past five games), if <span>Jameis Winston</span> had been a little more accurate on deep passes, if, if, if...</p>
<p>With the potential to grab hold of the rushing title against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, <span>Doug Martin</span> had arguably his worst game of the year. Not only did he rush for just 49 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown, he added two lost fumbles that may have lost the Buccaneers the game. Meanwhile, backup <span>Charles Sims</span> managed 45 rushing yards on just four carries.</p>
<p>Jameis Winston struggled in the first half but turned it on in the second, with a few scrambles leading to big plays including a fifty-yard Charles Sims touchdown -- but also an ugly interception in field goal range. The rookie quarterback finished the game completing 15 of 29 passes for 295 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, including four completions for 61 yards to <span>Mike Evans</span>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Buccaneers defense surprisingly struggled to stop the Bears' running game, despite their being one of the best run defenses in the NFL facing one of the worst running games in the league. The Bears managed 174 rushing yards on a whopping 39 carries, complemented by Jay Cutler consistently completing short passes for little yardage -- he finished the game with 20 completions on 27 attempts for just 156 yards.</p>
<p>With a third straight loss and a tough game in Carolina next week, Lovie Smith's team has opened the door for questions about his continued employment by the Glazers. It's unlikely he'll be fired, but this won't make for a calm offseason in Tampa.</p>
<h3>First quarter notes</h3>
<p>The Bucs started on defense, and they did well to force a punt early. <span>Keith Tandy</span> made two stops on wide receiver screens in his first start this year at safety, as the Bucs used the game to get a look at some players toward the bottom of the roster. The Bears were obviously missing <span>Alshon Jeffery</span>, with all of <span>Jay Cutler's</span> passes within a couple yards of the line of scrimmage.</p>
<p>The Bucs offense didn't do that much with it, despite converting a third-and-thirteen. Doug Martin was stifled and <span>Jameis Winston's</span> two scrambles couldn't get the Bucs a first down. It didn't take long for the Bucs to get on the board, though: a three-and-out forced by Keith Tandy (again) led to a blocked punt and a four-yard Doug Martin touchdown to give the Bucs the lead.</p>
<h3>Second quarter notes</h3>
<p>The Bucs did two good things at the start of the second quarter: get a routine first down on third-and-short, and deflect a Jay Cutler pass into the air for an interception. Both were called back for easily preventable penalties, as we've seen so far, and instead of being up two or even three scores, the Bucs saw the Bears tie the game. Jameis Winston and Doug Martin then seemed to get things going, getting past midfield for the first time in the game, but the Dougernaut fumbled the ball away to end that hope.</p>
<p>The Bears then proceeded to run the ball all the way down to the five-yard line, where <span>Gerald McCoy</span> got the team's first sack of the game to force a field goal. Jameis Winston got sacked to end the Bucs' subsequent drive, giving the Bears the ball at midfield after a punt. They turned that into a field goal and a 13-7 lead after running the ball over and over again, only to stall in the red zone again to end the first half.</p>
<h3>Third quarter notes</h3>
<p>The offense struggled in the first half, but they turned it on in the second half. Jameis Winston led the Bucs to a touchdown on his first drive, finding Charles Sims on a scramble for a 50-yard touchdown after five Doug Martin runs. With the defense forcing a punt (aided by Lovie Smith's second correct challenge of the day), the Bucs got another chance. After missing a deep ball to an open Mike Evans, Winston then hit that same Evans for a big first down and found <span>Cameron Brate</span> deep for a 46-yard pass on another improvised play.</p>
<p>That didn't help the Bucs, though. First Jameis WInston threw an ugly interception under pressure, just throwing the ball up into coverage. When the Bucs then forced a three-and-out, Doug Martin fumbled the ball away.</p>
<h3>Fourth quarter notes</h3>
<p>Having gotten the ball in the red zone, the Bears found their way to seven points by finding Ka'deem Carey in the endzone and taking a 20-14 lead.</p>
<p>The Bucs tried to get it back quickly, but two poorly thrown deep balls to <span>Donteea Dye</span> and Mike Evans, the latter going off Evans' fingertips, prevented them from doing so, instead forcing a punt. The Bears then managed another field goal, while the Bucs got into field goal range on their end -- only to see a horrible snap lead to a sack and a missed 52-yard field goal, his fifth miss since week 12. The Bears then ran out most of the game to kick a field goal -- though the Bucs actually managed a touchdown on Hail Mary with one second on the clock.</p>
<h3>What's next?</h3>
<p>The Buccaneers head to Carolina to take on the 14-1 Panthers who have surprisingly not clinched home field advantage yet.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670078/bears-vs-buccaneers-final-score-tampa-bay-gives-away-ball-and-victorySander Philipse2015-12-27T15:33:42-05:002015-12-27T15:33:42-05:00Watch Jameis Winston's big improvisational play
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> offense was largely absent in the first half, but it's come alive now. <span>Jameis Winston</span> is making plays both inside and outside of structure, with a couple of big plays resulting from his scrambles. Here's the latest one, finding Cameron Brate way down the field.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jameis Winston with a 46-yard pass - <a href="https://t.co/u4fdh21d3j">pic.twitter.com/u4fdh21d3j</a></p>— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_RealUpdates) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_RealUpdates/status/681204623034679296">December 27, 2015</a>
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<p>That was a terrific play, giving the Bucs the ball in scoring position, but it came at a cost: Winston looked hurt on the subsequent three plays, and he threw an interception on the third as he was pressured heavily and just threw the ball up into coverage -- something he'd mostly avoided for the rest of the season. With Doug Martin fumbling away the ball on the subsequent possession, the Bucs are now losing a game they should have been leading by two scores.</p>
<p>They still have a quarter to fix that problem, though. And if Winston can pull out a few more plays like that, they'll do exactly that.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670456/watch-jameis-winstons-scramble-magic-before-the-bucs-give-it-awaySander Philipse2015-12-27T15:18:00-05:002015-12-27T15:18:00-05:00Fourth quarter open thread
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<figcaption>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> trail the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> just 14-16 heading into the fourth quarter, despite giving the ball away three times and having a number of big plays called back for stupid penalties.</p>
<p>This has been a weird game. The Bucs offense has struggled to consistently do anything, but they had two big drives at the start of the second quarter as <span>Jameis Winston</span> improvised his way to some big plays -- and one interception, with the result of those two drives being just one touchdown. That interception is one of three Tampa Bay turnovers today, as it was complemented by two <span>Doug Martin</span> fumbles.</p>
<p>The Bucs can still win this game, but they have sure been trying very, very hard to give the game away for what feels like the third week in a row. They'll have to get it together quickly -- and most of all, they have to stop giving away the ball.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670422/buccaneers-giving-game-away-to-the-bears-with-three-turnoversSander Philipse2015-12-27T14:54:14-05:002015-12-27T14:54:14-05:00Watch Winston and Sims work some magic
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<figcaption><a href='https://twitter.com/_MarcusD_/status/681199811299782658'>Screenshot</a></figcaption>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.bucsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> offense has been nearly invisible throughout their game against the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Bears</a>, with the only points on the board coming via a four-yard <span>Doug Martin</span> run after a blocked punt. The Bucs hadn't even gotten past midfield in the first half.</p>
<p>That changed right after the half, though. Doug Martin got the ball five times for 28 yards to start the second half before they turned to Winston. But once they did we saw a little of the <span>Jameis Winston</span> magic we know and love.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><span>Charles Sims</span> touchdown reception. Bears rush only 3 still beat. <a href="https://t.co/aZlCxBTh95">pic.twitter.com/aZlCxBTh95</a></p>
— MarcusD (@_MarcusD_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MarcusD_/status/681199811299782658">December 27, 2015</a>
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<p>The Bears learned three lessons there:</p>
<p>Lesson one: don't rush three players and give Winston all the time in the world.</p>
<p>Lesson two: don't forget to cover Charles Sims.</p>
<p>Lesson three: touchdown Tampa Bay!</p>
<p>The Bucs now lead 14-13 in the middle of the third quarter.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670352/watch-jameis-winston-and-charles-sims-work-a-little-magicSander Philipse2015-12-27T14:33:41-05:002015-12-27T14:33:41-05:00Third quarter open thread
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> are leading the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> 13-7 at the half after a poor start early on.</p>
<p>It's been a curious game so far. The Bucs had a couple of big plays called back thanks to preventable penalties, and Doug Martin fumbled the ball away. On the other hand, they did block a punt to set up their first touchdown. Meanwhile, the Bears offense has stuck almost exclusively with screens and other short passes to complement their running game, leading to <span>Jay Cutler</span> completing 11 of his 12 passes for a measly 72 yards.</p>
<p>The Bucs have struggled to stop the Bears from steadily picking up first downs with those short plays, despite forcing three punts in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Bucs offense only noteworthy feat so far was <span>Doug Martin's</span> four-yard touchdown after a blocked punt.</p>
<p>If the Bucs lose this game they're in danger of letting this season peter out after such a promising streak in the middle of the season. That would be a terrible blow to all the positive feelings they managed to cultivate, and a poor way to end Jameis Winston's season. They have one half to correct that problem.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2015/12/27/10670220/bears-lead-13-7-after-early-struggles-vs-buccaneersSander Philipse