Bucs Nation - Buccaneers - Redskins Game Day: Bucs Lose Nailbiter, 24-22A Tampa Bay Buccaneers Blog - Fire Those Cannons!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48049/bucs-fave.png2012-10-01T20:58:36-04:00http://www.bucsnation.com/rss/stream/31961772012-10-01T20:58:36-04:002012-10-01T20:58:36-04:0010 Things We Think We Learned - Buccaneers-Skins
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<figcaption>Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>The Bucs found a way to lose another heart breaker to an NFC East foe. What did we learn from the disappointing outcome?</p> <p>There are tough games and then there is what occurred Sunday in front of an announced crowd of 58,191. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> found another way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the hands of kicker who missed three kicks previously on the day and eeked out a kick just inside the upright.</p>
<p>Of course, it was a lot more than that, wasn't it?</p>
<p>Let's talk about what we learned from this week's disappointing result.</p>
<p>1. The Bucs just don't know how to win games right now. Be it coaching, players making crucial mistakes at inopportune times or guys just not making the plays needed to be made - Tampa Bay gets just close enough to lose. Until they learn how much the little things matter, they won't win many games.</p>
<p>2. <span>Josh Freeman</span>. He's working in a new offense with new players around him and a new philosophy. None of that accounts for accuracy. Freeman has always been inaccurate in the intermediate routes (15-20 yds) and he isn't getting better. If anything, he's getting more inaccurate because of he continues to throw behind the wide outs.</p>
<p>Freeman is at least developing touch on his deep ball but he doesn't use the big gun until desperate times call for desperate measures.</p>
<p>Free is also struggling with his decision making to run. He doesn't slide when he should and then he slides when he shouldn't.</p>
<p>It's disturbing as Freeman appears to have regressed all the way back to his rookie season. QB coach Ron Turner and Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan are going to have to build the fourth year quarterback from the ground up.</p>
<p>I still believe Freeman can be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, but the inconsistency needs to stop soon. We have to begin to see the Bucs quarterback get more comfortable in his offense, in his decision making and become better at anticipating his throws. If he can't, then the Bucs are beaten before they even play the game.</p>
<p>3. It was a disturbing game for the Bucs defense. The one thing you could hang your hat on with Tampa Bay defense was that they would stop the run. Rookie running back <span>Alfred Morris</span> destroyed that facade, rumbling for a 39 yd score and breaking loose on a 17 yard scamper. Morris was a bowling ball of butcher knives for the Bucs' defense, who simply couldn't tackle the bruising back. In fact, tackling was in short supply in the first half - in what may have been the worst tackling performance of the defense this season.</p>
<p>4. While he missed one on <span>Fred Davis</span>, one guy who certainly was making some tackles was Buccaneer outside linebacker <span>Lavonte David</span>. David finished the day with 14 tackles (12 solo) in a performance reminiscent of the great <span>Derrick Brooks</span>. Tampa Bay has something there with David.</p>
<p>5. This may be one week the Bucs wished the scab refs were still on the field. The referee crew called Tampa Bay for 10 penalties for 107 yards - including two questionable roughing the passer calls. The first was on a tackle by <span>Mark Barron</span>, who brought down RG III with authority after the mercurial Quarterback had scrambled out of the backfield and became a runner. Late in the game with the Bucs trying to force the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a> to punt deep in their own territory, <span>Mason Foster</span> put hands on RG III shortly after the quarterback released the football in the back of the endzone.</p>
<p>In a move that would have made the members of Manchester United proud, RG III went flailing backward like one of those old cowboys in a Clint Eastwood movie getting blown away by a shotgun. It drew a flag allowing the Skins to continue their drive and bleed precious seconds off the clock.</p>
<p>That's not even talking about the safety that wasn't.</p>
<p>6. It was nice to see both <span>Vincent Jackson</span> and Mike Williams return to the offensive game plan after getting shutdown by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a>. Taking advantage of the Redskins horrible secondary is no big feat, but after a first half that looked an awful lot like that Cowboys game, it was good to see both receivers shake off a bad first half and start making big plays.</p>
<p>7. We lambasted Mike Sullivan's play calling in the Dallas game, but I'm going to credit him for staying aggressive with the passing game, even though Freeman turned in a forgettable first half. While I'm sure the scoreboard had something to do with it, Sullivan came out throwing in the first half trying to take advantage of the Redskins' defense most obvious liability. Unfortunately, Freeman's inaccuracy helped put Tampa Bay in an early hole but eventually the quarterback hit on some big plays and gained a little confidence.</p>
<p>8. If not for a tremendous play by Mike Williams, we could be talking about a terrible finish for Josh Freeman. It looked like Freeman had thrown away the Bucs' chances at comeback before Williams jarred the ball loose from the defender attempting to intercept the pass.</p>
<p>9. I don't know what in the world the Bucs were thinking on that final drive. Apparently, some of the players were a bit confused, too. On RG3's big run that set the Redskins up for the game winning field goal, Michael Bennett questioned his coach's play calling, "You run a blitz and it was just wide open. I knew myself. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I should run this play or not, but I did my job.’ I knew he was going to get outside. That’s what he does. The edge was too short. The whole defensive line slanted."</p>
<p>10. I'd be remiss if I didn't give a tip of the hat to <span>Connor Barth</span>. Barth was simply unbelievable against the Redskins, nailing two 50 yders (one for 57 yards) and a 47 yarder. Barth has made a team record 25 consecutive field goals. If there's one player who deserves to go to Hawaii - it might be Tampa Bay's kicker.</p>
<p>Bonus - I think we should give a big kudos to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. Perhaps they didn't buy up enough tickets to avoid the blackout and certainly there was a large Redskins contingent - but early reports on Sunday were the Bucs would be lucky to get to 40,000 tickets sold for this game. If that's accurate, then the Bucs enjoyed a massive walk up game day crowd of nearly 20,000.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/10/1/3436898/10-things-we-think-we-learned-buccaneers-redskinsJCDeLaTorre2012-09-30T22:16:54-04:002012-09-30T22:16:54-04:00Redskins Late Comeback One-Ups Buccaneers
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins fought a close game, but the Bucs couldn't come up with the win. In an up-and-down game, many things went right, but a few more things went wrong to give Washington the game. </p> <p>There will be no talk of a victory formation this week. Instead, we'll talk about how the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> lost a close game for the third straight time. This is quickly becoming a theme, as this is the model of a Greg Schiano team. Play hard-nosed defense, run the ball on offense, and win the close game in the fourth quarter. So far, though, that last aspect has been missing. The Bucs are playing to script, to an extent, but as Josh Freeman <a href="https://twitter.com/TKras/status/252581121550848002">told Tom Krasniqi </a>after the game "Losing is not acceptable."</p>
<p>Losing sure looked acceptable in the first half, though, as the Bucs dug themselves a nice hole the size of 15 points, ending the half with a 21-6 deficit. The offense looked like a trainwreck, but the bane of the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers reared its ugly head too: missed tackles. Those missed tackles led to a <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434332/gif-alfred-morris-39-yard-touchdown-run/in/3196177">39-yard rushing touchdown</a> by <span>Alfred Morris</span>, the longest run Tampa Bay has given up this year, and it led to a run defense giving up 5.8 yards per carry - more than twice what they'd given up in the previous three games. The other two touchdowns given up in that game were runs as well - <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434278/gif-robert-griffin-iii-runs-in-a-real-touchdown-this-time/in/3196177">both by Robert Griffin III</a>, although one of them was a <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434172/gif-robert-griffin-iii-fumbles--touchdown-buccaneers-redskins/in/3196177">fumble recovered by Pierre Garcon</a>.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, the defensive line was still punishing on running plays, but second- and third-level tackling was lacking, and at times defensive end <span>Daniel Te'o-Nesheim</span> struggled to set the edge. <span>Adrian Clayborn</span> he is not, although Te'o-Nesheim certainly did an admirable job as a pass-rusher. Yet the Bucs' defensive line was not as dominant as it had been in pass rush, with just two sacks on the game. The defense got in some punishing hits, <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434210/gif-mark-barron-bodyslams-robert-griffin-iii/in/3196177">especially Mark Barron</a>, but was far from consistent in actually stopping the Redskins.</p>
<p>The first half on defense may have been sub-par, but it wasn't disastrous. The same can't be said for the offensive performance, which was absolutely horrendous. Josh Freeman had an especially bad first half, routinely missing open receivers with poor throws and poor decisions. When <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434368/gif-bucs-fake-out-redskins-defense-lead-to-field-goal/in/3196177">your best play on offense is a Statue of Liberty fake</a>, you know you're in trouble. <span>Josh Freeman's</span> first half was what I'm now calling 'bad Josh'. It was so horrible, people were calling for <span>Dan Orlovsky</span> at the half. Yes, I-run-out-of-my-own-endzone Orlovsky.</p>
<p>If it wasn't for <span>Connor Barth</span> and his inability to miss field goals, the Bucs would have scored no points in the first half. Thankfully, his opposite half <span>Billy Cundiff</span> remembered how to miss field goals, whiffing on three attempts in the game.</p>
<p>The Bucs looked like they were going to lose a blowout game at the half. It looked like, quite frankly, the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But then, the second half happened, and it was like a different team stepped onto the field. A defense that gave up 21 points in the first half, kept <span>Robert Griffin III</span> contained and gave up just three points in the second half. An offense that couldn't produce even a short play in the first half produced long bomb after long bomb. Josh Freeman looked confused and uncomfortable in the first half, but he was decisive, aggressive and accurate in the second half.</p>
<p>The Bucs <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434702/gifs-mike-williams-65-yarder-vincent-jackson-touchdown-cut-lead-to-21/in/3196177">started off with a big, 65-yard completion</a> to Mike Williams and followed that up with an 8-yard <span>Vincent Jackson</span> touchdown. That cut the lead to 8 points. <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434758/gif-vincent-jackson-for-54-yards-sets-up-touchdown/in/3196177">One 54-yard bomb to Vincent Jackson </a>and a Legarrette Blount touchdown run later, and that lead had been cut to two points as the Bucs missed on the two-point conversion. The defense had to come up with a stop, several times, and they didn't disappoint. They harassed Robert Griffin III, held up on the back end and stuffed the run to give the offense chances. And the offense repaid that with 16 points on the half, the final 3 points coming on a quick field goal drive that ate some clock.</p>
<p>But then, Robert Griffin III had the chance to lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Washington Redskins</a> down the field with less than two minutes remaining. The Tampa Bay defense collapsed under its own weight, as the pass rush disappeared and a few apparent breakdowns left some players wide open. Billy Cundiff may have missed three times in that game, but when given the opportunity to win them the game <a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3435012/gif-billy-cundiff-hits-41-yard-field-goal-to-win-game/in/3196177">he did not disappoint the Washington fans</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the Bucs came just a few plays short of a win. A stand on defense on the final drive, or any kind of offensive production in the first half could have won them this game. In the end, nothing but a loss will be remembered. Close games are won mostly on luck, and the Bucs appear to have missed that luck these past three games, losing three straight close games. They need to reverse that, and find a way to play a little better - and get a little bit of luck.</p>
<p>The Bucs head into their bye week now, and they've got a lot of things to work on. Josh Freeman needs to find a way to be 'good Josh' more often, while the defense needs to figure out this complicated 'coverage' thing. The Bucs are clearly a team in transition, and they've got the rest of the season to transition toward actually winning games.</p>
<p><b>Injuries: </b><span>Eric Wright</span> left the game with a head injury and did not return.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3435252/redskins-buccaneers-recapSander Philipse2012-09-30T20:27:16-04:002012-09-30T20:27:16-04:00GIF: Billy Cundiff Hits 41-Yard Field Goal To Win
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<p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed a heroic comeback - and then gave it all away again. Digging a 21-3 hole, they turned that around and took the lead with under two minutes remaining. But some 55 yards later, Billy Cundiff lined up for his fourth field goal try of the game. He had missed his previous three attempts, so Bucs fans were hopeful that he'd miss this one. </p>
<p>In the end, though, the Bucs lost. This is what that loss looked like: </p>
<p><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1468265/skinwin.gif"></p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3435012/gif-billy-cundiff-hits-41-yard-field-goal-to-win-gameSander Philipse2012-09-30T19:22:29-04:002012-09-30T19:22:29-04:00GIF: Vincent Jackson For 54 Yards, Sets Up TD
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<p>The Bucs have cut the Redskins lead to just two points, as they've just scored another touchdown, run in by Legarrette Blount. It's now on the defense to hold up, and get the ball back, while the offense needs to get it going again. Well, the offense sure got it going on the last two drives, hitting numerous deep passes. Vincent Jackson got in on the fun with a 54-yarder, and then added a 22-yarder to set up Legarrette Blount's 2-yard touchdown run. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1467865/freeeman.gif"></p>
<p>Good Freeman shows up once again. Steps up, throws it deep - and it's an easy completion. That Freeman can be the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all day long. First half Josh Freeman - not so much. As Freeman gets more comfortable in this offense, we should see more of good Freeman and less of bad Freeman. </p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434758/gif-vincent-jackson-for-54-yards-sets-up-touchdownSander Philipse2012-09-30T19:13:24-04:002012-09-30T19:13:24-04:00GIFs: Mike Williams 65-yarder, Vincent Jackson TD
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<p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are attempting a comeback, and they've managed to cut the Redskins' lead to one score. It's now 21-13, and here's how it happened. First, Josh Freeman found one of his receivers deep down the field as Mike Williams ran away from the defense. </p>
<p>That's the Josh Freeman we're all waiting to see, but don't see nearly enough - too often it's indecisive, inaccurate, bad Freeman. He knows where he's going, drops back, and immediately throws it. Easy delivery, easy catch, easy run. </p>
<p><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1467769/freemanwilliams.gif"></p>
<p>He followed that up with a quick strike to Vincent Jackson for the touchdown, putting the Bucs back in one-score territory. This is the other aspect of good Freeman: powerful arm, squeezing it in between defenders, and Vincent Jackson does what he does: catch balls for touchdown. </p>
<p><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1467641/bucstd.gif"></p>
<p>One Billy Cundiff missed field goal later, and the Bucs have the ball and are fixing to score again. Go Bucs!</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434702/gifs-mike-williams-65-yarder-vincent-jackson-touchdown-cut-lead-to-21Sander Philipse2012-09-30T19:05:50-04:002012-09-30T19:05:50-04:00Buccaneers - Redskins Fourth Quarter Open Thread
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<figcaption>Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>Here's your fourth quarter open thread. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> are attempting to come back after falling into a 21-3 hole early. It's now 21-13 after a <span>Vincent Jackson</span> touchdown, so they're on their way.</p>
<p>Check out the<a href="http://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3432136/buccaneers-redskins-game-day"> Game Day Story Stream</a> for all the information so far.</p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434670/buccaneers-redskins-fourth-quarter-open-threadSander Philipse2012-09-30T18:46:03-04:002012-09-30T18:46:03-04:00Lavonte David Comes Back Into The Game
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<p>The Bucs are still down 21-6, but they now have Lavonte David back on the field after having his wrist wrapped up. Meanwhile, Eric Wright is out for the game with a head injury - which likely indicates a concussion. And that could mean a lot more missed games. </p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434584/lavonte-david-comes-back-into-the-game-eric-wright-outSander Philipse2012-09-30T18:28:05-04:002012-09-30T18:28:05-04:00 Lavonte David and Eric Wright Leave With Injuries
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> are getting crushed, and to make matters worse, they're now losing key players to injuries. Rookie linebacker has been very important to this team's defense, yet is now on the sideline getting his hand looked at. He was hit by some friendly fire from <span>Mark Barron</span>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, cornerback <span>Eric Wright</span> got a knee to the helmet from a teammate on the very next play, and walked off the field under his own power, and then headed to the locker room. . It's not clear whether either player will return to the game. </p>
https://www.bucsnation.com/2012/9/30/3434512/redskins-buccaneers-lavonte-david-and-eric-wright-leave-with-injuriesSander Philipse