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Vinny Testaverde almost certainly will talk this week about making the most of his opportunity.
The Bucs, hopefully, will talk about how they didn’t do the same.
The Jets, by any measure, are simply not very good. Five weeks into the season, no one really knows if the Bucs are or not. But if they turn out to be, and they’re preparing for an imposing postseason road trip (sound familiar?), they’ll look back at games like this one to understand why Raymond James is vacant in January.
Four trips close against the Jets; four field goals. That’s how this game was lost. It wasn’t the steadiness of the 42-year-old quarterback on the other side; it was the Bucs’ own 30-something quarterback making still more questionable decisions when he was his team’s only hope.
Even without the threat of Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay handily outgained the Jets. Meanwhile, the Bucs defense was solid as ever and covered for the offense’s lack of finishing power for most of the game. New York had one impressive drive, starting the third quarter, but the defense did enough to punish Curtis Martin and the Jets’ other playmakers (few as they may be) and keep the game winnable.
Brian Griese will be criticized for the Bucs having to settle for the last field goal (that, and seeming confused which team Ty Law plays for now). What might go overlooked, except by Jon Gruden, is that for the offense it was simply a case of more of the same. Given the Jets’ severe limitations on offense, the Bucs could have had control of this game by halftime simply by crossing the goal line on any of their three field goal drives.
They didn’t do it, and New York had just enough reason to believe they could be the team to take that pretty zero off the end of the Bucs’ record.
It shouldn’t have happened. Even with Williams out of the game and Michael Clayton playing with more pain than he’ll admit, the Bucs had enough firepower to win against such a mediocre opponent. Whether Griese can command control of this team when the competition improves – and it certainly will – should tell the real story of 2005.
Posted by Rebecca Gehres, Holiday FL on 10/13 at 08:59 AM
GET RID OF GRIESE!!!! I’D RATHER HAVE TRENT DILFER AT THIS POINT. GRIESE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD IN THE LEAST LITTLE STRESSFUL SITUATION. HE CANNOT THINK WHEN HE IS THE LEAST LITTLE BIT HARASSED. JOHN GRUDIN, I AM VERY SURPRISED AT YOUR COACHING. ANY COACH THAT LETS HIS TEAM COMMIT SO MANY PENALTIES NEEDS HELP FIGURING OUT HOW TO DISCIPLINE THEM. MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY THIS, THERE WERE NOT NEAR THE PENALTIES WHEN TONY DUNGY HAD THIS TEAM, SO I KNOW THERE IS A SERIOUS LACK OF DISCIPLINE GOING ON WITH THIS TEAM! FIX IT! YOU GET PAID FAR TOO MUCH NOT TO FIX IT.
Posted by rocko, detroit on 10/12 at 07:37 PM
Detroit Buc fan here, and all I know is Griese most gooooooo!! We need a young strong arm to get that ball down field; what the hay, put the young kid in
Posted by Jack Clauberg, Bloomfield, New Jersey on 10/12 at 03:28 PM
Let’s be honest: the Bucs win in spite of Griese not because of him. I was at the game Sunday and saw first-hand just how bad he really is. There’s a reason he’s been on three different teams in three years. We hear how how cerebral he is; smart QBs don’t take sacks on 2nd and 1, then take a sack on the next play to take your team out of field-goal range. He had time to throw and open recievers, especially downfield.
The Bucs will not win anything with him. The time has come for Chris Simms.
Posted by J.Speakman, Hernando Beach on 10/12 at 03:10 PM
The last minute of the game was the worst clock management that I have ever seen. Has Gruden heard of throwing to the sidelines, keeping important time-outs for the last minutes of the game, maybe a throw to the end-zone...you know, a real football game with strategy??!!
Posted by JSones, Largo, FL on 10/12 at 01:47 PM
LOL!! Bench our starting QB? In favor of two untested, young, inexperienced QBs who have no playing time? McCown looked good in the pre-season? LOL!! Against 3rd stringers and players who didn’t even make their teams!! C’mon folks - let’s get real here. Griese is the best quarterback on this team BY FAR. The QB can do as much as he has time to do. A QB with no protection during the pass will not play well and will look skittish and will make mistakes by being rushed. Sound familiar? Lay off our very talented QB and look to the line that lets him get sacked over and over. They have improved at run blocking, yeah, but the pass protection is still weak. Without pass protection, NO quarterback in NFL will do well. Griese is accurate, controls the game and the offense, and makes plays...when he has time to do it and when everyone else around him does what they re supposed to. This is a team sport remember...maybe the rest of the team needs to step up and play the same game as Griese.
Posted by Gordon Waishkey, MacDill on 10/12 at 12:04 PM
Well, where do you start. Coaching is not rocket science; why do we try and make it that? To justify the huge salary? Coach Gruden you are a good coach, but come on. Fourth down and we kick a field goal. O.K. you may have been thinking, we will get the ball back. But the game I was watching, our defense was not having a good day against the pass. I have been a Bucs fan for the last 30 years, and we have always depended on our defense!!! With the big time players we have on offense, lets see if we can change that this year....
Posted by Buc Fan, on 10/11 at 07:27 PM
Would the fact that Griese played a couple of years in Miami be a boon or a bust for the Bucs to start him this Sunday against Miami?
I personally would rest Cadillac this Sunday and use Pittman/Alstott & Simms as QB before the Bye Week.
Miami does have an excellent run defense so it should push us to have
deep passes by a more mobile QB Simms.
How Simms plays in this game would give us a clearer perspective on whether he’ll fit in with the Bucs in the upcoming games & next year or whether he’ll leave as a free agent.
Remember, just because Griese was named
as the Bucs’ 1st QB doesn’t mean that he needs to remain the 1st QB. You’re only as good as your last game!
Posted by Victor Barney, Lehigh Acres, Florida on 10/11 at 04:23 PM
Gruden says that he’s taking resposibility for poor play calling, but still insisting Griese is his choice for quarterback? Prediction: This is just the beginning of loses Tampa Bay and Griese will not even be able to hook up with any other team once he finally does get released!
Posted by Ron mincy, seattle,wa on 10/11 at 03:42 PM
as a child hood fan! i must agree with the buc fans on “Brian Griese”! as a person,i like the guy! we all know that gruden believes in him! i want to know why did the bucs call their last timeout with 2min and 14sec to go in the game! that timeout could have easily stopped the clock in those last seconds! man,the bucs are playing backwards and it seems no one in that organizations wants to speak up! so,i will say it....bench griese and play simms......
Posted by Lou Brock, Delaware on 10/11 at 11:14 AM
We cannot lose sight of the fact that Chris Simms is a free agent at the end of the year! EVERYONE INCLUDING GRUDEN, ask yourselves the question, who do we want to keep...Simms or Griese. One will stay and one will go. Make the change now and live with it. Simms had the starting job last year and LOST it to injury...(which is unheard of by the way). Griese would have never seen the field if Simms had not gotten hurt. Griese must be paying Gruden off!!!!!
Posted by Tom Foreman, Lake Wales, Fl on 10/11 at 11:06 AM
The trouble with the Bucs Lack of a quarterback and bad offensive line. The responsible people are Jon Gruden and the offensive line coach. The reason for Gruden calling running plays with 3rd and 15 is because Gruden has no confidence in Griese. Josh McGown looked like the best quarterback in the spring. Why not bring him along now? If there is no running game we cannot depend on Griese to win with passes. In other words, The Bucs are in bad shape.
Posted by FG, Oregon on 10/11 at 10:55 AM
I am amazed that with the talent on this team that it can do no better than 12 points against the Jets. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Bucs have a very competent receiving corps. I have great respect for Griese in every aspect of the game except one; field presence. He’s too preoccupied with the primary and therefore unable to see the secondary receivers. If Caddy plays against Miami, I’d play Simms and let him get his confidence going. With the focus on Williams, Simms could shine and get off to a great start in the NFL. It’s time to find out what this young man can do!
Posted by roy, valrico on 10/11 at 10:16 AM
Equal blame should be passed around this loss. First of all Gruden is overated as far as an offensive guru is concered. He makes a simplistic offense into a quandrum that one is fooled by. The best part about this loss was against a legite team. Good thing we have had an easy schedule. Griese was never an adequate QB, the only reason he won in denver was the people around him. He is about as overated as vick. With the same inadequate foot position. The defense is old for example brooks mid 30’s, quarls 34. Everbody blames the offense yet if you look closer the defensive tackling was horrendous.
Posted by cody, Floyds Knobs, IN on 10/11 at 08:06 AM
I also agree - run MIKE ALSTOTT!!! Would be a great game plan - something Gruden has been lacking on offense for a LONG LONG time.
Posted by cody, Floyds Knobs, IN on 10/11 at 08:02 AM
Griese HAS GOT TO BE BENCHED. He has been HORRIBLE. Completion %? What a joke! Yep, he completes all of the 2-yard passes. Every time he ATTEMPTS to go downfield (which is rare) I have to hold my breath and wonder which DEFENDER he is going to complete the pass to this time. IT IS TIME FOR SIMMS. IT IS TIME FOR SIMMS. With guys like Cadillac and Clayton, Simms is the future QB of this franchise, he is the final piece of the puzzle. He is going to be special when he gets his chance. I CAN’T WAIT!!!! BENCH GRIESE!!! BENCH GRIESE!!!
Posted by SSM, Valrico on 10/11 at 07:55 AM
Phillip Rivers wants to be traded. We can dream now can’t we.......?
Posted by JSones, Largo, FL on 10/11 at 07:07 AM
Man!! Bucs fans still complain when we’re WINNING? Who cares how we win?? Honestly?? So we lost to the Jets, but we were never really out of this game until the clock ran out. Yeah we had an interception, but the two that were called back were non-issues. The only reason they happened was because of the penalties that negated them. The returned interception was a mistake. Interceptions are a part of the game. All quarterbacks throw them, even Simms. Vinny threw one, too. I personally think the Bucs will go a long way this season, and I have since before the preseason. We smooth over a few of the mistakes in any game we play and we’ll do better, against any team out there. Remember that the Bucs rode their defense and kicking game to the Super Bowl a few years ago, with 20-something new players and a suspect offensive attack, with a quarterback who made mistakes. We are 4th in the NFL and 1st on defense, 1st in our division, and 1st in the conference. That’s GOOD!!!
Posted by Kyle Smith, England on 10/11 at 03:16 AM
The Bucs biggest problems are ones that can easily be fixed. They 1st need to seriously address the penalties. This is the main area Tampa must fix if we are going to win games. Secondly, the Bucs need to become a better tackling team. The great thing about these to areas is that the Bucs have the coach and the personnel to fix these problems. The remainder of the season is tougher for Tampa as they still have to play their divisional foes as well as a few strong AFC teams. The Bucs should be able to keep games in reach if they can tackle, and shy away from the DRIVE KILLING penalties. All in all they have lost ONE game. Maybe I am crazy, but if in doubt, I would rest C. Willams against the Dolphins and have him 110% when they roar into week 8 against the 49ers.....GO BUCS!
Posted by George W. Howard II, Palm Harbor on 10/10 at 10:36 PM
The stat I heard during the second half of the game sums it up. Griese had 12 completions that did not exceed 10 yards. Gruden is a genius. I watch DirecTV and even the Arizona Cardinals have guys running free in the secondary up the field. You ever see a Bucs receiver with any separation. Maybe Galloway. Why can’t throw a 50 yard pass just to loosen up secondaries. Might even get a pass interference call. Put Simms in and let him sling it down the field. Cadillac must really be special given what I saw against the Jets. Same old Bucs of last two years. Mediocre at best, 8-8 team.
Vinny been on the couch for past two years and we don’t even get in his face till late. I would have blitzed him silly. Best defense in the league gets handled by out of retirement QB. Every team we play on out will be drooling on this film review. If I hear how great cover 2 is again when even the Jets have guys running free, I will puke. We have no chance against Carolina and Atlanta.
Posted by Chris Sigman, East Flat Rock , N.C on 10/10 at 07:20 PM
We have GRUDEN, 3 Great Running Backs, A Better Defense and NO QUARTERBACK ??? What gives??? The BUCS need leadership up under the CENTER.. They need someone that can scramble and put some ZIP on the ball going down field… Brad couldn’t do it, Griese can’t do it , Hello , Wake Up Coach..... We need desparate help here guy’s!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Wallace, Tampa on 10/10 at 05:58 PM
Ah, we are back to the same old “Yucks.” And to say we needed C. Williams. You cannot build a great NFL team all around just one player, no way. And look at Dungy and the Colts...the only undefeated NFL team. Bring him back!!!
Posted by j b minor, tampa bay area on 10/10 at 05:29 PM
Calling your final timeout with 2 minutes and 11 seconds left was nuts. We could have let 11 seconds run off the clock and still had a timeout left when Galloway made his final reception. Time enough to kick a winning field goal. The game was lost by poor coaching.
Posted by Daniel, Tampa on 10/10 at 04:42 PM
Some Observations:
Josh Bidwell is a pro-bowl quality NFL punter. He averaged 51.8 yds on 5 punts Sunday. Matt Bryant was four for four on field goal attempts,the Bucs only points.
Kenyatta Walker had another TD saving tackle this week, giving him three in consecutive weeks.
What is Brian Griese thinking?
Dewayne Robertson made Dan Buenning look like a rookie and verify, It’s easier to run block than to pass block. There is a reason Jon Gruden kept handing the ball to Caddy. It takes the pressure off the o-line and Caddy is really good. Graham and Trippman are not Caddy. Alstott should have gotten a few more carries. He had 9 yards on a swing pass. Throw it to him again. Run Alstott on second and one instead of getting Griese sacked. Having Gruden call the plays leaves little time for quality control and focusing on the details, hence all the offense and special teams penalties.
Posted by Victor Barney, LeHigh Acres, Florida on 10/10 at 04:37 PM
Finally I’m hearing from the fans about what is going on with the Bucs! It’s hard to decide just who has not got their mind on the game at hand, Gruden or Griese? There simply can not be a legimate reason why Simms isn’t the Quarterback! Believe me, it’s going to get a lot worse than this if something doesn’t get fixed fast!
Posted by Chas, Tampa on 10/13 at 02:40 PM
Maybe Griese, after his locker room speech, will act more focused and intense on winning throughout the game. He just seems to walk around on the sidelines like he’s a movie star, enjoying the role of playing a quarterback. Apparently he has the talent to be quarterback, I think his frame of mind needs the adjustment.