Given the chance, finally, to close the door - or slam it, more likely - on the 2006 season, the Bucs will probably look at each other with that awkward expression reserved for sights too ghastly for words.
This three-month train wreck ended the same way it started - an embarrassing, lifeless loss at home to a team headed places, very much unlike the 2006 Bucs.
Most people feel Jon Gruden will be back - provided he cares to, of course. Chris Simms, as well, should return in good health. He even has, arguably an established backup behind him.
Beyond that, it’s hard to walk away from a game like this feeling there’s any real future for this team. The defense is clearly a step behind where it was - how does a Seattle team playing, essentially, just to keep the wheels greased, move at ease against you? Was there any tangible progress shown by the offense’s obvious Achilles heel - the line - today, or even at any point in 2006?
The Bucs can look forward to a top draft choice in April - but how can this squad decide how in the world to use it? Saying they have one glaring problem is like saying LaDainian Tomlinson is everything to the team at the opposite end of the NFL spectrum, the Chargers; a ridiculous oversimplification of a complex situation.
Gruden’s unfailingly positive spin after yet another loss smacks of uncertainty in his own situation. One can’t blame him for that, but if he honestly sees reason to think this team is headed for a renaissance, perhaps he’s the root of the problem after all.
Mike Alstott picked up a key first down in the Bucs second scoring drive of the game.
Alstott converted a third-and-1 with a one-yard run to help sustain a drive that culminated in Seattle breaking up a touchdown pass from Tim Rattay to Joey Galloway in the end zone.
Mike Alstott’s farewell game isn’t going exactly according to plans.
Alstott fumbled near the goal line after a three-yard pick up. Seattle cornerback Jimmy Williams recovered the fumble and the Seahawks offense turned it into three more points and a 20-7 lead with 10:14 remaining in the second quarter.
On the plus side for Alstott, he finally got on the positive side of yardage. He now has four carries for one yard.
Perhaps it was payback for the pager system failure in Chicago, but the Bucs got a lucky break near the end of the first half.
On second-and-10 at the Bucs 33-yard line, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw receiver D.J. Hackett’s way. Bucs cornerback Juran Bolden tipped the pass into the air, but Hackett made a diving lunge for it and appeared to come down with it, sliding into the end zone for a touchdown.
A booth review overturned the ruling on the field, saying it was an incomplete pass.
Hasselbeck and Hackett connected again later in the series for a six-yard touchdown, a play set up by Tampa Bay defensive end Dewayne White’s unnecessary roughness penalty. White shoved Seattle right tackle Sean Locklear to the ground after a play was over.
As the Bucs disappointing season grinds to a halt on New Year’s Eve, fans shunned the doom and gloom. After strolling through the parking lots on a muggy morning, fans seemed to be looking to the future with optimism.
We asked fans what they thought the Bucs resolutions should be. The resounding sentiment is that the Bucs really need to make something of their forthcoming high draft pick. Others focused on improving the defense through free agency. As far as Coach Jon Gruden, most think he deserves one more year to prove himself. However, fans aren’t as forgiving to rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
It seems most fans are willing to write the 2006 season off as an injury-riddled fluke and are looking toward days when Chris Simms is back under center and the pass rush can actually get to the quarterback.
At least his snaps have been strong.
In what could be tight end/long snapper Dave Moore’s final game, the 15-year veteran hauled in his first reception of the season and then immediately coughed it up. Seattle middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu jarred the ball loose and it was recovered by strong safety Michael Boulware.
Luckily for Moore, the Seahawks offense didn’t capitalize on the turnover.
On second-and-goal early in the second quarter, Mike Alstott ran to the Bucs sideline as a chorus of boos rained down from the fans.
Quarterback Tim Rattay connected with Joey Galloway for the four-yard touchdown to pull the Bucs within three points of the Seahawks.
So far, Alstott’s carried the ball two times for minus-two yards.
From the Where’s That Been All Year department - rookie wide receiver Maurice Stovall gained 18 yards on a double reverse.
The drive began with a 32-yard run by Michael Pittman, starting in place of the injured Cadillac Williams. It stalled, however, after Stovall’s play and ended with kicker Matt Bryant missing a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Since it’s likely Mike Alstott last NFL game, Bucs fans showed their appreciation during the team introductions.
The applause was deafening when Alstott ran out of the tunnel and onto the field.
Members of the state champion Plant High School football team led the Bucs onto the field.
Alstott fans have threatened to chant some not-so-nice things about Coach Jon Gruden is Alstott doesn’t get the ball today. Check back later to find out what they’re chanting.
The Bucs will be without two starters in their season finale against Seattle.
Running back Cadillac Williams will miss his second-consecutive game with a foot injury, while tight end Alex Smith will miss his second game of the season because of a back injury he sustained against Cleveland last week.
The other Bucs inactives are Luke McCown (emergency quarterback), safety Donte Nicholson, center Nick Mihlhauser, tackle Donald Penn, running back Lionel Gates and defensive tackle Darrell Campbell.
Seattle will be without starting wide receiver Darrell Jackson. The Tampa native is struggling with a toe injury.
Finish Proud, Finish Strong
One thing you can say with certainty about the 2006 Bucs: They never quit.
That may seem like a hollow statement, what with the money these guys make, but it’s a testament to the character of the players and the respect they have for their coaches and the fans that they battled back at Chicago two weeks ago and turned in a commendable effort last week at Cleveland.
A similar effort today could help the Bucs finish the season on a positive note, and that has to be a high priority. There’s nothing the Bucs can do to keep this from winding up as one of their most-forgettable seasons, but they can ease the sting by playing hard to the end and beating the defending NFC champions.
Pound The Rock From Start To Finish
The Seahawks’ defense is built a lot like the Bucs’ - with a lot of speed at linebacker but small up front.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Seahawks tend to have a hard time stopping power runners and runners who run right up the middle on them.
The Seahawks’ front four also has a tendency to wear down late in games. This, then, is a game in which the Bucs want to establish a ground game early and stick with it. The 49ers did that a couple weeks ago and gained 154 rushing yards in the second half of a stunning 24-14 victory against Seattle.
The Bucs have a lot of backs with fresh legs and some power in their step, so there’s no reason to get pass happy if they fall behind by a score or two.
Find A Way To Take Ball Away
Ball security has been a big problem for the Seahawks the past few weeks. During their three-game losing streak, the Seahawks have given the ball away seven times, including four interceptions.
The Bucs have struggled to take the ball away all season, but they’re coming off a four-interception game at Cleveland.
Matt Hasselbeck is nowhere near as mistake-prone as Derek Anderson, but it has been said that turnovers come in bunches. If that’s the case, then the time might be right for the Bucs to get a few more today.
If they can do that, the Bucs not only can slow down a potentially potent offense, but they also can create some scoring chances and set up their offense with good field position.
Finish Drives With Authority
QB Tim Rattay had a pretty good first start for the Bucs last week. Though he committed two turnovers, he moved it consistently well between the 20s.
Like Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski before him, though, Rattay struggled to get the ball into the end zone and finish drives. It wasn’t all Rattay, of course, but Rattay does need to be more sure of his throws inside the red zone.
At the same time, the players around him need to ratchet up their effort inside the 20. The Bucs have had to settle for field goals - even short punts - far too often this year. Their inability to adequately finish scoring drives is one of the big reasons they’ve found it so hard to win games.
The Bucs didn’t get the week off for Christmas, but they got the next best thing in NFL terms: a game with Cleveland.
Well, OK, maybe the third-best thing, but they play themselves every day in practice so that one really doesn’t apply.
Given the level of competition (mostly leveled), it’s hard to say if the Bucs really made steps in Week 15 or if the Browns just really didn’t want to be out there. Tim Rattay didn’t make the sort of maddening mistakes so common in the Gradkowski Era, but you don’t exactly walk away from this game thinking he was ready to lead an 80-yard, game-winning drive, either.
What was very encouraging was the Bucs’ running game, led by Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott. Again, whether the offensive line finally seems to be reaching a high level depends on what you make of the Cleveland defense. A truer test, safe to say, comes next week with Seattle, which actually has a reason to care at this point.
Defensively, it was 1999 all over again. Turnovers led to points and a general demoralizing of the Browns and their Christmas Eve crowd. Reuben Droughns never got untracked (which had to be a fear for the Bucs, given the days they’ve provided to other feature backs over this season), and Derek Anderson was certainly no threat to carry this game on his shoulders.
In the end, it is what it is: the Bucs finally found someone worse than themselves. Some will call this a springboard win for the Bucs, but as any NFL observer can tell you, there’s simply no continuity in this league from week to week. Even if the Bucs the Seahawks next week, will anyone remember a 5-11 season for its final two weeks?
At least, however, the game provided a nice holiday respite from a horrendous season.
What in the world were we thinking? Of course the Bucs offense can blow this one!
19-7, courtesy of the Bucs’ offensive line.
It’s come to this for the Cleveland Browns: castoffs from the Raiders are now making plays against them.
Philip Buchanon followed Derrick Brooks’ lead by taking Anderson’s next pass attempt for a pick, and now not even the Bucs offense seems capable of botching this one.
It tooks 15 weeks to do it, but the Bucs have finally found an offense in a worse state of disrepair than their own.
Derrick Brooks disregarded the bough on a pass from Cleveland’s Derek Anderson, and returned it 20 yards the other way for a 19-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. At this rate, the Browns might not score enough points to overcome that deficit until next Halloween.
Who ever thought 4-11 would sound so nice?
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