Posted by  Dave Braunschweig, Waterloo,WI on 01/08  at  03:18 PM

No I’m not at all surprised by the team’s play. Look how the last 4 weeks went. You can’t tell me you can coach or play this game scared that someone will get hurt. That can happen anytime. If you coast and take it easy that is what you get, an uninspired lackluster bunch. Don’t tell me that is not how they looked.
Gruden’s status, I don’t know? He sure better not use the injury excuse again because the Giants were in the same boat. Your WRs couldn’t beat their backup CB or the DL couldn’t beat the backup Center. I guess they just have better backups? He once again tried to outsmart himself when it came to playcalling. Why isn’t Graham getting the ball if it’s working? But what do I know I don’t coach in the NFL.

Posted by  Dave Braunschweig, Waterloo,WI on 01/08  at  03:00 PM

Unless someone had a legitmate injury to rest they shouldv’ve played. I’m not saying the whole game but to the point where your comfortable with the play offensively or defensively. The offense had been medicore all year and if Garcia was healthy he had to play. Don’t you want your starting QB and offense to go into the playoffs on a high note? THEY HAD NOTHING! Practice is just that “practice”. You have to be out there on gameday proving you can be productive when it counts. If you’ve heard it once you’ve heard it a hundred times, “You can’t just flip a switch and turn it on”.

Posted by  Cody Ubben, Cedar Falls, IA on 01/08  at  02:45 AM

30 million in cap room. You gotta be excited about this off-season. There’s gonna be some good 3rd and 4th year FA’s out there that can help push us over the edge. Berrian or Hackett would be nice additions to our receiving core. Don’t forget that we’ll have Paris Warren coming back next year. He was getting groomed to take over for Hilliard before he got hurt.

Posted by  Chuck King, Palm Beach Co, Fl on 01/07  at  07:38 PM

People - truth be told - we quite frankly won alot more than we were supposed to.  The kids are getting better and the old men are showing their age.  Oh yeah, they can still play but they have to be used in moderation.  Joey, Derrick, Rhonde - they are a prime example of this.  We need speed.  Get rid of the dead wood that’s not helping this team win and influx a possession reciever, influx an every down back.  Give us a QB that will see beyond next year.  The talent is out there - just go find it.  Sign Monte before someone else does, anmely - his son.

Posted by  john j eagan, west atlanta,ga on 01/07  at  07:20 PM

tony d loses his job after losing three road playoff games(n a row). gruden gets 2 keep his after posting 5-11, 11-5(home loss, NO OFFENSE), 4-12, 9-7(home loss, NO OFFENSE). i will never put 1 man before the team but tony was treated unfairly and we are getting what we deserve. there will be injuries next season too, so whats gonna be the excuse next year!

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 01/07  at  05:08 PM

look people….we improved in every stat possible this year compared to last year…moving up like 10 spots in every stat column you can think of in offesne and defense…and thats with 13 players on ir…starting our 4th string runningback…playing with a offensive line with 2 rookies and 2 2nd year guys…..all of our young players stepped up to the plate this year and delivered…i agree with mitch…we are one or two players off on both sides of the ball to really contend….SO STOP F^%*IN B^$*@N AND BE PROUD OF THE JOB OUR TEAM,COACHES AND STAFF DID THIS YEAR…GO F$^!(N BUCS!...

Posted by  Paul O'Hara, Ocala, FL on 01/07  at  04:21 PM

Season’s over.
Free-agency and draft comin’ up.
Keep movin’ ahead.
Hoo-raw.

Posted by  MItch R, NYC on 01/07  at  04:03 PM

Hey Michael Harris, thanks for the ego boost.  How do you know what level of football I’ve played or coached?  Unlike many of those on this blog who whine and complain about things that wouldn’t matter, I actually pay attention to what’s going on and make an educated statement.  I can’t stand those that think that firing Gruden and Allen would benefit this team after he’s essentially drafted and signed players that fit his style of football.  After watching last year’s team and this year’s team, I saw big improvement and a promising future.  We’re probably 1 playmaker on offense and defense to contending.  Yet everyone thinks we need to start over from scratch

Posted by  Michael Harris, Tampa, FL on 01/07  at  02:35 PM

Wow Mitch!  What an ego! You may be surprised to learn that there are those on this blog who actually have played at a high level and probably know the game a lot better than you.  K?  Just stick to your opinions ABOUT the sport. Otherwise when you write, I feel like I’m reading the egocentric ramblings of George W. Bush, JR.

Posted by  Cody Winchell, Indiana on 01/07  at  02:08 PM

1.  no, rest did not hurt us.  just ask anyone who NEEDED rest (Earnest Graham looked awesome)
2.  we were clearly out-coached on BOTH SIDES of the ball.  since they went to the three-step drop to negate our pass rush, why didn’t we move our corners to the inside and start jumping their routes?
3.  Absolutely not! He needs to prove to ALL TB fans that he can exploit more than 5 yards of the field.  These itty bitty passes on every play just suck out loud.  Pittman led us in rec yds for crying out loud!  YOU HAVE to have the ability to go DOWNFIELD to win it all!  WE WILL NEVER beat a team like Indy/NE with the “small ball” that Gruden calls.  Period.

Posted by  Michael McAneny, Vero Beach, FL on 01/07  at  01:27 PM

If we are evaluating aspects of this Buc season, give the fans in Tampa Bay an F.

How is it possible for that many “die-hard” Buc fans to sell their tickets to this game?  It’s the playoffs!  Raymond James Stadium was filled with at least 30% Giant fans (and boy were they obnoxious).  I was one of the more well behaved Giant fans, and boy was it easy to get good tickets to this game. 

Any Buc fan who sold their tickets or didn’t try to get one of the abundance of tickets that were available for this game should be ashamed of themselves. 

When looking for someone to blame, point the finger at yourselves first, Buc fans.

Posted by  chris devine, st pete on 01/07  at  12:56 PM

Bucs-Giants
1)Rested Galloway not at full speed.  See tape…see any wideout sep…run it again…no?...get some glasses for DMV test -HELP NEED SPEEDY WIDEOUT NOW.
2)Young O-LINE needs a NEW JOHN WADE…more center “get off the blocks” speed and push to help the running backs.
3)WARREN SAPP

4)GOOD STUFF SIGNOFF

LUKE MCCOWN - ALMOST WON WITH WANTABEES
JEFF GARCIA - 1ST YEAR DIVISION CHAMPS
KEVIN CARTER - DEFENSIVE BEAST -GOODGUY
MIKE BENNETT - YOUR SPEED CAN HELP US
MIKE SPURLOCK - UR NOT A FLUKE
MO STOVALL - BEST SPEC TEAMS GUY EVER
GREG WHITE - GREAT YEAR GOOD PICKUP
TANARD JACKSON -INJURED TOO SOON MISSED
EARNEST GRAHAM - GRINDER AND FINISHES
MIKE CLAYTON - U LED 1ST RETURN EVER

Posted by  Shawn Golan, Los Angeles, CA on 01/07  at  12:50 PM

I think its really easy to feel down right now, and that might bring a lot of people to start calling for major changes.  Truth is, this was a good season, and we have a lot more to be proud of than ashamed of.  This is a team on the rise with a lot of young guys playing VERY well.  There are clearly so areas that should and likely will be addressed this off-season, but we shouldn’t be thinking about a fire-sale right now. 

Gruden deserves at least another year for the coaching job he did this season.  Considering the injury issues, this team and this staff performed well above expectations.  In my opinion, we’ll see steady improvement over the next few seasons, and a key to making that come true is continuity.  Stay the course…

Posted by  Steve, Clearwater on 01/07  at  11:24 AM

I was at game. Galloway should not have dressed as he had a rather severe shoulder injury. Bucs looked like champs in the first quarter so any talk of “too much rest” is not true. Should have stuck with the run in Q-2 Defense overall okay. Certainly we can be better a our pass rush. The opening 2nd half fumble was a killer. Garcia’s interception was badly underthrown but Galloway also made no attempt to catch it.  Without the turnovers we would have been in the game. The defense played pretty well except for the pass rush. The offensive line is still in need of some help.

Gruden and Allen have done a great job building the future of the team. Get new wideouts, get Petigout back, some depth at linebacker and one more pure pass rushers.

Posted by  Maurice S, New York on 01/07  at  11:11 AM

Lets get Albert Haynseworth Devery Henderson and ANdre DAvis who we need because spurlock is just some guy who got lucky and ran one back when he’s really just a pu**y who just runs out of bounds because hes afraid to get hit. Not to mention Andre Davis is fast an has recieving skill. I think we should stack up on Wide outs this year instead of QB’s. I want Devery because he’s fast and i want Albert Haynes worth but if he wants ridiculous money then forget him. And we have Petitgout for another year if not mistaken but I got to go finish building this time machine so I can get the 2008 season started.

Posted by  Maurice S, New York on 01/07  at  10:45 AM

Mitch R is right about us needing a explosive weapon on offense to. I dont care what we do to get one but Bruce has to work on that soon as possible. If he can get us a big named Wide Reciever like RANDY MOSS or something (Im dreaming right now)then we’ll have something to talk about. Joey getting old and if we can get even get bernard berrian that would be a great start but i feel like Bruce doesnt like going after wide recievers, but I cant bash him because he went out last year and got us free agents that were out there, and if he does the same thing this year im gonna cry with happiness like a little b*tch.

Posted by  Maurice S, New York on 01/07  at  10:31 AM

4-12 last year 9-8 this year with all the injuries we had. Everyones talking like we actually had a superbowl team this year when a lot of people had us missing the playoffs. I would of felt worse being embarassed in the superbowl by an aggressive AFC team that knows that our offensive line isnt experianced, and we lost a lot of players this year. So people need to stop bashing Gruden because he didnt do anything wrong. Its not his fault Joey Galloway cant get off of a bump and run and its not his fault our LT Petitgout got hurt at the begginning of the season which i think was our biggest lost.

Posted by  James R. Kinzer, 351 Winfield Ave. Winfield WV 25213 on 01/07  at  10:01 AM

Mr. J.Kirby, I didn’t say that we did not have any quality players!!  Sunday proved that we did not have enough quality players!!  Every area of the Bucs needs to be greatly improved!!  Since you are slinging mud, how did your Bulls end their season, how about your Rays,you must be part of the old fa—s in St. Pete (Wrinkle City)!!  If you can’t see the needs of the Bucs, you are as blind as in Gruden and Allen!!  I have to go snow boarding now, so keep safe in your Adult housing community there!!  Later,WV Nut

Posted by  MItch R, NYC on 01/07  at  09:58 AM

Of course I’m right, because I’m one of the few people in here that actually watches with a brain.  I don’t care if we beat the Giants, there was 0 chance we were going to go into Dallas and beat the cowboys, let alone somehow manage to get to the super bowl and take on the Colts or Pats.  We did the best we could with the players we had.  As for the Gruden bashers, wake up, do all of you still love Kiffen after his beloved defense got pushed around by an average offense?  92 yard, 8 minute drive in the 3rd quarter put the game out of reach.  If you want Gruden to go, the whole staff needs to go to, because the lot of them didn’t perform yesterday.

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 01/07  at  09:50 AM

another thing…food for thought for you gruden haters that think he isnt a good offensive coach…our offense improved from 29th to 18th…rushing offense 28th to 11th…passing offense from 26th to 16th…we scored 13 more touchdowns than last year and our points per game went up 8…with key offensive injuries…i think thats pretty dawm good in my opinion…GO BUCS!

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 01/07  at  09:23 AM

buc nation right now shouldnt be holding there heads down and whinning like little babies…with all the injuries and young talent this team has…i think we had a pretty good season in my opinion…we werent even suppose to get this far and we did…yes i wish we would have won…but im happy for my bucs…we should all be rallying around them right now for playing hard and doing everything they could to give us fans a positive season…all the players, coaches and staff deserve that..thank you guys and looking forward to next season…GO BUCS!

Posted by  Patrick Dotson, Tampa,FL on 01/07  at  09:11 AM

with all the injuries we have had this year…you cant blame gruden for resting players…look at cato june…he got hurt in our last reg season game…and you people cant tell me losing him wasnt a big deal for the giants game…and stovall is included in that to…and the thing with galloway…he was a nonfactor in this game anyways…so whats the big deal in that….we got outplayed and thats the bottomline….this team is young in alot of areas and has a promising future…as for gruden…winning 3 div titles in 6 yrs warrants a contract extension…GO BUCS!

Posted by  Wayne Lewis, Tampa on 01/07  at  08:14 AM

Just a comment about editing at the Tampa Tribune.  A side bar article entitled “Casual Friday” asks the fans to wear the jerseys of our favorite players on Friday to show our support.

I, for one, will.

But who is the editor that let that piece go with a glaring error.  After all the years he’s been the teams MVP and captain on the defence…give Derrick Brooks at least the respect he’s owed by getting his number right!

It’s 55 not 56 as printed this morning.

Hey sports department…don’t complain about details, until you get them right yourself!

Posted by  Simon Tomlins, UK on 01/07  at  07:50 AM

I just feel that Garcia and Galloway had a poor game, and that Manning played very well. We lost the turnover battle 3 - 0, and who can get over that?

Gruden, Allen, and the whole scouting department have set us up with a lot of good, young players. The lines will get better with experience, our backfield is quite deep, the linebacking corps is a great blend of savvy and youth, and you could say the same of our secondary. We need a QB for 2009, and upgrades at WR as soon as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I was gutted we played poorly and lost on Sunday, but take a look back and see where we’ve come from. I’m optimistic about the next few years.

Posted by  Chuck King, Palm Beach Co. Fl on 01/07  at  07:35 AM

Now comes the house cleaning, it’s time to find another receiver - Joey’s getting old, Stoval is still injured and Ike is adequate as a backup. But when stoval went down so did our #2 receiver.  Joey became the focal point and he delivered and Ike became #2.  Joey couldn’t hold up for the entire season at his age.  Now “GET RID” of Clayton.  Get what you can for him but he must be considered a bust at this point.  Throw in Phil Jr. (the head case)and make that trade quick.  You might even be able to package Gradkowski and pick up a QB late in the draft.  A second or third round RB wouldn’t hurt cause Cadi’s injury prone.  As for Gruden - you bought another year or two with that magic act.