It took overtime, but the Buccaneers are who we thought they were. With their best start on the year the Bucs jumped out to a 21-0 lead, only to eventually lose by 3, 27-24. Steven Hauschka kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8:11 left in overtime to give the Seahawks the win.
Key Stats
Bucs:
QB: Mike Glennon completed 17 of 23 passes for 168 yards for 2 TD’s
RB: Mike James had 28 carries for 158 yards, and even added 1 passing TD
Seahawks:
QB: Russell Wilson Completed 19 of 26 passes for 217 yards for 2 TD’s 2 INT’s
RB: Marshawn Lynch had 21 carries for 125 yards
My game ball goes to my fellow Polk County native Mike James. James stepped up in a big way for the Bucs filling in for the injured Doug Martin. I suspect without James setting the tempo, the Bucs offense would have stalled before even getting started. James even had a surprising 2-yard jump pass to Tom Crabtree for the touchdown. James has cemented himself as the backup RB in Tampa, and I have no doubt the team will lean on him heavily this week against Miami on Monday Night Football.
Mike Glennon played well. For a rookie to complete 17 of 23 passes for 168 yards and 2 TD’s in Seattle. It must be rated as a good performance considering facing both that defense and the noises on the 12 man. I can’t blame Glennon one bit. In five games the 23 year old rookie has 8 TD’s only 3 INT’s with a 83.1 QB rating. I would like to point out the 3 INT’s where in his first two games.
The 8 Bucs losses have been by a combined 66 points. The Buccaneers have made losing at the last minute into an art form. Football games are four quarters and the Bucs have let to play a full four quarters. Theres a reason Tim Tebow doesn’t play in the NFL, he can’t throw the ball for four quarters. The Bucs have a whole team who can’t play four quarters. It’s nothing short of numbing as a fan to have to watch the team you love go through this.
Where the Bucs rank
Offense
31st with 15.5 Points per game
31st with 304.2 Yards per game
Defense
16th: 23.8 Points per game
16th: 348 Yards per game
I could keep bashing Greg Schiano – is it really bashing if it’s the truth? But staying with this game, the Bucs started very well. Schiano, to his credit, probably knew what he was up against. He called trick plays including a surprise onside kick. Essentially, he was coaching to win the game. The team was 0-7 and he was playing to win. I loved it. After the Bucs got the lead I feel like the Schiano started coaching not to lose, instead of to win. Slowly but surely the Seahawks came back and won. Like the players Schiano doesn’t seem to be able to coach a whole game. Hopefully a coach watching last night saw what the Bucs can do. There is so much potential there just waiting for the right coach to bring it out. That coach is not Schiano. #FireSchiano
Watching my Twitter timeline yesterday during the game, I could see the disbelief in #BucNation after each play, then after each touchdown. It was like a dream. The Bucs were playing real football, and they might, just might, have that Cinderella chance I said was impossible. I had forgotten what if feels like to watch your team play at a high level. I joked, I would have to get drunk every Saturday night before the Bucs game. It’s only weird if it doesn’t work.
You can blame this loss on many things: bad coaching, rookie QB/RB, injured players, players not finishing, Seattle just being better. But at the end of the day, the only thing in football that matters is wins. The Bucs don’t have any. There are no moral victories in football, and the past is the past. It’s time to look towards the future, #FireSchiano now so there is a future. #ItsABucsLife
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