They bent and they broke

[DanTurksGhost]

After the game we celebrated a miraculous victory. It was amazing. Don't get me wrong, even though it didn't have to come down to a 62-yarder to win it, I will take the victory any way we can get it. At that point, the emotions were so high and the win so thoroughly draining and invigorating at the same time, I didn't want to talk negative to bring anybody down.

But now I'm back at home, so here goes:

After the game I heard someone in the Club Lounge commenting: "Wow. What a great game that was. The Bucs defense really showed that they're still great. That's what I call a bend-but-don't-break defense out there."

WTF?

I was tempted to walk over and ask the fellow (who I didn't know) which game he was at this afternoon. The Bucs defense bent and they broke. Despite Ronde's stellar individual effort and flashy two-INTs-for-TDs performance, overall the Bucs defense was shaky at best. That near-game-losing breakdown with under a minute left in the game was sickening.

SICKENING!

And aside the poor tackling that manifested itself at the worst possible moments, the main culprits in the Buccaneers defense appeared to be our safety play, where those "last line of defense" guys seemed to be out of position and taking the wrong angles consistently. Wrong angles led directly to the go-ahead score for the Eagles.

Phew. Thanks for letting me vent.

Anyhow, really, really happy with the win. Let's hope the Bucs defenders can get their stuff together.

[corruptpirate]

I'll argue that the safeties were not the worst players on the D today. I hate to say it but the linebackers really sucked today. Many plays I saw where the RB gets by the linebackers without getting touched. And on all of McNabb's scrambles, the middle of the field was wide open. Sadly many people are so blinded by Ronde's TDs that they forget to see the defense was being shredded out there.

[DanTurksGhost]

Admittedly, this was the most productive offense in the NFL, but without Ronde's INTs, the Eagles would have won this game 38-6.

[GrudenFan63]

I just don't think the Bucs will be able to carry on winning at the last second through miracle plays. It's eventually going to bite them. You shouldn't have to rely on miracle plays to win a ballgame. They won't always be able to rely on miracle plays to win a ballgame. I don't think the Bucs are on the next level up; as some other teams are around this league. I don't think they can consistently compete with that level right now either; until they can solidly put down opponents. This season; despite the 0-4 beginning, has been exciting to watch. But, I think there will be bumps and bruises amongst the high fives until they can figure out a way to string together 60 solid minutes of football. That's just my opinion.

Right now, however, it's a win. It's a great win! However long the winning streak lasts; whether it ends next week or continues, I'm proud of this team.

[DanTurksGhost]

Well, aside from a couple of players, there was no quit in them, and that's a good thing. And I'm really proud of Gradkowski. Jim Johnson threw the whole defensive book at this kid, and while he didn't stand out for an excellent QB performance, what he DID do is protect the football and not make any stupid mistakes. And when he had to make something happen with this feet, he did just what he had to do to set up the winning score.

But like I said, the best thing about this team, despite the poor play by the defense at times and having a rookie at QB, is the lack of quit.