Wait till the Bucs double down, then talk about being in the mix
Lovie Smith is seeking his first winning streak with the Bucs. MARTIN FENNELLY COLUMNSPublished: November 18, 2015 TAMPA — I am fully prepared to write the following sentence early Sunday evening:“Who was the idiot who said the Bucs would never get back to .500 under Lovie?”All on me.The Bucs are in position again. With a shot to get back to .500. They were there early this season after a win at New Orleans. It’s been the team’s only stay at .500 since Lovie Smith returned. And for the fourth time this season, they have a chance to win two games in a row, something they’ve never done with Lovie in charge.It’s time for the Bucs to double down.Until then, hush up on “being relevant” and being “in the mix,” which Smith mentioned Monday in the afterglow of the Dallas win. Lovie even did this last year, when the Bucs had only one win, on their way to two ... about how they were in it, at least mathematically, which was true enough, since they could only lose once a week.Should two in a row be that difficult?The Bucs are at a key juncture as they travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.Only two of the seven teams remaining on their schedule have winning records.Only six teams in the NFC have winning records.I thought they had an excellent chance to go 0-for-November. But they’re 2-1 this month, with Jameis Winston on the upswing, even after those mistakes in the win over Dallas (key QB word: win) and the defense having held the Cowboys without a touchdown.Granted, Dallas was playing it safe, waiting for Tony Romo’s return, but it’s hard to win a game without a touchdown. For the Bucs, it’s hard to win two games in a row.They’re 4-5 and would be 5-4 if they hadn’t choked at Washington. But they’ve taken a few steps, small steps. Two division wins. There weren’t any of those last season. Two home wins. There weren’t any of those last season. Now it’s a chance for two wins in a row. That’s how far the Bucs have fallen, that two in a row means something.Consecutive games on the road, at Philly, then Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend, wouldn’t seem the best of times to start a winning streak. At least it didn’t seem like that before the season. Big things were expected from both the Eagles and Colts.But Philadelphia is 4-5 and just lost a home game to Miami. Indianapolis is 4-5. Mind you, that puts the Eagles just a half-game out in the NFC East and the Colts in a tie atop the AFC South. There’s a lot of mediocre football out there.Plus the Bucs just faced Matt Cassel instead of Romo. This Sunday brings another back-up QB: Mark Sanchez, in for starter Sam Bradford (shoulder, concussion). At Indy, the Bucs won’t face Colts franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, who’s out with a kidney injury he suffered while scrambling (Bucs franchise quarterback, take note). Indy will use 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck, who has college throws older than Jameis.On the other hand, Sanchez and Hasselbeck can get the job done if there isn’t any pressure (Bucs pass rush, take note). I mean, Cassel nearly beat the Bucs and he was awful. And remember: Cam Newton’s backup, Derek Anderson, led Carolina past the Bucs twice last season.Yes, five of the Bucs’ final seven games this regular season are against teams with losing records. Only let’s not get delusional: The Bucs have a losing record, too, and for a lot of good reasons. Lovie is talking about relevance again, and being in the mix, and that should be taken with several million grains of salt, two freight cars full, in fact. Get to .500 and let’s talk.Go right ahead. Make me look like an idiot. It isn’t hard.Just double down on Sunday.link
