Looking back on Bucs’ loss to Panthers

5 Thoughts

1. Maybe it's just me, but any time the Bucs plan a stinker like Sunday's, they can play it in Europe. The Ukraine is dying for meltdowns like that.

2. I've seen enough of Bobo Wilson returning punts. You wonder when a guy is nicknamed "Bobo" instead of "ghost" or "speedy."

3. Does Vernon Hargreaves realize that he can knock the ball away?

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4. If Jameis Winston is so bad, and he is, then why do the Bucs depend on him so much?

5. This game was so bad that the outrageous number of penalties doesn't even get mentioned.

5 Comments

(From Bruce Arians Day-After Press conference)

(On looking back): "Seven turnovers – you don’t beat anybody, not even a high school team. Why the turnovers? I think it was a collection of receivers, offensive line, tight ends, running backs and quarterbacks all had a hand in every single one. Running back – protection-wise – might have been the worst it’s been. We’ll do a better job of finding our guys and blocking them next time, but it’s not all on the quarterback. A lot of it is – I’m not going to shy away from that either. Defensively, I thought our front seven played outstanding. Again, we took one of the best backs and – other than one play where we busted an assignment and didn’t cover him and failed to tackle him – kind of took him out of the game. But we put our defense in a situation of sudden-change defense, ball on the 25, I think five times. Other than the speed-sweep where we busted an assignment that one play, they only get 20 points, which should’ve gave us a chance to stay in the game and it didn’t. But I thought defensively – other than third down, the speed-sweep and the screen pass, or the check down to (Christian) McCaffrey – we played extremely well and good enough to win.”

(On if Mike Evans needed to fight back toward the ball on the first interception of the game): "Totally – he should be two yards wider and coming back to the ball. I’ve had a lot of receivers who only see the corner, stop and think the ball is coming. This one was a little bit late and outside where he was going to be, so they’re both at fault there – the quarterback and the receiver."

(On if Jameis Winston held the ball too long on some of his sacks): "There were three or four sacks (where) he sacked himself. Incompletions don’t get you beat – sacks and sack-fumbles get you beat. We’ve been working and working, and this was one of those games where we try and make a play out of nothing and it comes back to bite you."

(On if he's had other quarterbacks as jittery as Winston was) Sunday: "Yeah – the one in Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger. He would never throw a ball away. Peyton Manning would throw it away in a heartbeat. Ben thought he could make a play out of anything like Jameis does. He’s made a bunch of them, but he also got hurt a few times holding onto it like that. I think when you get hit – I don’t care if you’re Tom Brady – when you get hit early in games, it’s different. We got him hit early in the game – excluding the first play – we got him hit too much early in the game."

(On how to get the secondary back on track): "I don’t think they’re off track. We had about three plays on over routes. Carlton [Davis] undercut it, went for an interception (and) the guy makes a nice throw over his head. Vernon (Hargreaves) can be a little more physical covering guys. He got bumped off pretty good on that one comeback – I thought about challenging it, but we’re not winning those challenges right now, so (it would have been a) waste of time – but he got shoved pretty good on that one. It’s just a matter of playing a little bit better.”

5 of the Best Takes

"Gerald McCoy returned to haunt his former team. The former Buccaneers standout recorded three sacks and multiple pressures in the contest. His teammate Vernon Butler also had two strip-sacks in the game."

-- Pro Football Focus

"Carl Nassib looked dominant on the edge all afternoon, racking up multiple defensive stops against the run."

-- Pro Football Focus

Shaquil Barrett has cooled off after a hot start to the season. with the Panthers' offensive line holding him to his second straight game without a sack. Barrett also failed to record a defensive stop and didn't generate much penetration in the run game."

-- Pro Football Focus

"It was a game to forget for Winston. He was responsible for six turnovers on the day, a product of poor decision-making and several inaccurate passes. He mixed in some well-placed balls, but his good passes were too far and in between to come back and win the game."

-- Pro Football Focus

After starting his Carolina career with 11 tackles and no sacks in five games, McCoy filled up the box score Sunday recording three tackles, including two for a loss, along with a pass breakup and 2.5 sacks — his most in a single game since he had a career-high 3.0 for the Bucs against the Falcons in November 2013.

“I was very happy for him,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “It was against his former team. Being a player, you want to be able to say, ‘Hey, we got you.’ I know he will.”

Actually, he won’t. At least not publicly. 

As much as we media folks have prodded McCoy since he signed in Carolina this spring, he has refused to rant about the team that released him two months after new head coach Bruce Arians said the six-time Pro Bowler was “not as disruptive” as he used to be. Sunday’s disruption gave McCoy a perfect platform to send shots back the other way, but he again took the high road. 

“I have nothing bad to say about the organization. They changed my life,” said McCoy, who was drafted by the Bucs with the third overall pick of the 2010 draft. “That organization’s the reason I’m a Panther. They gave me an opportunity to be in the NFL, which gave me an opportunity to have the success I’ve had, which is why Carolina wanted me to come over here."

-- Bill Both, Panthers.com

Game Balls

Offense: Have we mentioned Chris Godwin. In just another mediocre season, he's become a star player.

Defense: Carl Nassib isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore, but he's still valued. Sunday, he had six tackles, a sack, four tackles for losses and two quarterback hits.

Special teams: Bradley Pinion had six punts and averaged 44.5 yards per kick.

Grades

Quarterback: How could Winston have possibly played worse? Six interceptions? Seven? Grade: F.

Running back: Peyton Barber had 28 yards. Ron Jones had 10. That's about a quarter's worth of rushing. Grade: D.

Offensive line: Considering that Winston was afraid to throw it (with good reason), half of the sacks they gave up was on the quarterback. Still, even with two players out, the line has to be better. Grade: D.

Receivers: Godwin was amazing. Except for a deep drop, Evans was pretty good. Grade: A.

Defensive line: It did a nice job holding down McCaffrey again. It would have been nice to see more pressure. Grade: C.

Linebackers: Devon White had nine tackles. Lavonte David had six. Grade: B.

Defensive backs: I know Arians defended them. I won't. Grade: F.

Kickers: Ordinary game. Matt Gay hit a long field goal. Grade: A-.

Unsung Heroes

1. Scott Miller caught three passes for 39 yards.

2. Dare Ogunbowale caught three for 22 yards.

3. The Bucs right side of the offensive line was made up of Earl Watford and Josh Wells.

4. Anthony Adams had five tackles.

5. Vita Vea had two tackles, two assists and half a sack.

They Would Have Said It

"Othello wasn't a tragedy. Romeo and Juliet wasn't a tragedy. Jamies Winston -- now that was a tragedy."

-- William Shakespeare

"All you need is love. And better cornerbacks."

-- Lennon and McCartney

-- I have a license to kill. And the NFL sends that crap back to England, I'm going to use it."

-- James Bond

"What's so hard about hitting the bloody target?"

-- Robin Hood

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. But if it's all the same to you, we will fight them without Jameis Winston."

-- Winston Churchill

NFL Power Ratings

Site Bucs

Sporing News 24

Fansided 27

Bleacher Report 25

OddsShark 24

NBCsports.com 23

5 Mock Drafts (Already)

Site Player Pick

CBSsports.com Jordan Love, quarterback 13

NFLmocks.com A.J. Epenesa, defensive line 13

Walterfootball.com Jacob Eason, quarterback 14

NBCsports.com Derrick Brown, defensive end 4

Tankathon.com Isaiah Simmons, linebacker 13

5 Bad Days

(Winston's Worst)

Year Opponent Interceptions Rating

2019 Panthers 5 46.8

2016 Cardinals 4 39.2

2018 Bengals 4 47.7

2015 Panthers 4 57.0

2017 Broncos 2 40.1

5 Winston Stats

Passing Yards 5

Touchdowns 4

Interceptions 2

First downs 3

Rating 36

5 Random Stats

Receiving Yards Godwin 1

Sacks Barrett 1 (tie)

Rushing Yards Jones 22

Tackles David 33

Field Goals Gay 8

Looking Ahead

Best Titans

1. Bruce Matthews

2. Steve McNair

3. Eddie George

4. Chris Johnson

5. Javon Kearse