Monday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- Upon further review, Tom Brady has been perfect before. Of course he has. Sunday was the third time he has been perfect (against Miami in 2007 and Detroit in 2010). In all, there have been 78 perfect scores in the history of the league, plus four in the post-season.
2. Trivia question. Which Buc previously had a perfect rating? Answer: Craig Erickon against the Colts in 1994.
3. No, this wasn't the longest non-playoff streak in team history. This one was 13 years, but from 1983-1996, the team went 14 years.
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4. Am I the only one who was kind of impressed with Ke'Shawn Vaughn Sunday? And if you don't think he's done much this year, consider: He has more than twice as many yards as Ronald Jones II had in his rookie year.
5. If you're still disappointed in Brady from time to time, let's run through the quarterbacks of this streak of non-playoffs: Ready? It's Jeff Garcia, Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon, Josh McCown and Jameis Winston. The I-love-napalm-in-the-morning conga line.
Game Balls
Offense: Tom Brady was perfect. But if they gave grades to receivers, Mike Evans would have been, too. Let's call it a tie. The two can share the ball on alternating days.
Defense: Devin White is trying to make Pro Bowl voters wonder what they were thinking. He's had four sacks the last two weeks. Sunday he had 10 tackles.
Special teams; Bradley Pinion averaged 49 yards on his three punts and had one inside the 20.
Grades
Quarterback: Hard to quibble with a perfect grade. Grade: A+.
Receivers: Evans and Chris Godwin haven't had the season they had a year ago, bur together, they had more than 250 yards Sunday. Grade: A+/
Offensive line: The Bucs averaged 4.2 yards per rush and had two sacks. Grade: B.
Defensive line: The Lions rushed for 73 yards and gave up four sacks. Grade: B+
Linebackers: White was all over the field with a sack, three quarterback hits and two tackles for losses. Grade: B+.
Secondary: Sure, part of it was that Matt Stafford was out. But the Lions never threatened, really. Grade: B.
Kicking: Ryan Succop missed thee kicks, a rare burst of scattershooting for him. Grade: D.
5 Playoff Teams Who Would be Favored Over Bucs
- Kansas City
2. New Orleans
3 Green Bay
4. Seattle
5. Pittsburgh
5 Possible Playoff Teams The Bucs Would Be Favorred Over
- Washington
2. Chicago
3. Miami
4. Cleveland
5. Tennessee
Highest Ratings of Bucs' Quarterbacks
Tom Brady 2020 158.3
Craig Erickson 1994 158.3
Trent Dilfer 1999 151.5
Brad Johnson 2002 148.3
Jeff Garcia 2007 145.7
Vinny Testaverde 1992 145.4
Coaches' Wins
(After almost two full seasons, Bruce Arians stands seventh on the team's all-time winning totals with 17.)
Jon Gruden 60
Tony Dungy 55
John McKay 45
Sam Wyche 23
Dirk Koetter 19
Ray Perkins 19
5 More Thoughts
- Former Panthers' receiver Steve Smith unloaded on the Bucs after the team's 40-point victory, which is kind of the point of the season. Any time the Bucs lose, by any amount, short of the playoffs will be considered a horrible season.
2. So, how many people think that Lions' interim coach Darrell Bevell, about halftime, switched off the game for the newest Saturday afternoon movie?
3. Lavonte David, Mike Evans and William Gholston have a lot to talk about. The three have played 339 career games without a playoff.
4. Is Tom Brady on fire? In the last four quarters he has played, he's hit 43 of 56 passes for 668 yards and six touchdowns. That's a rating of 151.49.
5. If any group of fans should appreciate beating up on weak teams, it's the Bucs. Heck, the Bucs have lost to those teams for years.