Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- I finally figured out where I saw this Bucs' seasons before. It was the movie Titanic. Starring Todd Bowles as the iceberg.
2. Do you think that Baker Mayfield is going to try to win the Comeback Player of the Year award this time?
3. Who knew that if Haason Reddick was going to play like a Super Hero, it would be the Invisible Woman?
4. In their latest in-depth evaluations over whether to keep Bowles or fire him, remember that Joel likes "rock," Brian likes "scissors" and Av likes the "hook 'em horns" sign.
5. If they expanded the playoffs, I would pick the Raiders to blow out the Bucs.
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' season-ending press conference)
(On his assessment of the 2005 season): "It's disappointing we didn't get in. It's very disappointing. It's the first time in five years, so you kind of get used to it a little bit. But, we did it to ourselves. We've got to take a deep evaluation, starting with myself. We did it to ourselves. We've got to take a deep evaluation, starting with myself. Once I do that, I'll evaluate the coaches and players and we'll go accordingly."
(On his early thoughts as to what we wrong during the bye week and why the team struggled afterward.): "I don't have any early thought right now. It’s still fresh, not getting into the playoffs. We've been doing exit interviews all day, so you don't have time to sit down and evaluate a bunch of things until probably mid-week. We know we lost some close games and we didn't make plays to finish the game."
(On how much he needs to change about the defense): "We need to make some changes. Whether it's schematically or whether it's physically, we probably need to make some changes going forward. We'll evaluate that in the next coming days."
(On the Bucs having their lowest sack total in several years): "I thought it was a tough year defensively. It starts with me, because I'm the coordinator. We've got to rush better and we've got to cover better."
(On the extent of Mayfield's injuries during the season): "I mean, he got banged up, Whether it was the knee, shoulder, hand, elbow ... like everybody else out there at other positions, everyone gets banged up during the year. He's tough. He's going to play through injuries."
Game Balls
Offense: Tight end Cade Otton had a career day.
Defense: Lavonte David tied for the Bucs’ lead in career tackles.
Special teams: Riley Dixon punted three times, and nailed all three inside the 20.
Grades
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield's horrible second half continued. Grade: C.
Running back: Bucky Irving carried the ball 36 times. Grade: B.
Offensive line: The Bucs ran for 140 yards. Grade: B.
Receiver: No one besides Otton had more than two catches. Grade: B-.
Defensive line: It smothered the Panthers' running game. Grade: B.
Linebackers: David led the team in tackles and had a fumble recovery: Grade: A-.
Secondary: Spies should be made to watch these guys. Grade: F.
5 Worst Games
- New Orleans (home)
2. Atlanta (home)
3. Carolina (road)
4. Dolphins (road)
5. Rams (road)
Power Ratings
- New England
2. Philadelphia
3. Denver
4. Jacksonville
5. Buffalo
20. Tampa Bay
Bottom 5
32. Las Vegas
31. Tennessee
30. N.Y. Jets
29. Arizona
28. N.Y. Giants
Rookie receivers
- Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina 70 1014 7
2. Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay 63 938 6
3. Luther Burden III, Chicago 47 652 2
4. Jaden Higgins, Houston 41 525 6
5. Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee 41 515 4