Saturday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- Considering all that he has accomplished, I'm not prepared to shovel dirt on Tom Brady's resume just yet. However, he seems to have aged 10 years in the last six months.
2. Any way the Bucs could play USF in a bowl game? Would anybody win?
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
3. I grow pale when I think that the Bucs have paid roughly $25 million this year for Julio Jones, Russell Gage, Akiem Hicks, Kyle Rudolph and Keanu Neal.
4. I know some of you want to turn the clock back to last year, but consider this: Jason Pierre-Paul had zero tackles Thursday night. Just sayin'.
5. Message for Tom Brady: Know why divorce is so expensive? Because it's worth it. (Old joke).
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles day-after press conference)
(On the status of outside linebacker Shaq Barrett)" He’s got an Achilles [tear] – he’ll be out for the rest of the year. It’s a tough break for him. Anytime you lose somebody like thatwho commands double teams, it makes it harder for everybody else. He’s been consistent since he’s been here – he’s been productive. He started out playing well last night, so it’s just a shame."
(On if linebacker Devin White’s performance has declined this month): "I don’t think there’s been a drop-off – defense is a team sport. You’re not going to be a star by yourself – there are guys in front of you and guys behind you. To say that Devin has dropped off…the defense has dropped off, I would say. I wouldn’t say Devin has dropped off. It’s about playing together, it’s about making your reads and doing the right things. He’s doing a lot of things we asked him to do – I have no problems with Devin.”
(On how to keep the defense playing with confidence): "The mentality is there. The mentality is always there – it’s about playing fundamentally sound and not trying to press too much and doing the right thing when your number is called upon. Really, that’s the four quarters of it – it has nothing to do with the toughness. We know we have toughness, we’ve just got to play smart for four quarters.”
On how difficult it is to juggle outside obligations with football): "Like I told the guys last week – it’s called life. You’re not going to have a day when you don’t deal with this type of stuff, whether you’re working or not. You can be on vacation and deal with the same thing. This is not a new or a different type of deal for a lot of people in the world – it’s life. You’re going to have this whether you’re a billionaire, you’re going to have this whether you’re broke. You’re going to have ups and downs, you’re going to have deaths in the family, you’re going to have hard times – that’s just part of life. You’ve got to navigate as best you can and keep moving.”
(On what his message to the team was before players went home for the weekend): "We own our record at 3-5. We lost – we understand we lost. We played hard – [there’s] no consolation in playing hard. We’ve got to get better. We can only fix it – we’re still in a dark place right now. We can only grind and get better at it. We can be better at it as coaches, they can be better at it as players. As a team, we’ll come together Monday and get ready to work.”
Game Balls
Offense: Once again, no winner. The Bucs were lousy on offense.
Defense: He was injured, but Shaq Barrett was playing his best game of the season.
Special teams: Ryan Succop: If not for his toe, the scoring would really be down.
Grades
Quarterback: It’s not his movement. Brady has never had that. But he has missed on more here-to-there throws than ever. Grade: D+.
Running back: Leonard Fournette runs hard. It's just all in one place. Grade: D.
Wide receivers. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin combined for 12 catches and 198 yards. Not enough help, though. Grade: B+.
Offensive line: Again, it was a cave-in. Grade: F.
Defensive line: Can this team stop anyone? Grade: F.
Secondary: It looks like the Bucs have volunteers from the stands out there. Grade: F.
Power Ratings
- Buffalo
2. Philadelphia
3. Kansas City
4. Minnesota
5. N;.Y. Giants
Bottom 5
32. Detroit
31. Houston
30. Bucs
29. Jacksonville
28. Denver
Rookie Watch
Logan Hall...No tackles, two assists.
Luke Goedeke...Injured
Rachaad White...gained 19 yards.
Cade Otten....caught two passes for 15 yards.
Jake Camarda....averaged 53.4 on six punts.
Zyon McCollum...had five tackles
Previous 3-5 Starts
Year Coach Final Record
2017 Dirk Koetter 5-11
2016 Dirk Koetter 9-7
2015 Lovie Smith 6-10
1992 Sam Wyche 5-11
1987 Ray Perkins 5-11
1984 John McKay 6-10
Brady Comparison
(After eight games)
2021 2022
6-2 Record 3-5
2650 Yards 2267
25 Touchdowns 9
5 Interceptions 1
108.6 Rating 92.4
5 More Thoughts
- How in the world did this team win twice?
2. With Brady divorcing Gisele Bundchen, who gets custody of Byron Leftwich?
3. If the Bucs are going to make the playoffs this season, it's going to be in the USFL.
4. Man, are the Rams looking forward to playing the Bucs again.
5. Should Todd Bowles be retained? Or retrained?