Don’t expect the Bucs to get back to .500 with Smith in charge Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune, published 26 October 2015 It’s all over but how many shovels of dirt it will take to fill the grave. The Bucs finished digging it Sunday. When they close the book on Lovie Smith’s return, and they will, and they should, this one will be written in blood. This is the game that the Glazers — and the rest of us — will look back on: an epic collapse, the Bucs losing to a bad Washington team, 31-30. After being up 24-0. While making Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins into Tom Brady, including that final coffin nail, that winning touchdown slant pattern that no member of a pathetic Bucs defense thought to cover. And so begins Lovie’s long farewell. This team, now 2-4, won’t ever get back to .500, at least under Lovie. They’re done. He’s done. The only variable is time. This was worse than the beatings by Atlanta and Baltimore last season, or this year’s opener against Tennessee, at least in the sense that it further underlined coaching shortcomings. This was a game-changer, a fate-sealer. Kirk Cousins? Really? “I don’t have any words,” Bucs cornerback Johnthan Banks said. “I don’t even know what just happened.” The Bucs just gave Washington the biggest comeback in its history, and that’s a lot of history. That’s what just happened. The Bucs put up 479 yards of offense, the most ever under Smith — 136 rushing yards for Doug Martin, 297 passing yards from Jameis Winston, 164 receiving yards by Mike Evans. And still they lost. That’s what just happened. The Bucs pass rushers turned into marshmallows. Cousins, under no pressure, couldn’t miss. Washington receivers were hysterically open all the time, as if this were flag football in the street and the Bucs forgot to cover the guy who ran behind the car. How many slants did Washington hit? Ever hear of making them throw a fade? It was too easy. It was an embarrassment. All this against a Lovie Smith defense. That’s what just happened. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that a team that’s won just four times in 22 games under Smith should have a problem finishing. But this was ridiculous. How giddy the Bucs looked after Jacquies Smith stripped Cousins — the only Bucs sack — and Howard Jones (that man again) and his 238 pounds Usain Bolted to the end zone for that 24-0 lead. I thought Washington was going to finally change its nickname, if only to hide its identity. The Bucs coverage team lined up for the ensuing kickoff. The Washington marching band was bravely playing on, and Bucs safety D.J. Swearinger danced to the music as he lined up — oh, what a laugher! Swearinger thought this game was over. They all thought this game was over. Then they sat back, truly, especially in coverage, and watched the disaster unfold. The Bucs had no idea what was coming. And once it started, they had no idea how to stop it. That goes for Smith and his staff. And nice touch there, using all your time-outs with five minutes left. Maybe the Bucs could have used one at the very end, to run Connor Barth out there for a 56-yarder to maybe win it. Instead, we got Charles Sims’ catch and desperate lateral and a Washington recovery. Oops. The Bucs had no idea that Washington would try that onside kick, which Washington recovered and turned into a touchdown. They lost their poise, their discipline, which also goes back to coaching. Sixteen penalties for 142 yards. Disgraceful. That’s what just happened. The Bucs had no idea what to do late in the game, up by three, after Martin ran 49 yards to the Washington 5-yard line. They showed as much on third-and-1 with that pitch to Sims. A pitch? Running wide? Sims lost yards. A clueless call that led to a field goal for 30-24 to set the stage for this debacle. “We’d like to have that one over again based on the result of it,” Smith said. I would have gone for it on fourth down. I mean, it’s not like the defense was going to stop Washington ... I’ll admit it: The Bucs had me going there for a while. A few weeks ago, I considered November the Dead Zone — a guaranteed five consecutive losses: at Atlanta, to the Giants and Dallas, then at Philadelphia and Indianapolis. But then the lads were up 24-zip, and it crept into my head: They’re 3-3, and if the Giants show up with bad Eli, not good Eli, and if the Cowboys are still missing Romo and, hey, wasn’t Indy getting beaten by New Orleans, who the Bucs beat? Maybe they could be in the hunt ... Now they’re on the roasting spit, an apple in their mouths. Or maybe in their throats. What a choke. Now find me that November win. If you can blow this, you can blow anything. Find me a way out for Lovie. After Sunday, there isn’t one. That’s what just happened.