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Eduardo Encina, Tampa Bay Times, published 14 October 2019
Bruce Arians is a stickler for special teams, and in recent weeks, he's pointed out the unit's weaknesses. His assessment didn’t get better after Bobo Wilson fumbled two consecutive second-half punts, the second one leading to a Panthers recovery and an eventual Carolina field goal that helped seal its victory.
“The punt drop was huge in the game," Arians said. "We were fighting back, got within two scores I think at that point and time and had it going pretty good. Just catch the damn ball.”
On the turnover, the Bucs had narrowed the Carolina lead to 34-18 when Wilson misjudged the punt, awkwardly tried to catch it to his right and dropped it. It gave Carolina the ball at the Bucs 17.
“That’s on me, just got to judge the ball (better), make a clean catch,” Wilson said. “That was a big play at a big moment. That’s on me. I’ll make up for that. It won’t happen again.”
Wilson also muffed two punts in the first meeting with Carolina in Week 2 but recovered them. Former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, part of the broadcast team for the game, said Panthers punter Michael Palardy puts a different spin on the ball because he kicks with his left foot.
But even when Wilson catches the ball, he hasn’t provided a spark. The former Florida State receiver averages 2.8 yards per return, which ranks 43 among qualified return men. Asked how Wilson has kept his job, Arians said, "Nobody's taken it from him yet. That's the problem. We'll be looking at it."
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