Groundhog Day at RJS With under four minutes to go and holding a 10 point lead the Bucs reverted back to their mad, bad old ways again and chucked away another game and a second consecutive season in the space of three crazy minutes. Time to face some harsh facts about our team – we make the dumb play at the most inopportune moment, we can’t hang on to the ball when it’s imperative, our defense just cannot get a stop down the stretch when it’s needed most and our special teams regularly collapse adding to our woes. Five things I think 1. Congratulations to messrs Brooks and Barber for deservedly raising the Buccaneer flag on the Pro Bowl rosters. Ronde has missed out unluckily a few times and it’s a surprise to see its only his second trip. As for the dean of all NFL linebackers, 8 straight Pro Bowls equals a final stop in Canton for 55 Red who will be the next Buc in there to keep Lee Roy company. 2. I think Jon Gruden has a real job on his hands to win back the Buccaneer Nation in the next 12 months, and convince them he can coach, and didn’t just ride Tony Dungy’s teams coattails to the Super Bowl. After the last two seasons of ineptitude the jury is very much out – even Gruden himself admits as much. If last season was a Super Bowl hangover, what the hell was 2004? 3. I think in the long term, finishing 5-11 and gaining a higher draft position will actually be more beneficial than winning either of our meaningless last two games. As much as I hate the Panthers the different quality of player you can get selecting in the top eight, compared to the 12-20 range is noticeable. 4. I think if I were the coach Michael Pittman would not carry the ball again for the Bucs this season. 5. I think I’d like to wish all Buccaneer fans, players, officials and their families all the very best for the festive season and holidays – may 2005 bring us all much joy, prosperity and an upturn in fortunes. Stretching back over our last 30 games, I can name at least 9 that we have simply thrown away within the course of the final 5 minutes – shall I name them? Oh go on then, as I love lists they are stated below with a synopsis for those like me keeping score at home: - 2003 • Carolina (H) week 2 – FUAT missed extra point the key, and chance in OT spurned. • Colts (H) week 4 – 35-14 lead, established midway through the 4th quarter; inexplicably given away as the Bucs switch off and decide not to cover the deep pass. • Saints (H) week 8 – Bucs rally to tie at 14-14 all with 2 mins left, then go soft on D and concede killer late kick. • Panthers (A) Week 9 – Amazing late rally takes us 24-20 up, only for our vaunted D to go vanilla and concede again. • Falcs (H) Week 16 – 4 Brad Johnson Int’s knee us in the nuts in a game we should have won by a comfortable margin. 2004 • Rams (A) Week 6 – Fumbles by Pittman and missed kicks by FUAT make us pay the penalty and let slip a game right there for us; • Panthers (A) Week 11 – Twice rallying back to 14 all despite gifting an Int return, FUAT puts on a kicking clinic and we give up another shocking late TD - anyone see a pattern yet? • Chargers (A) Week 13 – Always chasing the game, we are right in it until a late Int and fumble in the last 4 mins tilt the scales; • Saints (H) week 14 – A real douzy, giving up a 10 point lead in the space of the last 4 mins against a team that folded their tent a month ago. The common theme running through this trail of garbage? Consistent inability to hang on to the football, and piss poor execution when it was needed most. Having a talented roster is one thing, but having a well-prepared and well-coached roster is another, and I submit the Bucs have failed in this area for the past 2 seasons. If we’d won only 50% of the above games we’d have been in the play-offs these past 2 seasons, and that’s what grates the most. Poor teams find a way to lose and in this we have reached a bizarre level of excellence that cannot be matched anywhere else in today’s NFL. The Bucs are living through a continuous nightmare where the same ending constantly results and we walk off each Sunday shaking our heads, but seem devoid of answers or a willingness to face up to the truth. At least Simeon Rice had the balls to state openly some of the many problems he sees at One Buc Place; what I found most telling was nobody else on the roster came out to refute his accusations against players and staff on a lack of preparation, motivation and consequences for mistakes on those who commit them. Case in point is Michael Pittman who has fumbled more times recently than Arnold Schwarzenegger in a strip joint, and yet he is entrusted to run out the clock last Sunday – you know what happened next, so why on earth should we be surprised at the same players making the same errors week after week? This week we line-up in a game where our main motivation must be to take the Panthers down with us and bugger up their season, much the way they have done to us these past two years. God how I hate them, and normally I would be stoked up for this one but unfortunately last weeks Christmas give away has finally kicked any remaining enthusiasm out of me and I sadly cannot get myself up for this one. Thankfully for all concerned, there’s no predictions from me as I’ll take on a watching brief hoping against hope for the best, but expecting a 4th quarter brain lock to once again engulf us. My one vain hope is that our players do take the opportunity to “counsel” Todd Sauerbrun on his weight and drinking problems – the fat b*****d.