As a die hard Bucs fan since ’92, I’m searching my brain for a more gut-wrenching, debilitating, uber-emotional regular season game like we saw on Sunday at Ray J. But I can’t. That game meant so much to this football team and fanbase, much more than the rest of the country ever realized.
This isn’t the bottom though it feels like it this Monday after what we witnessed yesterday. Very rarely does a great/elite football team hand you the W, but that’s what the Raiders were doing on Sunday. Odd thing is, the Bucs didn’t take that gracious offer. We did the right things to win that game yesterday, we just didn’t take advantage of the situation which seems to be a continuing trend of this young squad.
There were a lot of bright spots for us on Sunday like Noah Spence raising hell in the backfield or Russell Shepard showing great hands and a score in back to back games now. Or Lavonte David having his best game of the year and was all over the field. The defense made a lot of plays to keep us in this game, but in the end, these young Bucs got a harsh education in execution. Vernon Hargreaves had a rough afternoon with Amari Cooper and Jameis Winston missed some easy throws late, but they will grow from this loss, you better believe it. They’re too good not too.
Understand this season is not a wash by any measures. If we can get a rowdy and raucous crowd at Ray J Thursday evening in front of the nation and beat those Falcons AGAIN, we’re right back into the thick of things at 4-4. All you chicken littles, the sky’s not falling! Go Bucs!
