Two weeks ago, the undefeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers appeared Super Bowl-bound, which meant that No. XXXV at Raymond James Stadium would feature the ultimate home-field advantage.
|  | | Former Buccaneer Michael Husted extended Tampa Bay's misery when his field goal lifted Washington to a 20-17 overtime victory. |
Now, after grinding, almost identical losses to the New York Jets (21-17) and the Washington Redskins (20-17 in overtime), the 3-2 Bucs, in the minds of their fans, are a complete disaster.
That splash you just heard was the sound of everyone in Central Florida jumping off that pirate ship and into the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's amazing," Bay News 9 sports anchor Rock Riley said Monday. "Two games and they're all off the bandwagon. Everyone is concerned about Shaun King. What happened to all that poise now that he's seeing so much blitzing? Is (offensive coordinator) Les Steckel really just another Mike Shula? Why are the Bucs afraid to take chances on offense? Why don't they stop handing the ball to (Mike) Alstott and (Warrick) Dunn and stretch the field?"
Inquiring minds want to know. One of them is wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who is said to be privately seething about his seven catches for 43 yards in the last two games. In the week leading up to the Jets game, Johnson held three separate news conferences, which couldn't have pleased Bucs coach Tony Dungy, a focused and conservative fellow. When defensive tackle Warren Sapp, the best player on the team, missed a team meeting the night before the game in Washington, D.C., Dungy made him sit out the first quarter. After the game and again Monday, Dungy was forced to address numerous off-the-field questions. Which couldn't have made him very happy.
"Listen," said Jerry Angelo, the Bucs director of player personnel, "our problems are field problems. It's really pretty simple: our offense has to execute better.
"We're not pushing the panic button -- at least not yet."
Starting right guard Frank Middleton was more succinct after the game. "Our offense," he said, "sucks."
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Our offense
sucks. ” |
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— Bucs guard Frank Middleton |
After scoring 93 points in the first three games, the Bucs offense has looked like the sorry outfit NFL defenses have repeatedly stuffed over the years.
Against the Jets, Tampa Bay's offense committed a season-high four turnovers and managed only 17 yards in the pivotal fourth quarter. While Alstott made the critical fumble against the Jets, it was Johnson (the $53 million man) who lost the handle on one of his six catches against Washington, setting up an important touchdown drive that stretched Washington's lead to 17-7 with less than four minutes to play. Appropriately, the Bucs' fourth-quarter touchdown came when King fumbled the ball, recovered it and found Reidel Anthony all alone for a 56-yard play.
King has completed only 45.6 percent of his passes in the last two games and has one more interception (three) than touchdown passes. He has missed numerous open receivers and looked tentative.
The running game, which was credible against the Jets, was less impressive at Washington. The Bucs ran 28 times for 72 yards. Dunn carried 10 times for just three yards. Tampa Bay's athletic offensive line was squashed by the Redskins' burly front seven.
"We had the opportunity to make plays, and we just didn't do it," King said. "We've worked ourselves into a lull."
The defense, meanwhile, allowed Stephen Davis to carry 28 times for 141 yards after watching the Jets' Curtis Martin run 18 times for 90 yards.
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Where's the D?
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The Tampa Bay defense has struggled over the last two games, not getting to the quarterback and allowing opposing offenses to put points on the board. With the Bucs' offense sputtering, Warren Sapp and Co. will need to right the pirate ship in a hurry.
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Weeks 1-3
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Weeks 4-5
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Opp. ppg
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8.7
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20.5
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Opp. total ypg
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228.7
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313.0
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Sacks/gm
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6.0
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2.0
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W-L
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3-0
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0-2
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"We didn't stop a good running back," Sapp said after the Redskins game. "That was the one thing we had to do -- get him under control -- and we didn't. That cost us the ballgame."
The new parlor game in town is wondering "what if" -- as in what if the Bucs had been able to draft Daunte Culpepper from nearby Central Florida? Forget that the Bucs liked Culpepper coming out of college; it's a moot point. The Minnesota Vikings made him the No. 11 pick in the 1999 draft, four spots ahead of where the Bucs took LSU defensive tackle Anthony McFarland and 39 spots ahead of King's position in the second round. With the 4-0 Vikings up next on the schedule in what promises to be a tasty Monday Night Football matchup, this line of questioning is likely to dominate all week long.
The Bucs already have lost home-field advantage if they finish with the same record as the Redskins. Playing at home might have been the decisive factor in last year's 14-13 playoff win over the Redskins. Not that it matters. The 5-0 St. Louis Rams already have the inside track toward the home-field advantage in the NFC.
"We knew it would be a tough game," Angelo said. "So, that just makes it that much tougher on us next week. You're getting into do-or-die.
"If you look at yourself as a playoff team or a Super Bowl contender, you're playing for home-field advantage. St. Louis is in real good position. There's a good chance the Rams will win seven of those eight (NFC West) games, and maybe all of them.
"We have to start worrying about our team and taking care of our business."
Added linebacker Derrick Brooks, "Nobody's looking forward to the NFC title game or anything like that right now. We're just thinking of what we can do to get out of this hole.
"Last year, we were 3-4, and now we've got to do the same thing at 3-2. There ain't no magic formula. It's just going to take every individual holding himself accountable to help this team get out of the hole."
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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