Bucs Lose One They Shouldn't Have

Bucs Lose One They Shouldn't Have
December 15
Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly
"Bucs receiver Antonio Bryant had nearly reached the losing locker room at the Georgia Dome when he turned around and headed back toward the field where the Bucs lost in overtime to the Falcons for no good reason. He paced back and forth. Teammate Michael Clayton ran him down. Bryant slapped at a box.

It was more than the fact that Bryant caught seven balls for 106 yards in the first half and just one for two yards after that.

"Why do we have to play scared?" Bryant said. "There ain't nothing to be afraid of."

Now there is.

Two weeks ago, the Bucs were thinking division title and first-round bye. Now the playoffs themselves are in doubt. And what kind of team would they be if they got there?

The undisciplined lot that lost Sunday, lost a game it shouldn't have lost, with bad penalties, bad field position, horrific red-zone play, with knees knocking on offense?

Aren't mounting injuries enough, including Jeff Garcia on the sideline and Brian Griese taking sacks no veteran quarterback should? Isn't Atlanta good enough without helping them?

"We had chances to win this game," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.

Ya think?

"The opportunities were there," Bryant said. "They were there. There were a lot of things were there. We just got to play better football than that."

They should have won this game.

They forced three turnovers and blocked a punt.

You should win a game when you do that.

You should win when the right hand of God intervenes. OK, it wasn't the right hand of God, but the right hand of Brian Clark, who blocked an Atlanta punt late in the game with the Bucs down 10-7."
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