Bad bounce for Bucs turns into touchdown for Panthers’ tight end The Tampa Tribune, published 4 October 2015 With each lumbering stride by Ed Dickson, the Bucs could feel yet another home game slipping away. Carolina was nursing a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter when Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart went off left guard for 8 yards. No big deal, except safety Chris Conte — who led the Bucs with eight tackles — jarred the ball loose and the Raymond James Stadium crowd rose in anticipation of a turnover. Instead, the ball popped into the grateful hands of Dickson, a backup tight end who ran 57 yards for a back-breaking score. “We got back on track and I really think that freak play ... I mean, he didn’t have to break stride,’’ Bucs Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “We all ran to the ball, but it bounced literally forward. It was just weird. I was on the sidelines thinking, ‘Really, did that just happen?’ ” While Dickson credited the touchdown to being in the right place at the right time, his quarterback kidded him for taking his sweet time to reach the end zone. “I just saw the ball pop up like a greased pig,’’ Cam Newton said. “Nobody panicked, because Ed picked it up mid-stride. We’ve just got to work on him taking that car out of neutral when he’s running.’’ Bright spot A week after Jameis Winston targeted wide receiver Mike Evans 17 times in Houston, completing only seven of those attempts, veteran Vincent Jackson saw 15 balls sent his way on Sunday. Jackson caught 10 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. It was his 13th 100-yard receiving game with the Bucs, two shy of Mark Carrier’s franchise record. But the scoring pass provided the final points in a 37-23 loss. Five giveaways doomed the Bucs on a day they rolled up 25 first down and 411 yards. “It’s not for a lack of effort — it’s fundamental things each and every week,’’ Jackson said. “When you do it week-in, week-out at this level, it makes it very difficult to win football games. Carolina took care of the football ... we didn’t.’’ Opportunity knocks The Bucs were still in the game, trailing 24-10 midway through the third quarter, when outside linebacker Lavonte David shadowed tight end Ed Dickson near the goal line on first down from the Tampa Bay 19-yard line. Seeking his first interception since 2013, David tracked the ball with precision but couldn’t hold on. two plays later, Newton found Ted Ginn Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown. “That’s a play I should have made,’’ David said. “I’ve got to do a better job of securing the football once I get it. You never know, that could have been a game-changing play. Once you get an opportunity like that, you have to take advantage, and I didn’t.’’ David was credited with only five stops and through four weeks, he hasn’t turned in the splash plays coach Lovie Smith expects from a young player who once evoked memories of Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. “Stuff just didn’t go our way today,’’ David said. “It was just a bad game, but there’s still a lot of football left. My message to our fans is ‘hang with us,’ but I know they’re probably tired of hearing that by now.’’