Bucs May Be Getting Better Tom McEwen, The Tampa Tribune, published 13 October 2008 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in the hunt, someone said, meaning they are indeed theoretically still alive for the ultimate finish - a spot in the same Raymond James Stadium for the next Super Bowl, Feb. 1. But they don’t want to mention the goal. Everyone knows that’s a long, long, long, or longer, shot, but winning 27-3 over the tough Carolinians Sunday at RJS kept that dream alive. Some say you have to put a pipe in front of ‘dream’ in that usage. No, the Bucs are not yet mighty enough, nor tough enough, for putting in the Super Bowl match just yet, but, that 27-3 thumping of Carolina, while not a pipe dream, had to provide confidence for those who coach these men under the Tampa Bay banner. A loss to Carolina may have been worse than a win was good. The idea you learn losing is a fact but so many of us learn also from winning. And you can bet your bootie, Buc quarterback, Jeff Garcia learned from this big-errorless win, that Coach Jon Gruden learned this senior citizen QB did just about everything he asked of him against a bulldog of a foe who was getting accustomed to winning at RJS. Got to believe all who suited up and played the game for so many of us in the searing heat learned again they had to endure to play in their home park this time of year. Gosh, it was hot but the Buckos were not going to one knee during fourth quarter rest periods. That’s over now, those hot, hot, hot Sundays. “I don’t think I made any big mistakes,” quarterback Garcia said after the fourth Buc win (4-2). He did not. He’s safe and he’s reliable, a must in quarterbacks acceptable to Coach Jon Gruden. Count on Garcia starting from now on, unless he gets wounded. Brian Griese is now a backup, continuing with Seattle here next Sunday night. Just who else will start on offense is unsure, but it is now clear Gruden trusts those two to three deep in key positions. He shuffled his backs Sunday and had Warrick Dunn and Earnest Graham at halfback and fullback. It worked beautifully. Dunn gained over 100 yards, a couple key bursts, and Graham got some tough yards. Both had big gainers. Tight ends Alex Smith and Jerramy Stevens also had dandy days. None cited so far would have been so celebrated without the offensive line blocking well. The game over, the victory to the home team, former quarterbacks Doug Williams and Parnell Dickinson, beside whom I sit at the Buc home games, said to give plenty of credit to the defensive side, which stopped the ranked defensive bigs from Carolina, and to the Bucco special teams. Got to do that. The Bucs intercepted accurate quarterback Jake Delhomme three times, and Geno Hayes blocked a punt he swiped on the first bounce and took the 22 yards left for an opening Buc touchdown. That’s a rarity, folks, anywhere, anytime it is pulled off. And also playing in that rarified atmosphere on defense almost all of the afternoon he’ll now soon forget was Barrett Ruud, the next great linebacker in the mold of Hall of Fame-bound Derrick Brooks. Ruud is out of the great defensive Nebraska program. Ruud. 6-2, 241, was all over the place Sunday. They called his name almost as much as they did Garcia’s. He’s a stud. But, the most unusual single play performance of this Sunday was pulled off by an unlikely candidate. Frustrated over an official’s call — I was, too — Jovan Haye, a 6-2, 285 defensive tackle out of Vanderbilt — yes, Vanderbilt — was so frustrated, I guess, he did a cartwheel on the west sidelines. Cheerleaders did them all afternoon with far fewer clothing impediments. Out came a yellow handkerchief, thrown to the turf. Fifteen yards for celebrating. It may have cost the Bucs a field goal. But it cost more. It was foolish. Oh, I know, the ruling will be, rule will be, well, celebrating. Come on. Just tell them to stop it. I once saw a center for Blake High (I think it was Blake) do a somersault coming out of every huddle, the maneuver as he neared the scrimmage line, so he’d land with both hands on the ball ready for the snap. No flags.