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Martin Fennelly, The St.Petersburg Times, published 31 October 2016
How about an "A" for abomination? I'm not sure we'll ever see a more unwatchable overtime game in NFL history. At one point in overtime, after a missed Oakland field goal, referee Terry McAulay announced, "The next team to score will end the game."
I'm surprised McAulay didn't feel the need to come back on the loudspeaker as OT wore on. "Did I mention that the next team to score will end the game?"
Dear God, could someone, anyone end this game? That the Raiders did, finally, mercifully. A deplorable loss for the Bucs. Nothing more to say. Well … Meet the co-stars of the Derek Carr show!
The Bucs defense - F especially the pass defense, was atrocious. It gave up 626 total yards, more than any other Bucs team in a single game. Raiders QB Derek Carr threw for 513 yards. The final play of the day was symbolic: Bucs defensive backs Jude Adjei-Barimah and Bradley McDougald bonked each other and fell to the ground as Raiders receiver Seth Roberts took it on in for the 41-yard winner. Big play after big play for the Raiders when they needed it.
Antacid Aguayo strikes again - D The kid at kicker remains an open sore. Roberto Aguayo missed an extra point that could have cost the Bucs the game, though the Bucs later came up with another way to cost themselves the game. It was Aguayo's second missed extra point of the season. Later, during a timeout, Aguayo wandered onto the field with his holder, punter Brian Anger. Maybe they were looking for soft spots in the grass. We'd like to think Aguayo was wandering aimlessly. I'm not sure how much more of this we can take.
Run silent, run stopped - C The Bucs didn't run the ball well, and that was even before Jacquizz Rodgers was injured scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Not only that, they ditched the run too many times. That win-with-running-and-defense thing; it all sort of went out the window Sunday. And now Rodgers has injured his foot. That can't be good.
Needed: An alarm clock - A/D There were the good Bucs in the first quarter (A) then there were the Bucs the rest of the game (D). Bucs went to sleep on this game more than once, like after going up 10-0 in the first quarter, when Jameis Winston and the offense looked great. They owned the first quarter and outgained Oakland 120-28 while grabbing that lead. The rest of the way, Oakland piled on, outgaining the Bucs 598-150.
Head coach Dirk Koetter nodded off, too, leaving timeouts unused heading into halftime. The Bucs went into a deep, deep sleep after grabbing a late lead, letting Oakland march down the field to tie it. The Raiders could have won it in regulation if Sebastian Janikowski had made a 50-yard field goal try. Will teams ever learn not to draft kickers that high?
Give that man an abacus! - C We know Koetter kept talking about the Bucs needing a 12th man this week, but he meant Bucs fans, not math whiz and Oakland coach Jack Del Rio. The Raiders were penalized for having too many men on the field during one Bucs TD drive. By the way, the crowd was pretty spirited all day, despite all that silver and black in the lower bowl. The Bucs are 3-16 in their past 19 home games. That won't do wonders for future lower bowls.
The Penn is mightier than the Bucs - A Here's to former Bucs left tackle Donald Penn, who in his first trip back to Tampa, which he never wanted to leave, caught a touchdown and lived it up after, jawing at Bucs fans as he celebrated. Sunday marked Penn's 148th consecutive NFL start. He was cut by the Bucs in 2014 after the team signed free agent left tackle Anthony Collins. Have a nice day.
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