|
|
 |
Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 27 October 1997
He is the only one who talks in the huddle, but Trent Dilfer knows the results are speaking for themselves.
The Bucs quarterback had just finished calling the signals for plays that didn't work. He threw passes that weren't caught. He handed the ball to runners who had nowhere to run.
Worse than that, even after he showered and dressed in the locker room Sunday, he had no clue how to prevent the Bucs, 10-6 losers to the Vikings, from continuing to lose games they must win.
You had to wait until today to find the latest autobiography from an NFL coach turned author. But listen to Dilfer, and it's obvious everybody already seems to have the book on the Bucs.
"I'm not saying the season is over and there's no hope. I don't want to leave that impression," Dilfer said. "But this is as disappointed as I've been after a game this year, and rightfully so. I'm the quarterback and in my opinion, we s--- offensively. That's about it. When the defense plays as well as ours did and we don't turn the ball over and we only score six points, that's pathetic."
David Palmer returned a punt 57 yards in the third quarter to set up the Vikings' touchdown - a disputed 1-yard run by Charles Evans - and the Bucs offense continued its downward spiral Sunday at Houlihan's Stadium.
It was the third straight loss for the reeling Bucs (5-3), who fell from at least a share of first in the NFC Central for the first time. Worse yet, all of their losses are to division opponents, including two straight at home. That won't bode well for the playoff chances.
By winning their fourth straight, the Vikings (6-2) took a half-game lead in the division over the Green Bay Packers, who play New England tonight.
If the Bucs make it to the post-season, they will take the long route. Four of their next five games are on the road; their lone home game during that period is against defending AFC champion New England on Nov. 16.
Even upbeat coach Tony Dungy, whose team dropped three straight for the first time since November, when it fell to 1-8, seemed to cast doubt on whether the Bucs are good enough to be a contender.
"Maybe we're not just quite there," Dungy said. "Maybe we're not experienced enough. Maybe we're not coaching them well enough. Maybe we're not good enough. I think we are, but right now we're not playing that way."
Meanwhile, Vikings coach Dennis Green chased away the buzzards circling his head after the release of the contents of his autobiography, No Room for Crybabies, which hits bookstands today. But the hubbub clearly was not a distraction to his team.
There might be a confidence problem on the Bucs, and it's showing its face to Dungy. It has bedeviled Dilfer. And it has a grip on placekicker Michael Husted.
After never having missed splitting the uprights on 103 straight PATs in his career (his only miss came on a block at Arizona last season), Husted failed Sunday on his third-extra point try in the past four games.
After Tampa Bay finally scored a touchdown on Dilfer's 2-yard pass to Reidel Anthony to cut the Vikings' lead to 10-6 with 10:11 left, Husted stuck a big pin in the Bucs' bubble.
Unexplicably, he chunked the extra point, hitting more turf than football and missing it wide right. It was the third missed PAT by Husted in his past five attempts.
The play changed the complexion of the game. Instead of the Bucs needing a field goal to send the game to overtime on their frantic two-minute drive, they had to go 89 yards for a touchdown with one timeout.
The game ended with the Bucs on the Vikings' 24 line when Dilfer fired incomplete to Anthony in the end zone.
It never should have come to that.
After the Bucs' touchdown, the defense held and the Bucs got the ball back at the Vikings' 44 with 8:05 left after a 15-yard face-mask penalty on Chris Walsh. So what did they do? Gained 1 yard. "We had great field position after that penalty and we went three-and-out," Dilfer said. "You can't do that."
The Bucs didn't get any help from the officials. Replays appeared to show that Evans did not cross the goal line on what was ruled a 1-yard touchdown run on third and goal late in third quarter - the Vikings' only TD. Line judge Mark Steinkerchner signaled it a touchdown. Dungy threw what - for him - was a tirade. He was particularly upset that referee Johnny Grier wouldn't confer with the other members of his crew who did not see Evans score.
"It's hard for me to understand that because one guy calls it a touchdown, we have to live with that," Dungy said. "I said, `Well, if the other guys can't talk to him and tell him that clearly wasn't the case, that's not good officiating.' "
But the Bucs knew it never should've come down to that.
"What can you do?" Bucs tackle Warren Sapp said. "Bring back instant replay?"
It's hard to believe the Bucs accomplished anything on offense during the bye week. They managed to eke out just two first downs in the first half and left their defense stranded on the field for 36 plays and 21:14. Through three quarters, they had just 80 total yards. Entering the fourth quarter, Dilfer was 6-of-13 for 57 yards. He finished a deceptive 15-of-29 for 188 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Bucs were stuffed again on the ground, rushing for just 52 yards on 18 attempts (2.9 average). "We are, offensively, not being physical enough," Dilfer said. "We're not dominating the line of scrimmage the way we did earlier in the season. We're not taking advantage of our plays down the field."
The loss spoiled a few good performances. Anthony caught five passes for 92 yards and a TD. Linebacker Hardy Nickerson made 19 tackles. Defensive linemen Chidi Ahanotu and Sapp each had a sack.
The defense was heroic, particularly in shutting out the Vikings in the first half. It wasn't until Eddie Murray finally connected on a 28-yard field goal with 4:06 left in the third quarter that the scoreless tie was broken.
Derrick Brooks says the Bucs will bounce back. "I think we're better when our backs are to the wall, believe it or not," he said. "I think we throw our hardest punches when we're reeling. We're going the other direction, and I think we'll come out fighting. The veteran leaders we have on this team will not let this team fall apart. Believe me, that starts with the head coach."
|
|
|
| |
| |
|