Emotional McCown on Bucs loss: ‘We’re sick’ of this As far back as the dawn of training camp, quarterback Josh McCown could see that choppy waters lay ahead for the Buccaneers. At no point, though, did he see the waters getting this choppy. Or wounding him in the way they did on Sunday. In the wake of a 27-17 loss to the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay’s eighth in nine outings overall, McCown stood just inside the main doorway to the Bucs locker room sobbing. He had dried his tears by the time he reached the podium for his post-game news conference, but they welled up again as he tried to explain his emotions. “One and eight,’’ the 35-year-old McCown said, referring to the team’s record. “One and eight. One and eight. You want to give your teammates, your coaches and your fans better than that and — it just hurts. “It hurts because we’re sick of having these press conference and we’re sick of having to say the same things all the time. And it hurts because I understand where I am in my career. As you get older, the opportunities are less and less. When you’re 35 years old, you know the clock is ticking and you don’t want to let these moments get away. That’s why it hurts, because it got away.’’ It was the fifth time in as many tries that a game got away from the Bucs at home this year, making this the first Tampa Bay team in 31 years to start a season 0-5 at home. It was also the fifth time this year, and fourth in their past five games, the Bucs let a game get away after holding a lead in the fourth quarter. Granted, it was only a one-point lead, but once again it was the way in which they squandered it that left McCown and others in the locker room so emotional. The problems began as soon as McCown gave the Bucs a 17-16 lead by throwing the second of his touchdown passes on the first play of the fourth quarter. Rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins was the recipient, but he saddled the Bucs with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on their ensuing kickoff by propping his foot up on the ball as part of his touchdown celebration. That forced the Bucs to kick off from their 20-yard line, which resulted in the Falcons starting at their 35-yard line after Devin Hester ran Michael Koenen’s 54-yard kick back 9 yards. From there, Atlanta moved the ball quickly to the Bucs 31, where they stalled until the Bucs allowed them to convert a third-and-10 play with an 11-yard receptions by wideout Julio Jones. Three plays later, the Falcons stalled once again, but a Bucs’ penalty for illegal hands to the face wiped out an incomplete pass into the end zone and gave Atlanta a first down at the 11. The Falcons scored two plays later, quarterback Matt Ryan hitting receiver Roddy White with a 5-yard TD pass and Harry Douglas with a two-point conversion that gave Atlanta a 24-17 lead. But the Falcons weren’t done. After forcing the Bucs to go three plays and out on their next drive, the Falcons used a 31-yard Koenen punt and a 27-yard first-down run by Steven Jackson to set up a game-sealing 33-yard Matt Bryant field goal. Twice in the final three minutes the Bucs moved into scoring position, but both drives ended with McCown throwing interceptions against a Falcons defense that shifted into a shut-down gear the Bucs can’t seem to find. Later, it wasn’t just McCown who allowed his emotions to pour out of him as a result. As he walked down the tunnel to the Bucs locker room, wide receiver Louis Murphy yelled out, “This has to stop!’’ Meanwhile, vociferous and sometimes outspoken defensive tackle Gerald McCoy found himself at a rare loss for words to explain the problems that continue to plague the Bucs defense. “Usually I know what to say, but at this point, I don’t know,’’ McCoy said. “I just don’t know anymore. I know we’re going to keep going, but other than that I don’t have an answer for you.’’ Tampa Bay failed to generate much of a pass rush yet again, recording just one sack against a team that had given up 11 in its previous three games. The Bucs also lost the turnover battle, the result of McCown’s two last-gasp picks, though McCown played well otherwise in completing 27 of 43 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. And porous pass protection played a role, as well, the Bucs allowing four sacks to a team that had recorded a league-low seven prior to the start of the game. Still, despite all those problems, the Bucs led one play into the fourth quarter. And once again they allowed their opponents to rally and take the victory away. “You talk about the number of times that we’ve had a fourth-quarter lead and that says we’re a pretty good football team,’’ Smith said. “That says we have an opportunity to be a lot better team than we are right now. “But you’ve got to be able to close it out and seal the deal and make some plays at the end. And when I say make some plays at the end, that means making plays and not making stupid or bad penalties and everything else that goes along with it.’’