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The Tampa Tribune, published 16 November 2015
Rookie left tackle Donovan Smith did a nice job on Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, holding the polarizing player to one tackle and no sacks. “He’s a great player. We battled and I did what I had to do to lock him down,’’ Smith said. “It’s real satisfying. In this league, everybody’s good. He’s a Pro Bowl (talent). (Playing well) helps a lot, knowing you belong here, know you’re playing at a high level.’’
Hardy appealed a judge’s 2014 conviction for assault, and the case was dropped when the alleged victim failed to appear to testify. He was suspended for the first four games of the season by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Smith said he was unaffected by Hardy’s presence and antics, particularly in the fourth quarter, when Hardy reacted to taunts from the end zone crowd by calling to the fans, gesturing and dancing. “I don’t think he was taunting, he was just fired up,’’ Smith said. “It’s just football.’’
There was a negative. Smith had three false-start penalties, including two on the same drive. “It happens,’’ Smith said. “There’s nothing else to it.’’
Seeking a streak
The Bucs have doubled last season’s victory total. Next on the to-do list: A winning streak. The Bucs haven’t won consecutive games since 2013, coach Greg Schiano’s final season, when they captured three straight against the Dolphins, Falcons and Lions after an 0-8 start. “If we want to be a good team, we’ve got to start winning more than one in a row,’’ Bucs guard Logan Mankins said.
Cashing in on red-zone opportunity
The Bucs were perfect in the red zone. OK, it was 1-for-1, getting the 1-yard touchdown run from Jameis Winston on the team’s only trip inside the Dallas 20-yard line. But considering Tampa Bay’s season-long woes, no one was complaining.
The Bucs came into Sunday ranked 28th in red-zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on only 42.9 percent of their red-zone posessions, while 15 NFL teams were 60 percent or higher. “We’ll take that any day,’’ Doug Martin said. “We emphasize scoring and not getting field goals in the red zone, so we’ll take it.’’
“We’ve been pretty bad in the red zone,’’ Logan Mankins said. “Hats off to our defense, holding them to six points, and giving us a chance to put up a touchdown. Hopefully, it’s the start of a trend.’’
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