Bucs' pride showing, but losing streak growing Joe Henderson, The Tampa Tribune, published 21 November 2011 I suppose it all depends what you were looking for. If you were only looking for a respectable fight by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after last week's disgraceful performance against Houston, they provided that. They pushed the Green Bay Packers harder than most would have expected here Sunday before finally succumbing, 35-26, at Lambeau Field. If you were looking for passion by the local team, you saw it. The Bucs swarmed to the ball on defense, and on offense LeGarrette Blount's 54-yard touchdown run – he broke six tackles, and probably several ribs belonging to Packers defenders – was, in my opinion, the Bucs' best play of the year. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was dialed in for much of the afternoon, or it least it seemed that way as Josh Freeman looked more like the quarterback everyone around Tampa Bay hoped he would be. If you were looking for a reason to second-guess, head coach Raheem Morris gave you that, too, with a pair of sure-to-be controversial calls for onsides kicks. The first came midway through the second quarter after the Bucs had pulled to within 14-10 and had momentum. The call didn't work and Green Bay kept possession when the ball didn't go 10 yards before kicker Michael Koenen touched it a millisecond before the Packers. So even though the Bucs recovered, the ball was dead when Koenen made fleeting contact with it. You know what, though? I liked that call. I liked the boldness. I did not like it, however, when the Bucs tried the same play after pulling within 21-19 with more than four minutes to play. Morris said afterward he was simply following the theme of aggressive play he had set all week, but in my opinion that was a time to play for field position. The Bucs defense had just forced a turnover and was playing well, with confidence. Down by two, a field goal could have won it. But Green Bay got another short field after the second failed attempt and had the clinching touchdown a minute and a half later. So it's all in how you look at it. The Bucs piled up 455 yards to 378 for the Packers. Freeman threw for 342 and a pair of touchdowns. I liked how the Bucs came into Lambeau Field and played like a team that believed it not only belonged on the field with the unbeaten Packers, but expected to win. The Bucs eventually were done in by the same bugaboos that have contributed to their now 4-6 record. There were too many penalties, nine to be exact. Too many plays weren't made. There was a critical drop by Kellen Winslow on 2-point conversion try with 13:07 left that would have tied the game. It was a game they could have won, but can you really say that when you're playing the Super Bowl champs in their house? On this day, yes you could. The NFL is a zero-sum league, so while you can look for all the positives you want – and they were there – it was still the Bucs' fourth consecutive loss. Everything else is just something to talk about.