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Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 26 December 2011
There were brief moments Saturday when it seemed like 2010 all over again. Those moments occurred, though, only when the Buccaneers had the ball in their hands.
When the ball changed hands — on several occasions inadvertently — it was back to reality, back to 2011, a season that descended even deeper into ineptitude during a 48-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Tampa Bay lost its ninth straight, the franchise's longest single-season losing streak since 1985. And there is little to suggest it won't reach 10 when the Bucs (4-11) play the Falcons in their season finale next Sunday at Atlanta. The Bucs' defense, after all, seems incapable of stopping anything. It certainly couldn't stop the Panthers.
A team that has allowed a generous 141 rushing yards per game gave up a season-worst 270 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries to the Panthers, who succeeded despite ignoring the most vulnerable area of the Tampa Bay defense.
Thinned by injuries and down to reserves in the middle of the defensive line, the Bucs were beaten mostly by stretch plays and college-like pitches to the outside, which they spent a week preparing for and practicing against. "They really didn't even have to throw the ball today," veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said.
The Bucs have not held an opponent to less than 100 yards rushing since limiting the Packers to 91 yards in Week 11. Barber said it comes down to fundamental mistakes that are addressed and corrected in practice, but seemingly forgotten on game days.
"It obviously comes down to tackling," Barber said. "And it makes us look bad. That was an embarrassing performance, really, because it's stuff that we go over again and again, and we don't get it executed when it comes to game time.
"You call these guys out, trying to get them to be pros and to approach this like it's a job, the job that it is, but they're just young guys. It looks like guys just want to do their own thing."
Barber wasn't the only veteran blaming the latest loss and their slide on the makeup of the league's youngest team. "I'm getting tired myself of using the excuse," center Jeff Faine said, "but as much youth as we have on this team and the lack of leadership that we have at certain positions, it seems like things just continue to snowball at times.
"Especially at some of the key positions where we need guys to stand up and make plays for us. It's difficult as things start to snowball because it all starts to go downhill."
This game began to snowball after the opening kickoff. The Panthers ran wide for gains of 13, 9 and 5 yards to start their first series, and gouged the middle of the defense for an 8-yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams.
Tampa Bay responded by turning the ball over on its first offensive play, which was supposed to be a run up the middle by LeGarrette Blount, who mishandled Josh Freeman's handoff.
Blount was benched for the rest of the half, which seemed to spark the Bucs a bit. After the defense forced the Panthers to settle for a field goal, the offense took on some 2010 qualities.
Freeman engineered the Bucs' longest scoring drive of this season — 80 yards in 15 plays over 9 minutes, 20 seconds. Freeman's 4-yard TD pass to Arrelious Benn cut Carolina's lead to 10-7.
Taking advantage of a blown assignment by safety Tanard Jackson, who also was benched for his mistake, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton hit Brandon LaFell with a 91-yard touchdown catch-and-run, matching the longest touchdown play allowed in Bucs franchise history.
Carolina led 20-10 halftime, then took advantage of three turnovers and more shoddy defense by Tampa Bay to build a 48-10 lead with 14:53 left in the game. The Bucs committed four turnovers, bringing their season total to 36.
"If we were able to stay on pace there, stay with our game plan, who knows, because it was working for us," Faine said of the offense. "But that's been our Achilles' heel all year — the turnovers."
The Panthers turned each turnover into a score, including three for touchdowns. "You cannot expect to win football games turning the ball over," Raheem Morris said. "That's the difference between this year and last year. Last year we didn't turn the ball over. This year, we're not able to maintain possessions. We're not able to get people off the field or keep people on the field in order to wear them down.
"And that's what's causing the lopsided margins, causing us to look uncompetitive, causing the poor defense and causing us to look out of character on offense. It's all happening because of the turnovers. When those things happen it's a downhill spiral."
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