Bucs Once Again Step Up to The Opportunity Plate It was back to the good old days last Sunday as we had a nostalgic glimpse of how football used to be played in Tampa Bay. Derrick Brooks patrolled with venom, Simeon Rice sacked the quarterback and our secondary played catch with the opposing QB. Games like that really do make you scratch your head and wonder why we are 5-7, especially when we swatted the previously 9-2 Falcons with ease, in a game we were a consensus favourite to win both with the oddsmakers and the so-called experts in the press, despite being five wins inferior on the season. Bizarre, just plain weird in fact. Though Michael Vick often seems to inspire our Defense to bring out their A game, one common theme we can confirm is the improvement in our home form since Brian Griese took over as pilot. Four straight wins and consistent performances have resulted. However on the road it’s a different story, where we appear as resilient as the Italian army and often crumble in times of adversity. Having seen the Chargers last Sunday we will have our hands full and some this week, and need to be at our very best if an unlikely road victory is to be the outcome. Five things I think 1. So FUAT has signed for the Colts as their Kick-Off specialist – what the f**k? Is somebody having a laugh here? I expect Jeremy Beadle to pop out at any second. Unless they need a guy to squib kick, or boot it to an upback on the 20 yard line, I cannot fathom this one at all. Who’s doing the scouting for Tony Dungy these days, Stevie Wonder? 2. Was that Joey Galloway in the end zone last Sunday? Do my eyes deceive me? Deep threat Joey now has 14 catches at a whopping 12.6 per catch – not bad for a third string TE but not quite the “stretch the field” receiver the Chuckster envisaged. I am to be convinced on this one. 3. Torrie Cox – what the hell are you thinking? Having been burned for two big touchdowns the week before, last Friday night was not the time to go on a bender and obtain a DUI arrest. You lucky you were only de-activated young man (stated in a Brian Clough style tone). 4. I think I wish to congratulate Simeon Rice on reaching 100 sacks so quickly in his NFL career. May there be many more taken down in the NFC South in the coming years by 97 Red. 5. I think I’d like to nod in acknowledgement to Mr Brooks for his other planetary performance last Sunday. He did it all bar rescuing the princess from the dragon and helped restore a little bit of that swagger on defense that has been missing for some time around the place. More of the same on Sunday please when I hope at some point, Derrick gets a clean shot at Keenan McCardell. The hope here is that we can catch San Diego on the bounce after the emotionally charged win last weekend and they look past us or take us lightly, as they were jumping about as excitedly as a blind puff in a hot dog factory against the Broncos. Our situation of having seven losses is damaging to say the least, and the fact that our last three games, two at home, are all winnable renders Sundays game as a virtual play-off game for us right now. A defeat puts us out of any race whilst a victory would vault us right into the picture. We are effectively in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, two strikes and no balls and this game will directly determine how our 2004 season closes out. Will it be meaningful football over the holiday season, or just playing out the string? Lets hope the sight of The Murph inspires some happy memories and a repeat victory from our last visit on Super Sunday. Hats go off once again to Michael Pittman’s efforts and with 10 TDs on the year, he can be proud of his efforts so far. Similarly Michael Clayton, though having a quiet game last week, has over 40 more catches than any other wideout on our roster and combined with Brian Griese, the three of them constitute a triple threat nobody would have listed at the start of the year without the threat of psychiatric evaluation for making such a suggestion. Regular reader/s of this nonsense will have noted I’m not the most optimistic person on the planet, but I can’t be the only person to note another disturbing pattern that has emerged this season, which appears to be that whenever we get close to 500 on the season, we drop back again with a dismal showing; it’s happened at 3-5, and again at 4-6. Will we flop at the third time or finally grasp the nettle? This game really is our season right here, as the three that follow put us very much in control of our own destiny and represent excellent chances to win, but if we produce another Carolina show in San Diego then we are done for the season as there are too many other sides at 5-7 or better, for them all to drop a game with us. It’s play-off time already and we are in the last chance saloon – it’s time for the 2004 Bucs to make a statement of intent. Do we want to be in contention the rest of the way, or let it slip away again?