Dodgy Internet Link Still Made Painful Viewing Don’t you just love the miracle that is the internet? Thanks again to the Big Gay Orange Pirate and his powers of location, for the past twi weeks I’ve had the pleasure of viewing Bucs games live from this side of the pond, banished into the study at our home and randomly screaming abuse at a grainy small screen each time one of our receivers drops another eminently catchable pass. My wife and kids look at me like I’m some demented idiot but this is my lot on a Sunday evening and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Last Sunday saw us rather predictably drop back into the losing column, thanks to a non-existent offense, a Cadillac turnover and a wonder catch by the Giants (and now Cosmic Clap’s) Plaxico Burress. Chew the game over any way you want, bad play-calling, dropped passes, no running game etc etc, the truth is we didn’t play well enough to win, nuff said. Scoring three points won’t win you any game, check that I forgot about the Cardinals, but you get the idea. A few things I think 1. I think, I hope the Big Gay Orange Pirate comes up trumps and makes it 3 for 3 this Sunday. I’ll be watching the messageboard on Sunday and praying for another internet miracle. 2. I think I did laugh somewhat when the Colts undressed the Broncos own vaunted D in front of their own fans. After a week listening to the Bronco’s “bigging” themselves up in the media it was a tad funny to see the proof come out in the pudding. Memo to the Broncos Defense - If you are bloody good at something the press and public themselves will suss it out; if you need to mouth off to validate yourselves then there may not be much truth in what you’re saying. 3. More great stuff from Gene Deckerhoff last Sunday, who when posing the question for the Bucs catch of the game, rightly asked “What about the drop of the game – there’s a whole bunch of em!” At least he could laugh along as we put on a clinic last week. 4. I think my granny could have played the tight end position better than Anthony Becht did last Sunday, without the drops and penalties she at least would have provided a more viable option in our offense. 5. I think at the mid-point of the season The Chicago Bears look like the most likely winners of the Super Bowl. Though I enjoy watching the Colts run their offense, particularly as my fantasy team is built around it, if they can’t learn how to defend the run over the next two months they won’t win it all – great defense will always beat great offence, and yes that is another dig at the Broncos motormouths as well. 6. I think if we don’t win this Sunday we could be seriously looking at a 2-9 scenario by the end of this month. Somewhere the ghost of Leeman Bennett smiled at the thought. High draft pick here we come. I note in some quarters there appears to be growing concern on the gradual drop in Gradkowski’s numbers; however he looked fine to me last week, often putting the ball right where it needed to be only for one of our hapless receivers to volley it onto the Astroturf via their hands. This Sunday we are at home, it will be about 40 degrees warmer and the Saints D is not quite as fearsome as its Giants counterpart. That doesn’t mean to say I guarantee we will win, but we should at least be able to reach the end zone once or twice. The Bucs though are clearly not a team that can play catch-up football very well. We are a run orientated team in philosophy with a rookie quarterback and a horrendous looking schedule upcoming, so in order to be successful we need a lot of things to fall in favour both with injuries and lack of turnovers on our part. Cadillac’s fumble was a killer last Sunday and the moment Brandon Jacobs crashed across the plane of the goal, the game was up for us. I’d still like to see us commit to the run a little more than eight times a game but can also see the argument why Chucky felt the need to put the ball up so much as well, so I'm not about to vilify him for the decision’s he made on play distribution. Our defense hung tough and almost made the big turnover of a couple of occasions, but it was clear by the 3rd quarter that you were more likely to see one of our secondary in the Giants end zone, than Cadillac or Joey G. We did manage to plug the run gaps a lot better and largely eliminated giving up the big play, something we will need to do this week. So it’s the Saints at RJS this sunday in a game they appear to need far more than us – what a difference from the last time we met on the same stage at the turn of the year. Sadly Aaron Brooks is no longer their quarterback but I do think we can hang tough in this one and pull out the win, on the proviso that we can establish a running game. I see 100 yard rushing day for Cadillac, I see a rejuvenated Buc D standing tall in its last hurrah season and I see a Bucs win to the tune of 20-17 – I think I also probably need to see a doctor. Nod of Acknowledgement to - FC Copenhagen Sports News Story I No Longer Give a Toss About – Pacman Jones Is this guy for real? How many times can you embarrass your team in the space of just one year? Please do the right thing Tennessee and cut this guy, who seems to be using Lawrence Phillips as a role model. Get in the Real World Award - Start of the NBA Season so which bloke with the most tattoos will record a rap song and speak about how much we just don’t understand about them this year eh? I just can’t wait for the latest player arrest – the Indiana Pacers alone make the Bengals look like a gang of nuns