Fox analyst Tim Green wasn't bad Sunday afternoon.
But he was wrong.
Because he and partner Curt Menefee had hyped the "run-at-the-Bucs-defense" theory - they called it a formula - throughout Sunday's game, he thought it necessary to stick to his talking points as the game wound down with on-message stubbornness.
Sure, Deuce McAllister may have had 100 yards rushing, but the majority of that damage was done in a scoreless first quarter and is not why the Bucs lost. McAllister had zero touchdowns and didn't pick off Brad Johnson twice, which led to both New Orleans scores without a running play in sight. And that winning scoring drive? That was done with the pass.
The reasons the Bucs lost were turnovers and an offensive line that didn't protect or open running lanes. There is a "formula" for beating the Bucs, as Green told us 100 times, but that doesn't mean it is always the deciding factor.
Some other thoughts and observations on the Bucs loss to New Orleans:
STOP AND GO: That had to be the most painful Bucs game to watch this season, not because of anything Menefee or Green did, but rather the 173 commercials that made one thankful for DirecTV's Sunday NFL Ticket, a channel surfer's dream.
Unfortunately, it looked more like ESPN Classic as viewers watched teams quarterbacked by Rick Mirer, Doug Flutie and Tony Banks.
TOP LINES: Menefee (weakly) tried to defend Michael Lewis fair catching a punt on his 4, saying that he was coming back after missing two games with injury and maybe his timing was off.
Green agreed the injury was a good excuse ... "if he had a head injury." And on the Bucs final play, when the last of many laterals reached Cosey Coleman, Green said, "Now they're in trouble."
OOPS: Before the play was even over, Menefee called a Tampa Bay first down on a run by Michael Pittman, but he was fooled by something all Buc fans have grown to understand: just because Pittman's feet are moving really fast doesn't mean he is necessarily moving forward. Pittman got the first down, but only by a sliver.
BAD DREAMS: Roman Oben told Menefee he had a dream Keyshawn Johnson would catch nine passes for 150 yards. That's ironic because Brad Johnson will have nightmares about Oben's replacement at tackle.
Surely, Fox could have done a better job breaking that down for viewers, because Johnson's blind side was under siege all game. Though Green, who originally said the Bucs line was playing well, later said it looked lackadaisical, a closer look - especially at the Kenyatta Walker-Willie Whitehead matchup (we use the term loosely) - was warranted.
BEST HALFTIME MOMENT: Howie Long, Oakland apologist, actually looked at the cameras and said "Rick Mirer is a game breaker."
With a straight face. No, really.
MORE REPLAYS, UPDATES: Again, Fox was weak with replays, a seasonlong problem. For example, viewers didn't get to see Ronde Barber's "slugging" penalty. As for the updates, why not utilize Tampa's Chip Carter more and tell us how Jermaine Phillips and Ryan Nece got hurt, and who replaced them, in a timely fashion? Did those injuries play a big factor in the Saints whipping down the field for the winning kick? It would be nice to know.
SINK THAT SHIP: Captain Ron got more face time on Sunday's broadcast than Warren Sapp and Jon Gruden combined. Which is to say, too much.
WORST CLICHE: Green wasn't giving 110 percent when he came up with this old reliable after a Keyshawn Johnson drop: "He was almost too wide open on that one."
