They likely are the difference between 7-8 and 12-3 with a division title.
By RICK STROUD
Published December 24, 2003
TAMPA - The difference between winning and losing in the NFL is as thin as the upright on a goal post.
To go from world champs to chumps not invited to the playoffs in one season only takes a handful of plays that don't go your way.
Just ask the Bucs. This time last year they were preparing to clinch a first-round bye. Now it's just days before they say bye-bye until training camp.
For the first time since 1996, the Bucs came to work Tuesday with nothing to play for.
"It really humbles everybody," defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "It's really a humbling experience to go from the Super Bowl champs to not making the playoffs. But you have to learn from that and just learn it's the small things in the big picture that is the difference between winning and losing.
"I think it was a combination of plays, not just one. I think the loss in the home opener against Carolina was tough. The Indy game. When all you have to do is kick an extra point to win the game, you expect to win. When all you have to do is recover an onside kick or get a stop on defense, you expect to win. When all you have to do is stop a team from going (78) yards with (two) minutes left and no timeouts, you expect to win. That's what you've got to look at."
Here then, is a low-five for the Bucs. Five plays that would have turned a 7-8 season into 12-3 and a division championship.
Blocked PAT in a 12-9 overtime loss to Carolina.
Martin Gramatica had never missed an extra point in the NFL, a streak of 129 in a row. Sure, the Panthers had blocked two field goals in the game. But when Keenan McCardell caught a touchdown pass from Brad Johnson on the final play, capping an 82-yard drive in 109 seconds, all that was left was the PAT to break a 9-9 tie and give the world champs a 2-0 start.
There is no more routine play in pro sports than an extra point. But Panther defensive tackle Kris Jenkins blew through the gap between guard Cosey Coleman and longsnapper Ryan Benjamin to block the kick.
The game ended 111/2 minutes later when John Kasay kicked a 47-yard field goal, his fourth of the game.
* * *
Mike Alstott collision with Joe Jurevicius vs. Carolina.
The Bucs lost more than a game in their home opener at Raymond James Stadium. On one play, they essentially lost the services of two of their biggest impact players on offense.
Jurevicius, who made two circus touchdown catches in the season opener at Philadelphia, tore a ligament in his right knee after colliding with Alstott on a play in the third quarter.
Jurevicius missed seven weeks and spent three on the practice field before returning on a limited basis against the Packers and Giants. Finally, the swelling and pain were too much and he was placed on injured reserve.
Alstott began having stiffness in his neck after that play. He scored two touchdowns the next week at Atlanta. But he couldn't practice and had to go on injured reserve with a herniated disc after experiencing numbness in his arms and legs following a collision in a game against the Colts.
"You don't want to build excuses," coach Jon Gruden said. "But the reality of it is that when you lose the six-time Pro Bowl fullback, short-yardage specialist, one of your most physically gifted offensive players for the season in the second or third week of the year, it's hard to replace those guys. Jurevicius, based on what he did in Philly in the opening game and what he did late last season, obviously was a guy we were going to go to in key situations. To basically go the whole year without those guys is tough."
Colts onside kick in a 38-35 overtime loss.
No defeat staggered the Bucs like the Monday night collapse against the Colts.
Ronde Barber returned a Peyton Manning interception for a touchdown to give the Bucs a 21-point lead late in the fourth quarter. It seemed the game was over. But this is when the Bucs' reign really ended.
An 87-yard kickoff return by Brad Pyatt to the Tampa Bay 12 set up an easy Colts touchdown. No problem. Recover the onside kick and the game is over.
But the Colts' Idrees Bashir pounced on the loose football, setting up a Manning-to-Marvin Harrison 28-yard touchdown pass. The Colts scored three times within the final four minutes to send the game to overtime, where they won on Mike Vanderjagt's 29-yard field goal.
Cornerback Brian Kelly tore his pectoral muscle on a play in the second half, forcing rookie Tim Wansley to be mismatched with Harrison, who caught 11 passes for 176 yards.
"In hindsight, the season is tailing from then on," Barber said. "You never want to put it on one guy, or one situation or one play, but looking back at it now, if I could say it went sour, that's when it was. It's just losing key guys. You expect your backups to come in and step up, but B.K. is a special player."
Completion from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad during game-winning drive in 27-24 loss at Carolina.
Nothing would have been finer than to beat Carolina. The champs rallied from 20-7 down to take a 24-20 lead on McCardell's one-handed TD grab and Gramatica's field goal.
The Panthers needed to go 78 yards with no timeouts and 2:36 remaining in the game. After three completions, on first-and-10 from the 27-yard line, Delhomme was blitzed by Barber and hung a floater. Muhammad caught it in front of Corey Ivy for a 22-yard gain. On the next play, Steve Smith caught a 5-yard touchdown pass.
Jags receiver Jimmy Smith's TD in a 17-10 loss at Jacksonville.
Wansley recovered from being shelled by the Colts. But he was no match for the NFL's elite receivers. Like Harrison, Jags receiver Jimmy Smith had a big night against the Bucs.
With the game tied 10-10, Smith beat Wansley for a 48-yard TD from rookie Byron Leftwich with 10:23 remaining. Wansley pulled up on the play, grabbing a torn hamstring that landed him on IR.
"If there's a lesson to learn from this entire season it's that you'd better come out ready to play every week, regardless of how talented you feel you are, because the reality is everyone is fairly close," safety John Lynch said. "You're going to be in tight football games, and against anyone, you've got to come out and play for 60 minutes consistently."
