Bucs

Bucshotz

By Tom Jones
Published October 30, 2006

Best hustle

Fox cameras taped the warm-ups and did a splendid job giving examples of how hard the wind was blowing by showing Matt Bryant field goals and Eli Manning passes zigzagging all over the place.

Who's who

Did you notice that Manning's dad was sitting about 10 rows from the field while Bruce Gradkowski's dad was sitting about 10 rows from the top of the stadium? Betcha if Chris Simms' dad was there, he would have had better seats than both of them.

Best use of foot

Matt Bryant's 43-yard field goal in that wind tunnel was almost as impressive as his 62-yarder a week ago. Almost.

Best commercial

Those LeBron James commercials, where he plays about six characters, are awesome! We're looking forward as much to seeing those during the NBA season as we are to watching LeBron actually play. Runnerup: Radio Shack. Any commercials with the Rolling Stones announcing another tour are cool with us.

Worst commercial

Those ads for the guy living in his car for seven days? Yeah, they got old after the first day.

Most annoying sight

After practically every tackle, Bucs defenders were hugging, patting and exchanging smiles with Giants back Tiki Barber. It was okay for brother Ronde to do it. It's his brother. Everyone else? Wait until after the game to fawn all over the guy.

Where was Regis?

See Frank Gifford on the sideline? It was a chilly 53 degrees, and with all that wind, it felt like 44 degrees. Yet there was Gifford without a jacket shivering on the sideline. Man, some people will do anything to get away from Kathie Lee for a few hours.

Everyone knows it's windy

Didn't it seem like the wind affected the Bucs way more than the Giants? The Bucs went three-and-out on their first five series on six rushes, eight passes and a sack. The sixth drive ended on a fumble. By the time the seventh drive started, the Giants were up 14-zip.

Bad game plan

The wind is whipping around at 40 to 50 mph, and yet the Bucs, never really out of the game until late in the fourth quarter, threw the ball 50 times (including two sacks) and ran it just 13 times - and three of those were Gradkowski scrambles.

Strange call of the day

Start of the fourth quarter, fourth and 1 from the Giants 32, going into that crippling wind, your first-round pick and workhorse in the backfield and you ... pass? Great call if the Giants are fooled. They weren't fooled.

Most overrated player

Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey had almost as many drops (two) as he had catches (three). If this guy played in Buffalo or Cleveland, he would be considered mediocre at best.

Bonehead play of the game

The Giants' David Tyree jumping offside on a punt! It gave the Bucs a first down, and the Bucs eventually turned it into points. Unfortunately, it was only three points and not seven.

Best use of song

Fox dug out the old, zany Benny Hill music to show how the Bucs missed five tackles on an Eagles touchdown last week. Maybe the Bucs can use it in today's film sessions, considering the defense missed another 10 tackles or so Sunday.

Best advice not followed

Fox analyst Tim Ryan said the running game should be Gradkowski's best friend and tight end Alex Smith should be his second-best friend. Not counting Gradkowski's scrambles, the Bucs ran the ball 10 times. Smith had two catches for 12 yards.

Interesting stat

Fox's graphic showed that coming into the game, Gradkowski was 2-for-16 this season on "long passes."

Who are you?

Giants back Brandon Jacobs was penalized 15 yards for taunting. Here's the deal: If we've never heard of you, if you haven't even rushed for 400 yards in your career, if you just finished off a 16-yard run, you're not allowed to taunt. Period. Now go sit down and shut up.

Best announcers

We love Ryan and Sam Rosen. Love them. Rosen never gets overdramatic, and he never goofs up a name or a call. Ryan's analysis is always on the mark. Can we get those guys every game?

Worst use of hands

A tie between Joey Galloway (two drops) and Michael Clayton (a drop of a touchdown and a costly fumble on fourth down). As Ryan said midway through the third quarter: "They're right in this game if Galloway makes a couple of catches."

Another candidate for worst use of hands

Cadillac Williams' fumbled pitch deep in Bucs territory in the second quarter was critical. Two plays later, the Giants made it 14-0, which must have seemed like 140-0 in those conditions with that game plan.

Question of the day

If, before the season, we told you the Bucs and the defending champion Steelers would have the same record right now, wouldn't you be excited?

Best use of hands

Plaxico Burress' one-handed touchdown catch over Ronde Barber. Doesn't it seem like this guy makes one of those catches every week?

[Last modified October 30, 2006, 01:35:01]