Bucs/NFL

Wind sheared

Bruce Gradkowski throws 48 passes, but the offense again fails to find the end zone.

By RICK STROUD
Published October 30, 2006

	Bruce Gradkowski fumbles on an attempted second-quarter pitch to Cadillac Williams. The turnover set up a scoring drive for the Giants. Photo gallery
[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Brendan Fitterer] Joey Galloway misses a second-quarter deep pass on 3 and 10 that brought up fourth down and forced another Tampa Bay punt. [Times photo: Brendan Fitterer] Michael Clayton fumbles on 4th and 6 in the third quarter as he is hit by Kevin Dockery.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Footballs danced in the sky like hotdog wrappers. Passes fluttered as if they had been thrown by a Niekro. Receivers might have had an easier time catching butterflies without a net.

It was a windy day at Giants Stadium with gusts up to 40 mph.

Not necessarily the kind of conditions in which you would want to put the game in the hands of rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. But that's exactly what Jon Gruden did as Gradkowski attempted 48 passes in Sunday's 17-3 loss to the Giants.

Although the Bucs did not trail by more than two scores until late, they abandoned the running game and threw caution to the swirling wind.

The result: The Bucs failed to score an offensive touchdown for the second straight game and fell to 2-5 on the season, last in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay's 88 points this season are the fewest in the NFL. The last time the Bucs, who got two defensive scores and three field goals last week, found the end zone on offense was on Michael Clayton's winning catch in the waning seconds Oct. 15 against the Bengals.

"It was tough to read the wind out there," receiver Joey Galloway said. "It's probably as bad as I've seen wind in a stadium. We got into a situation where we were down, and that's what we had to do.

"If you look up top on the goal posts, the flags are going one way. If you're feeling the wind, it's going a different way. So it's difficult."

The Bucs' game plan was curious especially because Gruden anticipated Gradkowski might struggle in the unpredictable breeze at Giants Stadium. That's why he took about 15 mostly young players, including Gradkowski, to the stadium late Saturday.

"It's tough," cornerback Ronde Barber said.

"Unless you've played against it and you have some experience here, it's tough to deal with. They open up both ends of this thing, and it can wreak havoc on your passing game."

It did just that. Gradkowski finished 20-of-48 for 139 yards, but he was victimized by several drops and other miscues.

Cadillac Williams, who had 20 yards on only eight carries - including a 16-yard burst - mishandled a pitch on a toss sweep, and Giants tackle Fred Robbins recovered at the Tampa Bay 28.

The play set up Brandon Jacobs' 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Giants a 14-0 lead.

During one series in the second quarter, Galloway dropped two passes in a span of three plays deep inside Giants territory.

"The wind was there, but those are plays that have got to be made," Galloway said.

"I think those kind of plays kind of get magnified any game that you lose. It's going to be tough to get your offense on track when you have a chance to make plays and don't make them."

The Bucs' best scoring chance came on the final possession of the first half, a drive kept alive when New York's David Tyree jumped offside with the Bucs in punt formation. Later, Clayton dropped a pass in the corner of the end zone on first and 10 from the Giants 25.

"It was a (combination) of everything: trying to keep my feet in, keep my eye on the ball because it was drifting," Clayton said. "I don't know exactly where I was on the field because it was drifting. That play also should've been caught. It was just a bad night for me."

It got worse in the third quarter. On fourth and 6 from the Giants 44, Clayton caught a slant for 8 yards and an apparent first down but fumbled while being tackled. The ball was kicked backward, and Gradkowski recovered. The rules state the player who fumbles on fourth down must recover for it to be advanced. As a result, the play went for 4 yards, and the Giants took over.

"It changed the momentum of the whole game," Clayton said. "It's definitely put on me. I let the team down."

Gruden said he emphasized the pass over the run in the first and third quarters because the Bucs had the wind at their backs.

"We came out and got a field goal, and with an 11-point deficit to start the third quarter, we said we are going to take advantage of the wind," Gruden said. "We were going to use the passing game because we knew we could get some guys open. And we missed Galloway on the first possession on a big play."

For the fourth straight game, Gradkowski saw his completion percentage drop, this time to 41.6 percent.

"I think I can definitely play better," Gradkowski said. "I definitely need to pick it up, so I'm disappointed in that aspect, just knowing I left some plays out there on the field."

Just another blown chance for the Bucs.

Unbalanced offense

Sunday, the Bucs ran the ball 37 fewer times than they passed it. It marked the fourth time in seven games this season the Bucs have passed more than run. Note: Quarterback scrambles are included with runs while sacks are included with passes:

Date Opp Run Pass Dif. Result

Sunday Giants 13 50 -37 17-3, loss

Oct. 22, 2006 Eagles 30 28 +2 23-21, win

Oct. 15, 2006 Bengals 25 46 -21 14-13, win

Oct. 8, 2006 Saints 33 33 Even 24-21, loss

Sept. 24, 2006 Panthers 25 26 +1 26-24, loss

Sept. 27, 2006 Falcons 16 54 -38 14-3, loss

Sept. 10, 2006 Ravens 13 37 -24 27-0, loss

Jan. 7, 2006 Redskins 25 41 -16 17-10 L

Jan. 1, 2006 Saints 26 26 Even 27-13 W

Dec. 24, 2005 Falcons 37 44 -7 27-24 W

Dec. 17, 2005 Patriots 18 41 -23 28-0 L

Dec. 11, 2005 Panthers 36 28 +8 20-10 W

Dec. 4, 2005 Saints 30 22 +8 10-3 W

Nov. 27, 2005 Bears 25 34 -9 13-10 L

Nov. 20, 2005 Falcons 27 19 +8 30-27 W

Nov. 13, 2005 Redskins 27 29 -2 36-35 W

Nov. 6, 2005 Panthers 18 47 -29 34-14 L

Oct. 30, 2005 49ers 20 39 -19 15-10 L

Oct. 16, 2005 Dolphins 34 29 +5 27-13 W

Oct. 9, 2005 Jets 26 45 -19 14-12 L

Oct. 2, 2005 Lions 22 42 -20 17-13 W

Sept. 25, 2005 Packers 41 28 +13 17-16 W

Sept. 18, 2005 Bills 40 23 +17 19-3 W

Sept. 11, 2005 Vikings 31 31 Even 24-13 W

Pass, pass and pass some more

The Bucs' drives with time left and spot of the ball when it started, runs (including scrambles), passes (including sacks), yards, time elapsed and result:

Begin Start Run Pass Yds Time Result

14:55 TB 24 1 2 3 1:25 Punt

9:49 TB 5 2 1 3 1:29 Punt

3:27 TB 20 0 3 6 :58 Punt

1:27 TB 21 2 1 -2 2:01 Punt

12:56 TB 4 1 2 -1 1:03 Punt

10:24 TB 28 0 0 0 Fumble :05

8:45 TB 40 0 5 14 Punt 1:13

6:02 TB 41 2 10 49 FG 5:04

12:47 TB 21 1 3 20 Punt 1:46

8:08 NYG 48 0 4 8 Downs 1:49

3:17 TB 20 2 5 48 Downs 4:04

12:37 TB 37 1 2 0 Punt 1:17

3:43 TB 20 0 3 5 Punt :28

1:54 TB 41 0 9 28 Downs 1:40

Stuck in park

Cadillac Williams' eight carries:

Quarter Score Situation Yds

First 0-0 1-10, TB 24 0

First 0-0 1-10, TB 5 2

First 7-0 1-10, TB 21 4

First 7-0 2-6, TB 25 -1

Second 7-0 2-10, TB 4 -1

Third 14-3 1-10, TB 20 16

Fourth 14-3 3-1, NYG 32 0

Fourth 14-3 1-10, TB 37 0

[Last modified October 30, 2006, 01:38:17]