EXPOSED!

 

Not as frauds mind you, as no one OUTSIDE OF Bucs fans really thought they were for real. But as youths that they are: Tampa Bay played nice with their Pittsburgh cousins for a little while, about 7-6 to be honest. After that, it was simply a case of Tampa Bay’s youth and inexperience that Pittsburgh exploited as they outplayed Tampa Bay to the Bucs biggest blowout loss in since Josh Freeman took over as Bucs QB. New Safety Cody Grimm lost the ball while defending in the end zone, and Aqib Talib defended a ball in the endzone that bounced of his fingertips that was caught for a TouchDown; and then the rout was on. So…shall we look at the positives?

• In the first half, Tampa Bay really did not have much of a problem moving on the vaunted Steeler defense, getting around 200 yards in the first half.
• WR Mike Williams made some nice catches  until the ball came out on a fumble the Steelers quickly capitalized on which put the game out of reach.
• The Bucs may have found a running back, as LeGarrette Blount ran the ball strong to the tune of 6 yards per carry, and a hard run for a TD at the end; his first in the NFL.
• The Bucs continue to show they do not quit. With the Steelers driving, Quincy Black picks off Batch. The offense then moved downfield under direction of Josh Johnson. No quitting is a sign of good coaching.
• A loss to AFC Pittsburgh does not hurt that well in the scheme of things. Atlanta has beaten the Saints to bring all three teams, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and New Orleans, within a tie at 2-1.
• Connor Barth  has not missed a FG so far this season.

So you don’t lose 38-13 without there being any negatives;

• The Steelers torched the Bucs secondary, and even though a few of them were fluke plays, most of them were not.
• Charlie Batch looked like he had 10 years taken off his life, the Bucs put practically no pressure on him.
• Rashard Mendehall diced the Bucs up front to the tune of 143 yards on 19 carries. Most of his yards were after the first quarter however.
• Cadillac Williams may not be able to tote the ball anymore as the primary ball carrier. Earnest Graham and Blount both rushed for 6.5 and 4.5 yards per carry averages respectively, while Williams toted the ball for 2.2 ypc again.

This game film will help the Bucs get better during the bye week. Tampa Bay is well coached and wont let this game get them down. Pittsburgh is clearly a superior team that is years ahead of Tampa Bay in its development. This team is far more advanced than the 2006 Pittsburgh team the Bucs lost to, while the Bucs are mere babies in comparison who completely retooled last year.