My thoughts on last nights game...

[BuccaneerBonzai]

This is sort of an article...written for the fansite I'm putting together, but since the website is currently still in the development stages (almost done), I thought I'd post it here too...mainly because I can't let anyone go to the new site yet.

A WIN IS A WIN, BUT A LOSS IS A LOSS
PewterFan.Com
August 31, 2007
Buccaneer Bonzai
Bradenton, FL

Yesterday's game was an exciting win for the fans and players of the Tampa Buccaneers. That's the good news. The bad news is how that win came about. Yes, we witnessed a heroic effort that succeeded in the winning touchdown, but in the process of sealing the game for his team, Parris Warren suffered a season-ending injury.

As the Buccaneers and Texans struggled for dominance, the game was nearing its end. Both teams were tied a 24-24, and very late in the fourth quarter, wide receiver Parris Warren made a catch that I think we'll all remember for a while. A tackler came up on him and Warren could have been tackled right there near the goal line, but he is a team player and resisted the tackle long enough to go in for the touchdown. Players and fans alike watched in horror as the young man went down, because his leg and ankle twisted unnaturally and grotesquely.

The clock stopped and players from both teams flooded the endzone in concern. The Bucs knew they'd seen a friend and teammate suffer a bad injury, and the Texans saw a respected opponent go down...one with heart and talent. As the cart rolled onto the field it had trouble reaching the wounded soldier. Why? Because players were in its way. It was a tear-jerking moment that showed class and compassion on both sides of the ball.

Parris Warren, for his part, had been a player on the bubble through training camp and preseason, but had earned the respect of all coaches, players and fans with his hard work and determination. The odd man out, he was trying to earn a spot on the roster that didn't exist. to keep him, another position would have had to suffer a loss. But the Buccaneers were going to keep him. The young player had convinced them that he was worth that extra roster spot. In short, he'd earned his keep.

Throughout the preseason, Warren had lead all other wide receivers on the team with 15 catches for 191 yards and 4 touchdowns. In last night's game, his winning touchdown had put him over the 100-yard mark for the game. It was a dramatic moment, especially when we all witnessed the injury. The game was over, but we all knew that Parris Warren's season was over also.

It was a dislocated ankle.

Once he was off the field, the Buccaneers made the extra point and kicked the ball to the Texans, only to recover later in a fumble. The clock ran out, and fans got to witness an example of the compassion of these players as both teams gathered on the field and took a knee in prayer. It was something we all hope to never see, but are touched when we do. Even the players commented they had not seen nor been part of such an outpouring of emotion by the impromptu end zone huddle.

"It's a shame," said Gruden later. "The man worked his tail off to earn a spot on the roster during the preseason...and succeeded...and his reward is IR."

McCown, who watched from the sideline as the catch was made, said "I'm speechless and heartbroken for him. He's worked so hard...our thoughts and prayers are obviously with him."

Indeed, last night, I imagine the prayers of many were heard in the heavens.

Otherwise, it was a great game to watch, and more exciting than expected considering it was the final preseason game and most of the starters were resting.

Sabby "Sab" Piscitelli had his best game of the preseason, recording two very nice tackles, an interception and a pass defense.

White was used in two positions - end and tackle, and recorded 3 tackles and a sack...and succeeded in making the quarterback nervous. He looked like a monster out there, and his play resulted in sealing the victory when he hit the arm of quarterback Jared Zabransky.

The beginning of the game gave the appearance that we were in trouble, when we almost immediately gave up 14 points. On the Bucs message boards, the Game Day thread lit up with panic and sarcasm. A fumble had caused it.

"You can't start any worse than that," Gruden later said. "You can't fumble the ball at the one-yard line, turn the football over and expect to dominate. We have to work on that...but we regrouped and did some good things. It should have been a lot better…but some young guys are stepping up.

Seeing as the game was preseason, Bucs fans soon realized that falling behind would be a good test for quarterback Luke McCown, (who also recorded his first interception of the preseason during the game). Would he rally the troops and maintain the level of professionalism he'd shown in the previous 3 games? The answer was yes.

To me, Luke "Cool Hand Luke" McCown was the most impressive player on the field in last nights game. This quarterback, who has only four regular season games under his belt (for the browns in 2004), looked unbelievable. In those four games, he came away with a 52.6 percent quarterback rating...nothing to be excited about. The Buccaneers acquired him in 2005, where he soon suffered an injury that removed him from the quarterback competition until this year.

And this year, McCown has so far played well enough to make some wonder if he could eventually be the Bucs starting quarterback. He's a mobile passer who also has accuracy in the pocket and while on the run. He only had one interception in 4 games, and much of his play was against starters in the first 3 games. He ended last night's game with a rating of 125.6 and scored three touchdowns.

He isn't quite ready for the starting position though. He still makes a few mistakes in his play, but those are clearly due to inexperience in games. I hope, if the Bucs have solid leads during the season, they'll put the young QB in to close the games for Garcia. This would decrease the chance of injury to our primary quarterback, and enable McCown to gain the game experience he needs.

Gradkowski did his part also. Throwing 13 of 20 for 141 yards, the second year quarterback averaged 7.1 yards and scored one touchdown. During the game though, he went long several times, and overthrew nearly every time. It was hard to determine if this was his fault or the fault of inexperienced players not running their routes fast enough. He ended the game with a 102.3 rating.

Quarterback Chris Simms did not play. During the game, it was revealed that the young QB had a hip injury and would sit out the game...but later, a reporter from Bay News 9 approached the QB and asked him about the injury. "The hip is fine," he answered, and refusing to say more, jogged off he field. Immediately, the media sensed something fishy about the whole thing. Then came Coach Jon Gruden's press conference. When asked about Simms, Gruden's face took on an expression of disgust.

"I don't know anything about this hip injury. I was looking forward to seeing him play and then he took himself out of the game, saying he had a hip injury. I don't know anything about it...ask Chris, he's available for questions..."

Up until that point, there was speculation that the Buccaneers were setting up an IR move, but I now doubt that will happen. I'm beginning to think Simms is gun-shy...he's lost his nerve. It's understandable after the injury he suffered. But he needs to overcome it if he's going to continue playing. Some think he purposely is trying to get cut, knowing that Atlanta would sign him in a heartbeat.

But Simms would not be a great fit in Atlanta, a team that is set up for a more mobile quarterback. They would sign him...but he wouldn't see success there for a while, if at all.

All in all, the game was exciting to watch...not because the Buccaneers looked like a playoff team...they didn't...but because it showed promise for the future generation of Bucs players. Many played their best, which speaks volumes.

I, for one, am encouraged going into the season.

[Q-man]

Thanks, it was a long read, but fairly accurate and informative.
Good luck with your endeavor.
GO BUCS!

[GoBucs&Broncos]

Very nice article! You wrote a very nice summary of the game and the performance of the individual players. I thought you stated the facts without criticizing or praising unduly. I also thought you did a beautiful job conveying the feelings of everyone watching the game when Paris Warren was injured. I was also really heartwarmed by the compassion and respect his teammates, as well as the Texan players, showed Warren.

Once again, great job!

GO BUCS!!!

Not hating here...but your opening two paragraphs are clearly overdramatization and it really makes the rest of the article on Paris a little less potent.

[deltbucs]

Is the inzone near the outzone?

[Kress]

Originally Posted by deltbucs

Is the inzone near the outzone?

No, it's over here --------> click me

[Q-man]

Originally Posted by deltbucs

Is the inzone near the outzone?

It just down from the LL

[deltbucs]

Clemzon sux!

[deltbucs]

Originally Posted by Q-man

It just down from the LL

Cool....so you'll never see it.

[Kress]

Originally Posted by deltbucs

Clemzon sux!

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seriously.

[ThePaperChamp]

Originally Posted by deltbucs

Is the inzone near the outzone?

With that said, there are some errors to correct if you are going to post on a website. It's a nice read, and I congratulate you on your endeavors. Just remember to proof-read, it goes a long way for credibilty.

[BuccaneerBonzai]

Thanks for the complements. I realized as I was writing that article that I had made some mistakes, and forgot to go back and fix them.

My bad.

[Cardiac Kids]

You fix those typos yet?

[BuccaneerBonzai]

They are fixed in the published article, which you can now see here:

Link

The website went active as of today.

[MrBeef]

Nice read! 2 thumbs up!

Originally Posted by BuccaneerBonzai

They are fixed in the published article, which you can now see here:

Link

The website went active as of today.

I think pewter fan was pretty cool. Your background photos were cool!!! Thx. I will keep tabs on it. Go Bucs.