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The aftermath: Week 3 – Tampa Bay/Green Bay

Stylez White

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Photo: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Green Bay Packers 14, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 (Sept. 25)

Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Chris Godwin were all out. I know that to some that’s a lot, and you have a point, but here is my point. I had two sacks against Aaron Rodgers.

Yes, that has literally nothing to do with anything. I just wanted you to know I was something of a badass. 🙂

On a more serious note, let’s talk about Aaron Rodgers and his receiving corps. They were an able group that performed well enough to win, I suppose. Let’s talk about how they came into the Bucs stadium and pretty much had Aaron Rodgers, in the first half, looking like the Hall of Famer he is.

I also want to talk about how the Bucs scratched and kicked to get back in the game. The second half adjustments for the defense and the offense made the game a lot more interesting as it progressed.

Also, I would like to reiterate that I had two sacks against the Packers. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

Let’s talk offense. The Bucs offense at best looked average, even considering that their star wideouts were out with injuries. One was out for disciplinary actions (I will touch on that later). To be fair, in the football world injuries are a part of the game. That isn’t anyone’s fault, that’s just football. Players get hurt all the time, hell, Tom Brady was hurt. He still played. These guys are warriors and they give all they have to the game. I understand it but it can’t be a plug-in-anywhere excuse.

You have Tom Brady, the best player in the game. Some may say by far, some may say he’s declining. Hands down there may not be another Tom Brady. As long as you have Tom Terrific aka TB12 you’re in with a good chance to win. His late-game heroics are actually pretty common, because Tom is the best. My question is, why so late in the game? Why can’t the offense generate more points earlier and more often? You have players that need to step up. Period. I don’t just blame Tom, I blame the play calling, the offense, the lack of execution. I will refuse to make excuses for them.

Now on to, briefly, the Mike Evans situation. I see everyone was on board with Mike Evans’ actions. I didn’t agree with it. I guess it was an unpopular opinion. I think there is no reason good enough for him to be that unprofessional. Mike is a stand-up guy, I understand he wanted to protect his QB and I support that. Now, imagine he hurt himself or the other player. He was suspended one game and it cost the Bucs talent when they needed it most. Perhaps the outcome wouldn’t have been different, but he definitely would have made an impact with his presence, let alone his play-making ability. Some of us are short-sided when it comes to this, but the offense struggled. Whether Chris Godwin and Juilo Jones were in, they would have still needed Mike because he is just that good. Let that simmer in your spirit.

Thank goodness for the defense, or the game would have gotten more out of control! Rodgers is having his way literally on his way to score again, but a hit from Vita knocked the ball out around the goal line, and the Bucs recovered it. The fun part is that he was in coverage. Yes, I said in coverage! Scavenging the field like an elite corner from his defensive tackle position. It was every bit of 5 to 8 yards he was in pursuit, and helped knock the ball out. That play changed the momentum of the game, which was getting ugly. The defense held the Packers to 14 points. I consider that a win for the defense against Mr. Rogers. They had turnovers as well. They will definitely win more games, and stay in more games, with their defense playing the way they played.

I want to be fair: Dallas, New Orleans and I will give Green Bay’s defense the benefit of the doubt. Those all are pretty good defenses. The offense was playing with able backups and that’s good for them down the line. Game experience, regardless of the outcome, is valuable experience. The schedule isn’t a kind one at the moment – and now the Bucs have Kansas City next week. They will be with Mike Evans and hopefully Julio Jones. It will be amazing if Godwin makes it back into the lineup.

I am looking for a better outing by the Bucs offense, because I think we all know that Kansas City can put up points despite their performance last week. I look for the defense to be consistent as they have been thus far, 2-1 and a lot more football to be played. I would like to conclude with the most important take away from this article.  I played with the Bucs against the Packers and I … well, you’ll never forget now, will you?

Stay tuned for next week!

Former defensive end Stylez White played for the Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears and Orlando Predators. He was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense from 2007 to 2010.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

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    Single Barrel Cigar Co

    September 27, 2022at10:30 pm

    SACK 91!!!

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