Bucs play out regular season with loss to Panthers

Ugh. Can't stand the Panthers ... that silver spoon expansion franchise. Not even their 1-15 season gives them the expansion cred of division foes the Saints, Falcons and Bucs.

The game today was unsatisfying on many levels. It was much like the game against the 49ers last week. The Bucs moved the ball well and second-string QB Luke McCown took too many sacks (4 for 40 yards in losses; hard to see what he could do about a couple of them, honestly). The Bucs failed to connect on big plays and made other key mistakes. In the big scheme of things, however, all it may warrant in the end is a shrug.

The game makes no difference in the standings or playoff seedings. The Bucs rested key players who have been banged up (Barrett Ruud, B. J. Askew, Joey Galloway, Jeff Garcia) and played others less than a half. If the Bucs whip the Giants next week then it was a great move, and if they lay an egg against New York then finger-pointing will abound.

More on New York later.

Offense:
McCown completed a bunch of passes, but he also overthrew RB Michael Pittman on what could have been an easy six and horribly underthrew RB Michael Bennett allowing the Panthers an easy ("I blew the coverage, but at least I got an interception!") turnover deep in their own end. McCown also continued to show that one of the big differences between him and Garcia is the sack for many yards lost. But who expects McCown to play perfectly? The concern here is the offensive line. They were sieve-like on some of the Panthers' blitz packages and the Giants will certainly notice when they scout the Bucs.

Each of the Bucs running backs had some good moments--except for Earnest Graham, who was another who did not play in the contest.

Tight end Jerramy Stevens was terrific, though. He just catches everything thrown his way, lately, and he's earning himself an increasing role in the offense. Fellow TE Alex Smith had better watch it or he could slip to second string.

Bottom line, the Bucs' young offensive line continues to have question marks. It shouldn't surprise, really. Veteran center John Wade has two guys to his left with fewer than 32 NFL starts between them including this season. The right side is manned by two guys finishing up their second years in the league. When the offense is going, they are the strength of the offense.

Special Teams:
Continuing the tradition of at least one bad play every week, the Bucs had two. They allowed a 60 yard kickoff return by losing contain (we miss a ST stud like Maurice Stovall). Derrick Brooks got called for a defensive holding penalty on Carolina's field-goal try. It gave the Panthers a first down and they cashed it in for a TD.

Defense:
Substitutes got plenty of time on the field, and Carolina moved the ball pretty well. Former Eagle and Pro-Bowler Jeremiah Trotter subbed for Barrett Ruud and registered 8 tackles. Everybody got to play on defense, and it showed as they gave up 180 rushing yards and 349 total net yards to the Panthers (99/236 when the teams met in September). The defense gave up a handful of big plays, including a 50-yard bomb on a blown coverage.

Not a good day.

Summary:
The subs showed they have talent but committed too many errors and breakdowns to win the game.

Next Up:
Wildcard weekend, with the New York Giants coming to town. The real Bucs are probably better than the team that lost the last two games of the season. And most of the starters will be healthier than they would have been if they had played the whole of both games. Will the Bucs be as sharp and as physical as they will need to be against the Giants? This team can put a licking on an inferior opponent, and the only team to really step on the Bucs' neck was the Colts.

I can't muster a prediction because I don't know what team to expect. There are reasons to like the matchup against the Giants, but the Bucs have show nagging weaknesses in every phase of the game (with the possible exception of QB when Garcia is playing).

I can see the Bucs winning 31-10 if the Bucs play equal to their best of the season. But if the rested veterans show enough rust to mimic the play of their substitutes over the past two weeks, a team like the Giants can certainly press the advantage to notch a playoff road victory.

*****