The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! Redskins

The Good

Ronde Barber - It was a vicious defense that led the Buccaneers to victory Sunday, and there is no better Buccaneer to start off with than Ronde Barber. Ronde had a great game and set a franchise record with his 32nd interception surpassing former Bucc and NY Jet Donnie Abraham. Barber added 4 tackles and 3 passes defended to his stat sheet to top off a day he will remember forever. A day Buccaneer fans will remember forever. Thank you Ronde for all you have given us over the years, and congratulations on becoming the biggest thief this franchise has ever had at Cornerback.

Derrick Brooks - Brooks looked ten years younger flying around the field yesterday making plays from sideline to sideline. Derrick notched a team leading 12 takedowns en route to the defense's best performance of the season. Brooks' best play of the game came as the third quarter was winding down. With 2:10 on the clock and the Skins facing a 4th and 1 on the Buccaneer 4 yard line, Clinton Portis' number was called to pick up 1 measly yard. Derrick Brooks shed a block and met Portis at the line of scrimmage and dropped him right there for no gain. It was the type of play we had seen a hundred times before by Derrick, but the type of play he hadn't been making recently. In my humble opinion, that was the play that saved the game.

Greg White - WOW! That's pretty much what comes to mind when I hear the name Greg White. Talk about undiscovered talent. Sunday Greg displayed yet again his non-stop motor while harassing Campbell. The guy never quits on a play, he's a smart heady player who sniffs out screens like a hound dog. He notched four tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack to elevate his team leading total to 5.5. Thank you to the Orlando Predators' scouting department who discovered White while shopping for a PS3 at Best Buy last Christmas.

****Honorable Mention - BJ Askew. Tanard Jackson, Jermaine Phillips, Phillip Buchanon.

The Bad

Bruce Gradkowski - Bruce displayed yet again his uncanny knack for missing wide open receivers while replacing injured Jeff Garcia. Every week Buccs fans sit at the dinner table and say Grace before their meal. I know personally when my children are finished saying grace, and I complete the sign of the cross I request, "GOD please keep Jeff Garcia healthy." Well they say you don't always get what you wish for. Bruce has enough experience under his belt now that his putrid display yesterday is totally unacceptable. I read one fan's comment about Grads not turning the ball over. His passes are so far off their mark, even the defending team can't catch his errant throws. The future is not Bruce Gradkowski, and I hope Jon Gruden realizes that.

Anthony Becht - You might ask yourself how a player involved in just one play can be considered to have had a bad game. I have grown tiresome of watching passes bounce off Tony's hands. When you have a QB like Gradkowski, it's very rare that you'll get a pass to hit you square in the numbers, and when you do you best be catching it. Becht is one of the best blocking TE's in the NFL, but that's just not enough for a former 1st round pick. Being picked that high means you better be a prolific pass catcher, and Tony just isn't that.

John Wade - The entire offensive line played well as a unit, but Wade once again was being man handled. It wasn't as glaring in the first part of the game, before Washington adjusted to take away the run and dared Bruce to pass. When Wade was getting help from the Guards, Graham was ripping off huge chunks of yardage. When the Skins brought up 9 guys within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to shut down the run and Wade couldn't receive help from Joseph and Sears, he was getting blown off the ball. Our O-line is light years ahead of past O-lines, but Wade is still a big weakness physically.

The Ugly

Jon Gruden's Offense - Since Gruden has gotten to Tampa his offense has struggled. The young coach had been labeled an offensive genius before his arrival to Tampa. Except for a short run at the end of 2002, the offense has been dismal. Johnson, Griese, Simms and Gradkowski have all failed to run Jon Gruden's offense to his or our liking. During Sunday's game, the offense did not earn one first down the entire 2nd half. Why does it seem only Garcia and Gannon can succeed in this offense? Why can AJ Feeley step in for McNabb and lead them to a division championship? Why can Quinn Gray step in and go 2-1 and beat our Buccs? Why can the perennial loser Cleveland Browns challenge for a division championship with their back-up QB? Trent Green was the starter in St. Louis not Kurt Warner. If only one certain type of QB can succeed in Gruden's offense, how long will it be until we find a Gannon/Garcia clone? Will we have to wait and suck until we find the next one?