Where's the Killer Instinct?

The Dallas Cowboys were a bruised, battered and bewildered team. A team standing at the edge of being swallowed into the abyss of a wasted season. Injuries, egos, wasted opportunity and turmoil had the once NFC favorite at 3 losses into a season that hadn't even reached it's halfway point. They were a wounded animal waiting, wishing to be put out of it's misery.

In comes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a perfect position to put them out of their misery. The Dallas Cowboys are a team loaded with talent. A team that will still be the favorite to win the NFC and represent in the Superbowl if they make it to the playoff tournament with a healthy Tony Romo. Do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team many consider to be over achieving this season want to see the Dallas Cowboys again? Do they want to square off against them again in January?

With a win in Dallas Sunday, the Buccaneers could have dropped the Cowboys to 4-4 and maintained a tie breaking advantage over them. With such opponents as the New York Giants, home and away, at Washington, at Pittsburgh and at Philadelphia it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Cowboys could have toppled to a 9-7 or worse 8-8 record while their star QB's pinkie was healing and returning to 100%.

It's just one game, but the Buccs had the chance to step on their throats, put the nail in their coffin, drive a stake in their hearts....whatever stupid analogy you want to use here. Where's the killer instinct? Where's the testicular fortitude? Where's the drive for greatness? The Pewter Pirates had the chance to stand up in the crowd and say look at me, I am for real. Buccs fans are always crying about never getting National recognition, but every time they have a chance to break the door down, they come up short. Another absolute stinker on National television.

The Buccaneer offense under the guidance and tutelage of the "great young offensive mind," Jon Gruden, the "offensive genius," struggled once again to score TD's when inside the red zone. Tampa's Gruden led offense has been absolutely pathetic trying to score inside the red zone since he has been the Head Coach. The always vaunted Buccaneer defense held 2 of the best offenses in the NFL, Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys to 16 and 13 points respectively. What did former Buccaneer and future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp used to say? "Get me 17 points, and I'll get you a win." The Buccs defense held the Boys to 172 total yards. 172 yards! Marion Barber some weeks accumulates 172 yards by himself. Terrell Owens on occasion has exceeded 172 yards in a game by himself. The Buccs defense has surrendered an average of 10.5 points per game in the last 4 contests and have come away 2-2 in those games. The defense did their job again Sunday, and came away empty handed.

If one of those FG's is a TD, it's at least a tie Ball game. If you take a shot at the endzone on 3rd and short, maybe you score. Maybe you get pass interference. Maybe you come up empty handed and attempt the FG anyway. How many times are we going to watch drives stall between the 35 and 15 yard lines? I swear sometimes if the field was 500 yards long, our offense could put together a dazzling 482 yard drive that ends in a 34 yard Field Goal attempt. Why are you attempting a 51 yard Field Goal with a Kicker who was questionable all week long due to a hamstring injury? Since 2002, the quarterbacks have changed. The running backs have changed. The wide receivers, O-linemen and tight ends have changed. Even assistant coaches have changed, yet the offense looks exactly the same as it did in 2003, 2004, 2006 or even 1998 and 1999.

Instead now, the Buccaneers sit at second place in the NFC South standings looking up at a team they beat the hell out of. Instead of being a game ahead and holding the tie breaking advantage over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC standings, the Buccs are looking up at them too. The Buccs were staring at the brass ring, it was in reach. But instead of pulling the plug and putting the Boys out of their misery, the Jon Gruden led offense wussed out. Where's the killer instinct? Where's the offense we paid 2 first round picks and 2 second round picks for?
...JJC/ABuccsFan