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What else did you expect from Bucs?

 
The Bucs have no quarterback, and he lines up behind an offensive line that always seems outnumbered, Gary Shelton writes. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]
The Bucs have no quarterback, and he lines up behind an offensive line that always seems outnumbered, Gary Shelton writes. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]
Published Oct. 27, 2014

TAMPA

Sometimes you can see trouble coming from a long way out. Sometimes there is heartache on the horizon.

So, yeah, eventually, the offense of the Tampa Bay Bucs blew up.

What else would you expect?

Yes, the Bucs lost a particularly painful game Sunday, 19-13 in overtime to the Vikings in a game that featured several culprits. If you want, you can blame rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who fumbled away the winning points in overtime. If you want, you came blame cornerback Johnthan Banks, who dropped what would have been a game-clinching interception in the final minutes of regulation.

Or, if you want, you can blame a popgun offense from a local junior high that simply isn't good enough to win an NFL game.

Sooner or later, that offense is going to catch up to a team.

Again.

Over the years, there have been some lousy Tampa Bay offenses, and over the years, we have gotten used to the sight of three-and-out.

This offense, however, is among the worst in the lousy history of a lousy franchise. It would make Trent Dilfer look like Peyton Manning and Vinny Testaverde look like Tom Brady. Compared to this attack, you long for the days of Air Ray Perkins and Sam "the Wizard" Wyche.

There is no quarterback, and he lines up behind an offensive line that always seems outnumbered. The running backs cannot find oxygen, and the receivers never seem as open as those of other teams.

The thing is, you knew the offense would eventually drag down the Bucs. Even as Minnesota drove for its tying field goal — a fairly simple stroll, as it turned out — you could feel the ineptitude of the offense lingering. It is there constantly, dragging at hope, slowing progress. Face it, there are potted plants with more explosion than the Bucs.

Playing against a Minnesota defense that is hardly populated with Purple People Eaters, Tampa Bay scored one touchdown Sunday. Just one. At one point it had five straight possessions that were three-and-out. The quarterback had a rating of 35.4 through three quarters. The starting running back averaged 2.7 yards per carry. The offensive line allowed five sacks.

To sum it up: The Bucs offense is not strong. It is not fast. It is not elusive. It is not imaginative. It is not dangerous.

It is the Bucs.

And the Bucs are running in place. Fourth place.

"When you don't covert on third down, it's hard to get anything going," coach Lovie Smith said. "Part of it was them, but most of it was us."

Of course it was. Among those plays? For most of the day, third down was filled with incompletions. There was one third down when Mike Glennon escaped from the pocket and went running down the sideline, then deftly stepped out of bounds a full yard short of the first down. Who else does that?

And so it went, an offense sputtering and spewing and not being able to get out of its own way. There are so many shortcomings here. In some ways, the offense never has recovered from the loss of coordinator Jeff Tedford, because there doesn't seem to be anyone left with a feel for calling plays. In some ways, the team still hasn't gotten over the free agency period, when somehow Anthony Collins seemed like a good idea.

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Let's face it. It felt like a miracle that the Bucs came from behind to take the lead. Part of that is because the Vikings are playing with a rookie quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) and without their best player (Adrian Peterson).

But did anyone really think the Bucs would score again? Did you think overtime was going to end up differently than it did? No, you didn't. You have seen this offense before, and it was posing for a portrait then, too.

Wide receiver Mike Evans was asked if this loss was the fault of Seferian-Jenkins. "No," he said. "We only scored 13 points as an offense."

That's the point. A decent offense has this game wrapped up long before overtime.

Around here, no one takes offense at anything. It was true in the 0-26 days of the Bucs, and it was true when Tony Dungy was reaching the postseason on a regular basis.

Sooner or later, the offense is going to backfire.

Doesn't it always?