Two Losses and a Bye
(October 11, 1999)

After two tough losses in divisional road games, the Buccaneers are 2-3 going into the bye week. Whether it is time to say good-bye to the season remains to be seen. To finish 10-6, and guarantee a postseason berth, the Bucs would have to go 8-3 the rest of the way. To go 9-7, and maybe sneak into the playoffs, they would have to go 7-4.

The Buccaneers played fairly well in a nationally televised Sunday night game at Green Bay. It took some late game heroics from birthday boy Brett Favre for the Pack to post a 26-23 victory.

A week earlier, when the Vikings took a 21-0 first quarter lead at Minnesota, the game had blowout written all over it. Give the Bucs credit for holding the Viking scoreless the rest of the way and having their chances to win down the stretch in a 21-14 loss.

The schedule makers did not do them any favors by having trips to Minnesota and Green Bay back-to-back this early in the season. It appears that things get a bit easier, with the next game at home against Chicago, but then again the Bears won at Minnesota this week.

While it is not yet time to give up on this season, the bye gives people an extra week to criticize and speculate. Expect to hear people talk about the future of all three Bucs quarterbacks. Who the team should draft with its two first round picks next year and which free agents to re-sign will be discussed. Then again, if the Bucs get on a winning streak ...