I sure do love having something to Hit nowadays. So let’s go ahead and start with the reason that this season has taken a sudden turn for the better:

Hit It: Josh Freeman. He’s not a star yet, but he has more potential (and quiet confidence, and arm power, and winning attitude, and 4th quarter playmaking ability) than any QB whose played in red and pewter. And while the creamsicle throwbacks were a fun treat, I’d rather look forward to some great QB play to help return the pewtersicles to their late ’90s/early ’00s dominance.

Quit It: 4th Quarter D. With less than 2 minutes left in the game, the Bucs were ahead by 1. The D should have been fired up to make a stop after Caddy’s possibly-game-winning TD, but fired up or not they couldn’t stop the Dolphins from marching down the field and kicking a field goal. As shady as some of the calls were on Sunday, the Bucs D could’ve assured the team a win. They didn’t.  

Hit It: Connor Barth. Before he came to the team, the Bucs were 2/8 on field goal attempts. This week? 3/3, each from over 50 yards. Of course, with a shaky D, the team would prefer TDs over field goals, but given a rookie QB with terrible wide receivers and an inconsistent run game, 3 points start looking pretty good. Barth’s kickoffs are getting stronger, too. 

Quit It: The announcers. Ok, so I love me some John Lynch, don’t get me wrong. My top 3 heart rankings go something like: my family, peanut butter, and John Lynch. Not necessarily in that order. BUT how many times did he and Ron Pitts (whom I love significantly less than my family–sorry, Ron) have to insist that the Dolphins were going to lose because of their missed extra point? Getting ahead of yourself much, guys? I had to knock-on-wood until my  knuckles were raw. Seriously. And it was all for naught. 

Also (and this is nit-picky, but…) the duo mentioned that Joshy Freeman has a “Spicoli-like attitude” like it was a good thing. Do we really want a stoner leading the team?

Hit It: Peanut Smith. He’s totally moving into my heart rankings top 5. (That would make 2 peanut-related entries. Good thing I’m not allergic.) 202 yards on run backs this week. Opposing teams are still kicking to him. I invite them to continue.

Quit It: Sabby Piscitelli. He’s a repeat Quit It, but it’s unavoidable. It seemed every time there was a missed tackle or blown coverage, it was on Sabby. Including the huge missed tackle on Ronnie Brown’s 45-yard run in the 1st quarter. Sabby did force Brown’s fumble in the 3rd quarter, so that was a small redemption, but he needs to play consistently well.

Fun Fact! Sabby was supposed to be the next coming of John Lynch. Um, no.