I’m beginning to think the Bucs Hit It is something of a mythological creature–like the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot. But let’s see if we can’t pluck one or two out of the mist.

Hit It: Rich Bisaccia. The Bucs special teams coach is really getting his players ready for games. With both Peanut Smith and Sammie Stroughter out this week, mideason pickup WR Yamon Figurs did a respectable job handling run back duties. Add to that a successful onsides kick and downing the ball near goal line on one (and almost two) Jet punts, and you’ve got another good outing for the Bucs’ best-coached group.

Quit It: Being Humiliated by an Announcer. Rich Gannon mentioned early and often that his visit to Bucs’ practice on Friday was less-than-impressive. He said that there was little focus, no urgency, and that Freeman wasn’t handling the ball well. Sure glad that didn’t show up in the actual game!

(Also, sure glad this season has destroyed my happiness and sense of hope but not my penchant for sarcasm!)

Quit It: Joshy Freeman. Three more interceptions, and the guy looked scared again. But in all fairness to Freeman, a rookie QB should be able to hand off to his running backs when he’s in the midst of a crisis of confidence. So…

Quit It: Running Backs. Neither Caddy nor Derrick Ward managed to get much going. Earnest Graham was a non-factor with a single carry. Total yards gained on the ground: 43. Though, with only 16 total rushes for running backs (Freeman had 4 himself), there wasn’t much they could do. So…

Quit It: Play Calling. With a rookie QB playing like a rookie QB, you’ve got to keep trying to run the ball and give the running backs a chance to gain some momentum! YOU’VE GOT TO. Then again, it’s hard to keep calling running plays when half of them seem to amount in a loss of yards. So…

Quit It: O-Line Blocking. Clearly there is not much of this happening, as there are no open running lanes. Oh, and thanks also go to Kellen Winslow for superb effort in blocking. I mean, I get that he’s more of a receiving tight end, but he might try a little harder. Speaking of which…

Quit It: Offensive Effort. Until this game, the Bucs looked like they wanted to win every single game. Which was admirable, considering how badly things have been going. This week? Not so very much. After Freeman’s first-play-of-the-game interception, the Bucs looked resigned to a loss. Except maybe…

Hit It: Ronde Barber and the D. Ronde was maybe not the most effective player on the defensive field, but I love how every time he makes a tackle this year, the little chihuahua just pounds the dude into the ground. Granted, Ronde’s probably just taking his Buc-borne anger out on his opponents, but I think that’s a great way to handle a horrible year. (Note to offense: Football players are better off pounding the other team when they’re frustrated than rolling over and playing dead.)
Props also go to the rest of the defense for hanging in there for several quarters–holding the Jets to just 28% success on third down conversions–even while the offense put them in horrible position series after series. (Telling announcer quote of the game: “The Jets are backed up all the way to their own 46 to start this drive.”)