With the Rams snapping their 17-game losing streak against the former 0-16 Lions and Vince Young picking up a victory for the Titans, the Bucs are the only team still ready to continue their streak to perfection. No, not imperfection. That insists that there is a flaw in their plans and the only flaw in this situation is a win. The '07 Dolphins reached imperfection when they decided they didn't want to try to lose a game against the Ravens and slack off in the quest to perfection. Much like the 07' Patriots will be remembered as "Eighteen and ONE" and choke artists in their quest perfection, the Dolphins are remembered are "ONE and Fifteen".
However, there is a method to all of the madness on the road to 0-16 and I've got the formula that the Buccaneers must follow in order to follow the Lions of last year and take their place in history:
Have No Clue Who Your Quarterback Is
This is the first step to the dream. Looking back at the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins (as they were on their quest), they both had early severe injuries to their starters (Jon Kitna and Trent Green) which then sent them into a frenzy in trying to figure out who is their quarterback. Neither of their backups were truly capable of being NFL starters, so they just tried different quarterbacks throughout the season. The Dolphins went through first-round pick John Beck and Cleo Lemon. However, the Lions not only went through Dan Orvlosky and Drew Stanton, they also went out, became desperate, and signed Daunte Culpepper, who came out of retirement to play. This is why the Rams were able to win on Sunday and why they don't fit the equation: they know that Marc Bulger is their quarterback and that he is their answer.
The Bucs are already ahead of the game because they didn't know who their quarterback was from Week One. No injuries to report, yet they're ready to start their third quarterback already, first-round pick Josh Freeman, after going through journey Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson. They've gotten desperate enough to even let wide receiver Michael Clayton throw a pass. I suppose that is more productive than letting them play receiver since he drops so many passes. Hell, it goes beyond just their quarterback. They can't even settle on a kicker. They've started with Mike Nugent, who was ineffective. They then got rid of him and turned to Shane Andrus. Now, they've released him and turned to Connor Barth. I can't wait to see them start having their wide receivers start trying out for kicking duties.
Must Have One Player Who Plays At A Level Above Everyone Else
For the Dolphins, during their 0-13 run, it was Ronnie Brown. Ronnie Brown was having a phenomenal season and no one else on that team (except perhaps Chris Chambers, who the Dolphins then traded that season) was playing at the level he was. Unfortunately, the team's leading rushing for the season (and, at the time, leading receiver) was knocked out for the season by Week 7. For the Lions, it was Calvin Johnson. He was in the Top 5 of quite a number of major receiving statistics and earned the name Megatron. No one else had what he had. Had he been on any other team than the 0-16 Lions, he would have been a Pro-Bowler. But going 0-16 is not an individual effort. It is a team effort and that is why they got there together.
Now, if the Rams hadn't blown it against the Lions last week, the answer would easily be Steven Jackson for them. I can't even name any of their receivers (remember back in the day when Rams' receivers were feared?) or 75% of their roster if I were asked. But, we do have the Bucs to work with and their player has to Aqib Talib, their phenomenal cornerback. In the one game that they could have won this year, he tried to ruin the perfect season by picking off Redskins' QB Jason Campbell three times and put the Bucs in a position to win. When the Patriots were kicking them into the dirt, Talib put his foot down and went out and made plays against the Pats. However, the rest of the team in the Redskins' game got their act together and did nothing in the Second Half as Nugent missed field goals, the offense committed turnovers, and even Aqib Talib got on the same page and let Santana Moss blow right by him for the TD that sealed the game.
Must Trade A Huge Name During The Season
This is what cements it. This is how you know you're on the track to a 0-16 season. When the Dolphins were rolling down that path, they traded their rising receiver Chris Chambers to the Chargers before their departure to England for their game against the Giants. For the Lions, it was Roy Williams who was traded to Dallas.
The Buccaneers took a different route and traded former first-round pick and defensive end Gaines Adams to the Bears for their 2010 second-round pick. Of course, the trade has not solved any of their problems and their woes continues. Looking at the rest of their schedule, there doesn't seem like there is a game they might win. Their best chances come in consecutive weeks (@ Carolina, vs. Jets, @ Seattle), but according to this formula, they don't have a chance.
- R. Mitchel
"They've gotten desperate enough to even let wide receiver Michael Clayton throw a pass. I suppose that is more productive than letting them play receiver since he drops so many passes."
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