Delusional Falcons (And Bucs) Fans

October 10th, 2022

“Blaine, why won’t Tom hug me?”

Joe is a having a good laugh at the notion held by some fans (even a handful of interns at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters) that the Falcons would have won yesterday if not for a bad call on defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

That assumes something nearly impossible.

If the Jarrett sack wasn’t wiped out by a phantom roughing-the-passer call, Atlanta would have burned its final timeout before the Bucs punted with about 3 minutes remaining. So figure Atlanta would have gotten the ball back at their own 20 yard line with about 2:55 left in the game.

Marcus Mariota, one of the NFL’s worst passers, would then have needed an 80-yard touchdown drive with no timeouts to win.

That’s about as likely as Joe wagering on Roberto Aguayo to nail a 58-yard game-winning field goal, or Joe getting invited to the next Bucs cheerleaders hot tub party.

Late in the third quarter, despite trailing by three scores, the Falcons gave up on their own passing game. Why? Because they know how bad it is.

So the idea of Mariota marching a hurry-up offense 80 yards to the winning score is laughable with less than a few minutes on the clock and no timeouts.

Joe is grateful the Falcons never got the ball in their hands with a chance to win, but remember that Atlanta would have needed a straight-up football miracle to leave The Licht House with a “W.”

Of course, this wouldn’t even be a discussion if the refs didn’t hose the Bucs offense on a clear 35-yard penalty on the snap prior to the Jarrett controversy.

71 Responses to “Delusional Falcons (And Bucs) Fans”

  1. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Why exactly would the Falcons have had to exclusively pass , the way the Falcons were gashing our Bucs with the run , there would have certainly been runs called. Run defense is obviously a glaring deficiency and a huge liability-SIGN SUH NOW
    Just do the math. They wouldn’t have had time for much running. Let’s say they got off three runs before the 2-minute warning and then they were at their own 40 from there. Joe admits a hurry-up rushing attack would have been interesting to see, especially the running back dragging ass.–Joe

  2. Evo Says:

    Ahh aaahhh aaahhhhhhhh SSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH

    Pardon me for my sneeze

  3. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Cmon Joe-When are you going to just straight up ask Jason Licht-“Hey Jason , since your run defense is virtually non existent , are you considering signing Ndamakong Suh to bolster that run defense??”. That is a question that legitimately should be posed to Jason Licht-it would be quite interesting to hear his answer.

  4. Listnfrmafar Says:

    Remember Bowles the defensive GENIUS is calling the plays. I could see a pass prevent D (not used in Rams PO game) and Atl runs right down the field. They had a chance. They got to 15 in the 4th quarter.

    #jetstrash

  5. Hodad Says:

    Buc fans can’t be happy with a win Joe that’s all there is to it. They must not watch other games. Teams win, and lose every week in gut wrenching, or simply amazing fashion. Take the win no matter how it comes. The calls were bad for both teams yesterday. Eveyone seems to forget they got 15 yrds for Vea bumping into Mariota. The refs plain suck this year, but that’s league wide, and another story. Bucs win!!

  6. Hail2dabucs Says:

    Our GM and head coach need to listen to a old Johnny Cash song and go get Our guy A boy named SUH ! Also I am very disappointed with our 3rd down defence ! The season is early and figured we win the bad nfc south but they better put it together once it matters or we r one and done

  7. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    The Suh money is being saved for Gronk

  8. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Have to say your constant refrain of saving it for Gronk is becoming quite nauseating. Bucs have about 3 mil right now in cap room , so there would have to be some capology done by Mr. Greenberg to even sign Gronk. To be honest Bucs can create whatever cap room they need to sign Suh and Gronk if that is their wish , because Greenberg is the best in the NFL at what he does.

  9. Dreambig Says:

    ATL fans can cry all they want. Fact is if the Refs would have called the assault on Scotty on the previous play, The Bucs would have been in scoring position and most likely would have put up another 7. You can’t have it both ways.

  10. Da Bucs Guy Says:

    It’s not that the falcons would win. It’s about refs taking away a big play from a team that made a big play.

  11. PSL Bob Says:

    Joe, I think you’re the one that’s delusional on this particular issue. It’s obvious the Buc’s offense had run out of steam and the defense was on it’s heels. Momentum had totally swung in the Falcons favor. The falcons didn’t need to run 20 plays to score. They just bust one or two big runs and it’s over. Sure, it may not have happened, but I guarantee you most fans watching that game were expecting the Falcons to come back and score (maybe a hangover from the Lost Decade). That call gave the Bucs a get out of jail free card. I’m sorry but that’s just the way it was yesterday.

  12. Zoocomics Says:

    @Joe

    We were down Davis, SMB and Edwards by the time all this happened. Def was gassed. What about momentum? They end that series on a Brady sack, already having scored 15 unanswered points, and you don’t think Falcons could pull it off? It was still game dude. You’re back tracking and trying to defend yourself over all these comments that were saying you called this way too early in your article. Relax Joe(s), no need to double down, lets save that for the politicians that say crazy stuff.
    ?? If you think Mariota, with his team having given up on the pass, was going to engineer an 80-yard, hurry-up drive for the “W” on the road with no timeouts, then you were watching a different game than Joe was.–Joe

    I hang my hat the no-call pass interference the play before. That wasn’t even a close-call… it was one of the worst calls I’ve seen since the roughing the passer penalty for Brady the very next play.

  13. Anonymous Says:

    Bucs fans can’t be happy with a win?? Really? When Brady finally retires and the free agents no longer want to come to Tampa some of you fans will deserve the result . Tampa is in a golden era but the crybabies can’t enjoy it. You guys must be a blast a parties.

  14. Dreambig Says:

    Not sure that was a bad call anyway. Anyone paying attention knows that Tua was seriously injured on the same exact kind of sling shot play. If the refs were instructed to penalize that type of play, then it is what it is. You don’t have to like it. I hate when we get called for a horse collar, but those are the rules. If the refs were not instructed to crack down on those types of sling slot tackles, then it was a bad call. Still, so was the no call on Scotty.

  15. Morgus the Magnificent Says:

    Delusional to believe the Falcons would score 15 in the 4th, right Joe?

  16. Dreambig Says:

    PSL Bob, if the refs would have called the pass interference on the previous play, the Bucs would have had a first down around the 10 and the game would have been over anyway. How convenient to pick one of two bad calls and say that one changed the game while ignoring the impact of the other.

  17. Jonny Says:

    Our run defense currently is an absolute disaster. They look as bad as the BUCS under Raheem Morris in 2011.

  18. BucsfanFred Says:

    Well, at least I now know why refs carry yellow flags.
    Apparently, the dog’s blind too.

  19. Buddha Says:

    Too bad the Falcons did nothing the first three quarters.

  20. David Says:

    Da Buc Guy

    Ok. What about Scotty Miller having a PI against him that was a no call.? That was blatant. That was a worse call. Or the holding they called on ATL on Evans crossing route, horrible call. Or VEA getting called for roughing the passer when he bumped Mariota. Another horrible call.

    The point is it all evens out and just because a play happens towards the end of a game doesn’t make it more valuable than a play that happened at any other point in the game.

  21. Anonymous Says:

    Game over ! Bucs win, never apologize for winning

  22. Listnfrmafar Says:

    David, you forgot refs not setting the ball with 1:21 in the half causing a TD opportunity for Bucs plus more time possession.

  23. ChiBuc Says:

    “The Suh money is being saved for Gronk”

    Or create more flow by cutting dead weight… Randolph and Jones. Also, you might as well put brittle man, Hicks, on IR now because 300lb because you’ll continue to see him return for half a game and be out 4 the rest of the season

  24. Jack Sparrow Says:

    With the Bucs defense, anything is possible. Bucs D made MAriota look like a HOF, and Bucs D also has the tendecies of making backup QB’s look like pro-bowlers. SO to think that the Falcons will not make a TD in the last 2 minutes is laughable.

  25. mark2001 Says:

    Amazing that we see all these folks we have never seen before coming to this board protesting the infamy of the call and victory of the Bucs on Sunday. The previous call was one of the worst “no calls” on obvious pass interference I’ve seen all year. And if the Bucs had lost the game due to the “no call” it would have been even more tragic than the call on the ” I’ll just roll his shoulder into the ground sack” of Brady.

    That all being said, cry us a river, Falcon fan in disguise. You lost. Get used to it.

  26. Bucsfan13 Says:

    Brady’s shoulder and finger are obviously affecting his throws. You could see it in the Chiefs game. He’s still completing 70% of his passes and has thrown only one pick, but this offense is off. No energy and lethargic. And it’s not all on Leftwich. I’m one of Leftwich’s biggest critics, but the players have to own up to their lack of execution.

    A reporter asked Brady about his shoulder. Instead of asking him how’s his shoulder, I suggest you need to be more specific in the questioning.

    Question: Hey, Tom. In the game you had some off throws, particularly there were two under thrown passes to Miller. Could you tell us about those throws? I know you said your shoulder and hand were fine, but could you give us more insight on those poor throws?

  27. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    Why is Kyle Rudolph drawing a check?

  28. Tbbucs3 Says:

    Joe, I’ve seen Mariota throw 4 TDs 0 Ints against the Bucs (In his 1st game) and especially with SMB and Carlton Davis being out of the game, anything could’ve been possible

  29. Bucsfan13 Says:

    I still say we need to sit Brady for two games so he can properly care for that finger and shoulder. The videos that I’ve seen of the Bucs postgame suggest that they weren’t happy about this win at all. Not even Devin White could hype this team up after the win. The team looked downright dejected. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but a Tom Brady team is actually lacking leadership. The defense is arrogant and the offense is apathetic. I like Bowles, but I need to see this team with some fire!!

  30. BucsBro Says:

    Good win, despite letting off the gas late. Still much to improve, but a lot of positives.

    * Rookies showing up big (Otton, White, Hall, Goethke)

    * Offense got in gear (5 drives of 10+ plays; that matches our total from the previous 4 games combined)

    * Defense was stout until they thought they could relax and got tired

    * 420 yards of offense

    When you play Brady Ball (ball control, short gains), you won’t score as many points. Because you have fewer possessions. But your opponent will also score fewer points because they have the ball less.

    Until we have our full receiver compliment healthy, and until Brady has chemistry with them, this (Brady Ball) is definitely how we want to play.

    People have been talking about JTS. He’ll learn. He just wants to get to the quarterback right now. Once he learns to settle down a bit and play the run, too, then he’ll be what we want him to be. I played defensive end, and I know what JTS is thinking. He’s just green.

  31. SB~LV Says:

    Brady is broken
    I have been watching a 8-8 team

  32. Dlavid Says:

    The Bucs got a gift yesterday it is plain and simple! They got their ass kicked all over the field by Atlanta’s tough as nails run game! No problem as a lifelong Buc fan I’ve seen enough of these calls go against us and I’ll take everyone I can get and feel great about it. Fire the cannons!

  33. JeffG Says:

    No offense. Not many people “assumed” they were going to win. But 3 minutes after how they dominated the last drive is certain not “impossible i believe you phrased it”. The Bucs defense was tired and couldn’t stop much that last quarter. Mariota is no all pro QB, but to say he couldn’t put together a touchdown drive with 3 minutes or calling it impossible is a ridiculous comment. When you get 2 BS calls on two 3rd downs in a row, then yes driving for the game winning touchdown is impossible.

  34. Tony Says:

    I guess some of them forgot about a couple of the PI calls that should’ve been called on Atlanta that were missed & there was a roughing the passer that should’ve been called on Atlanta before that one, too! They also forgot about the Evans TD that they basically said he didn’t score when it clearly looked like he did.

  35. Kody Says:

    0-14 in the 4th quarter says it all, Joe. Bucs had broken down and all the momentum was on the Falcons side. It wouldn’t have been easy, but they could have scored a game-winning TD with 3minutes left. We got very lucky with that bad call on sacking Brady.

  36. Old School Nole Says:

    This is why we can’t have nice things. Bucs fans have a loser mentality. Bitching about bad calls is for losers so it makes sense, but bitching about a bad call that goes your way is unique to us. We won. Be happy. Does anyone think it’s going to make difference in this division? Are the Falcons going to not suck anymore and come up one game short? We are a winning team. The fans should act like it!

  37. Daniel Says:

    I’m laughing at the intern comment!

  38. Defense Rules Says:

    I’m surprised that no one has pointed to Brady’s poor throwing in the 4th quarter. He went 3-for-10 which is very un-Tom-Brady-like in pressure situations (as in when Atlanta was coming back?). And the majority were short passes to boot.

    On our last drive to run out the clock, we had THREE 3rd down situations (4, 5 & 5 yds). The 1st one was incomplete to Godwin, but Terrell got called for DPI (thankfully). The 2nd one Brady got sacked, but Grady got called for roughing the passer (thankfully). The 3rd one Brady threw short complete to Evans (once again, thankfully) and we were able to take kneeldowns after that.

    On that same last drive, there were FIVE 1st down situations. The 1st one Lenny picked up 12 yds UP THE MIDDLE. The 2nd one Lenny picked up 3 yds over LG. The 3rd one Lenny picked up 5 yds UP THE MIDDLE. The 4th one Brady threw incomplete short to Evans, and the 5th one was a kneeldown.

    Note to BL: Lenny had 14 runs on the day for 56 yds … 7 over left guard, 4 in the middle, plus 1 each over LT, RG & RT. Lenny had 2 big runs: 1 for 14 yds (over LT) & another for 12 yds (middle). Means that on his other 12 runs he got 30 yds (2.5 YPC). So almost 80% of his rushing attempts were over the 2 newest members of the OLine (Goedeke & Hainsey). Just a thought: you MIGHT want to try something rushing him over the more experienced OLinemen next time.

  39. SB~LV Says:

    DR…looks like nerve damage in his throwing arm

  40. THOMAS PFALZ Says:

    SUH? GRONK?

  41. gotbbucs Says:

    3:00 minutes is an eternity on a football field at the end of a game. Falcons had all the momentum. I would put nothing past this team finding a way to let the Falcons get within striking distance in that amount of time.

  42. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    Hey, we will take the win, but it was a bad call, perhaps it was to make up for all the calls the refs missed ?
    Momentum was clearly with Atlanta, until that penalty killed them.
    I am glad we won, of course, but not so sure we would have won, with 3 minutes left, if not for that penalty.

  43. PSL Bob Says:

    Anonymous, why do you think we’re not happy with a win. A win is a win, no matter how you come by it. What we’re doing is arguing with Joe (at least one of them) who gives Atlanta zero change of scoring a winning touchdown had that roughing the passer penalty not been called. It was a gift. Joe is arguing it had no effect on the game. I disagree. Still happy the Bucs won!

  44. SOEbuc be Says:

    No b!tching about flags or injuries like some kinda 2020 Packers and KC in NFCC and Super Bowl. Scotty did have that ball in his hands before he was blatantly getting PI on the bomb right before. I think refs try to make up horrible no calls with horrible calls, “I’m not the one that throws the flags” so you can’t let it get to you because it is in the past.

  45. Jerry Says:

    Seriously… Atlanta scored 0 points going into the 4th quarter and you act like the Bucs got their butts kicked? Why? because the defense was tired late in the 4th quarter when the offense couldn’t hold on to the ball for more than a minute?

    Atlanta is a team built on the run. They are going to run on everyone. They nearly beat the Rams and Saints.

    Sorry but the only stat that matters in the NFL is the score. The defense held them to zero points for 3 quarters.

  46. SOEbuc Says:

    And I’m not crying about that flag and if or if not won the game, but I was telling my dad earlier in the game how sh!tty that head ref has always been. I don’t know if they always have the same crew, but those were the umps that got assigned Bucs vs Atl before Brady.

  47. Whoolio? Says:

    Atlanta had no chance? I guess Joe was to busy slamming bromosas to watch the 4th quarter and see Atlantas momentum. It wasn’t just their offense. The bucs were getting gashed on nearly every punt return. One almost broke for a td if our horrible punter wasn’t there to get run over. The bucs were dead on defense. Giving up dumb penalties and throws to the sideline that would have stopped the clock. Not saying the Falcons would have won but they would have had a much better chance then Joe is giving them credit for. We shouldn’t even be talking about this. Why won’t you talk about horrible play calling from Byron Hasnobusinessbeinganoffensivecoor

  48. Whoolio? Says:

    dinatorwich. Dude was calling passes when you should run, running hurry up when you should be taking time off the clock, and killing our defense by putting them on the field after 3 short drives in a row.

  49. b4l Says:

    Devin White was bored, so yeah, probably would have lost

  50. b4l Says:

    And don’t doubt yourself so much about the tub party. All you got to do is tell them you are the most prolific Bucs beat writer in history.

  51. bucnjim Says:

    You know make up calls have been around since the beginning of time! The officials miss a call and somehow make up for it nothing new. As far as Brady in the second half it’s common knowledge he’s been struggling with at least one jammed finger. The swelling effects his ability to grip the ball the way he wants.

  52. kyle Says:

    idk what game you were watching Joe?? the falcons were completely dominating the 2nd half. They were getting 5, 6 yards a clip running the ball. If it wasnt for the fake roughing the passer, we were going to get beat.

  53. b4l Says:

    @Whoolio?

    When is Jason Licht going to ever learn that 1. You don’t give injury prone players contracts, esp overrated slot WRs (Godwin, Jones, Miller, Beasley, OJB??). And 2. you don’t draft kickers or punters in rounds 1-5??

    Winners always buy low, sell high.

    If you want a story Joe, look at KJ Hamler. Getting open for TDs and overlooked my Russ Cooked Wilson, and pissed as hell about it. Trade Godwin for Hamler and draft picks, bc we all know Denver loves overrated washed players.

    Go Bucs!!

  54. bob Says:

    a win is a win…be happy

  55. Infomeplease Says:

    Would duh, could duh, should duh, DUH!!!! Bucs win!!!!!

  56. BucsFanSince76 Says:

    SUH

  57. SB~LV Says:

    Tom Brady is broken, sad

  58. T REX Says:

    The question shouldn’t be…why aren’t the Bucs happy after a win.

    Great. We won a game we should have blown the opposing team.

    The question is why do we look AVERAGE in every phade of the game?

    This season is Super Bowl or bust. We do NOT look like a contender at all.

  59. Sorryjackchuckiesback Says:

    So will the extremely feminine male “cheerleaders” (that nobody wants to see) be in this hot tub with you? 😂🤢

  60. Crickett Baker Says:

    Idk how so many blame BL for bad play calls. I see Brady discussing just about every one with him. I have not seen them arguing, either.

  61. Buc1987 Says:

    SB~LV….you need to check yo sheets.

    Tom Brady’s still putting up gawdy passing numbers. 7 TD’s to 1 INT. Nearly 70% completion rate and a 96.5 QBR. Put up 350 yards on the Falcons and nearly 400 yards on the Chiefs.

    That doesn’t look broken to me..

  62. Buc1987 Says:

    Did you miss him launch the ball downfield to Miller as one of his 55 attempts?

  63. Listnfrmafar Says:

    Did you miss the 40 yd bullet he threw to Evan’s down the sideline? Can you imagine if he weren’t BROKEN? Bad finger, shoulder & potential divorce? I call that IMPRESSIVE!!!

  64. Chant Says:

    Definitely felt it was a makeup call for the missed pass interference.

  65. orlbucfan Says:

    Nothing like reading the JBF comedy blog. Bucs won, BTW.

  66. Mike Johnson Says:

    To be honest, Mariotta game has improved quite a bit. He moved the ball well against us. That roughing the Brady call would not have gone our way in Atlanta. And most of us know it. The football Gods just happened to be on our side last night. We were pretty darn lucky to pull that one out. Better be ready when we go to their stadium. But hey, lets take the win baby!

  67. Oneilbuc Says:

    I see Joe took my stamens off because they didn’t line up with his narrative about Brady. I’m so glad this is Brady last year because he’s become bad for football. And it’s not his fault but I don’t think no player should be talking to the refs at no time doing the game. And I still don’t believe this is a super bowl team so far.

  68. LeftwichgottagoAndBowles too Says:

    I’ll leave this one up to Joe… I think the Falcons winning would have been as likely or unlikely as Joe being a homer wearing blinders or not

  69. Sorryjackchuckiesback Says:

    If you want to see how that sack is supposed to be made in today’s NFL go back and watch Vita Vea sack on Mariota … He did almost the EXACT same thing but he let him go instead of whipping him to the ground!! Watch Vea sack and you will see how not to get called for that penalty

  70. A Smart NFL Man Says:

    Who is this random joe guy? He knows nothing about the NFL and proved just from this poorly written article that he didn’t watch any of the actual game. He is just a highlight scammer. That isn’t surprising at all. Everybody knows that Mariota would’ve drove and taken the lead if the refs didn’t bail the Bucs out TWICE in only 4 plays. The Falcons were on an incredible hot streak and the Bucs were getting embarrassed on every play. The Falcons earned and deserve that win. Don’t let this random child with his daddy’s website try and act like he knows how football works.

    The Falcons 100% would’ve won that game. They earned the win and they deserved it far more than the Bucs did. The Bucs and brady had endless penalties go their way all game long. The worst of it was the roughing the passer phantom flag that never should’ve been thrown.

    ** Plus it is just embarrassing that not a single Bucs fan has mentioned how brady tried to kick Grady Jarrett on that very same play that the phantom roughing the passer was called. That was a disgusting childish move by the grandpa QB. It makes sense that nobody respects him and why every single NFL fan and media member agrees that The Falcons would’ve won that game.
    Yet for some reason there are random Bucs fans that say “WhAt AbOuT tHe PlAy BeFoRe ThAt OnE?”

    News flash, kids. That ball was uncatchable and well out of bounds for starters. Not to mention that the DB turned his head completely around before the ball arrived which is literally PERFECT defense and perfect coverage.

    But that play never should’ve happened. Bucs fans got ANOTHER break only 3 plays prior, AGAIN.! That was the phantom “holding” call against AJ Terrell. Him and Mike Evans made the same amount of contact with each other only 3 yards off the LOS. They were far short of the 5 yard mark that is needed to call a penalty. That was just one of the two worst calls of the NFL season and of course both of them benefited Tom because he was crying for it so he wouldn’t blow another lead and get whooped by The Falcons.

  71. Sorryjackchuckiesback Says:

    A smart NFL man: translation – 😫😭 falcons would have won if they weren’t down by 21 going into the 4th and relying on good officiating to win whaaaahhhh 😭