The slide of Josh Freeman, who’s a combined 32-of-74 in his past two games, is worse than it appears, says former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996). 

Co-host of the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620, Beckles made the point this morning that Freeman is benefitting from elite talent at the skill positions but is still struggling.

“The weapons are making him look good,” Beckles said. “There are guys going up and beasting for the ball. There wasn’t a whole lot in our passing game yesterday.”

It’s hard to argue the point. Freeman has the luxury of a strong running game and a dangerous back out of the backfield. He’s also got a surehanded tight end and a definite Pro Bowl wide receiver in Vincent Jackson, as well as another go-get-it receiver in Mike Williams, and both are extremely versatile. And Freeman has an offensive line that pass blocks effectively.

Very few quarterbacks have so much to work with. In addition, it’s worth noting that the bulk of the Bucs’ payroll is on the offensive side of the ball. Relatively speaking, there’s not a lot of improvement the Bucs need to make on offense, outside of Freeman finding discovering consistency.

Perhaps the primary reason Greg Schiano gave as to why he set up a punt with a 3rd-and-8 run late in the fourth quarter was that he was confident the Bucs would get pressure on Eagles QB Nick Foles, with the rookie in a scenario with no timeouts and feeling the heat to score a touchdown or lose the game.

Well, the pressure came, but Foles still feasted on the Bucs secondary, the one Ronde Barber said isn’t good enough.

Via Philly.com, an Eagles offensive lineman acknowledged that his linemates couldn’t slow down the Bucs’ rush.

 “The offensive line didn’t help him out early in the game, and throughout the game, with the pressure, but he never got upset, never changed his composure. He stayed focused,” rookie right tackle Dennis Kelly said. “It was kind of one of those things like, if he can do it, we can do it.”

The Bucs finished with six sacks, including two for Gerald McCoy and Michael Bennett. That’s SIX! And they completely stopped the run. But the Bucs still lost the game, even without committing a turnover and despite a punishing performance by Doug Martin. That’s an extremely rare feat in the NFL. Apparently, it only happens when your quarterback is having an ugly day.

Partially because of Eric Wright’s selfish actions, the Bucs’ pass defense, and playoff dreams, have been turned upside down.

Kvetch about Josh Freeman doing a Mark Sanchez imitation if you will, pound your office desk over the Bucs defense collapsing (yet again) in the fourth quarter, curse out loud if you must over Greg Schiano not passing on third down (“this Joe” sides with the coach on that call), but before Bucs fans get so wound up this morning, fueled by outrage and caffeine over the memory of a killer, disgusting loss, let’s place blame where it belongs:

On Aqib Talib and Eric Wright.

If not for those two birds’ selfish, illegal acts (in Talib’s case, one of many), not only would the Bucs not be on the outside looking in on a playoff bid, but very likely could be in the wild card lead.

It was those two, both the Bucs starting cornerbacks to open the season, who decided to obtain medicine illegally without a prescription and got busted.

At least Talib was man enough to fess up right away and serve his sentence. If Wright was of the same mind, his suspension would have been over by now and he would have played yesterday. Wright selfishly was defiant to the very end.

But no. Those two decided they were bigger than the team, bigger than their teammates, bigger than the NFL.

So they got popped and were suspended/traded because of their actions. Think those two were crying in their beers last night?

If is because of the irresponsible, selfish, wrongheaded actions of Talib and Wright why the Bucs’ cornerbacks, in such a critical stage of games late in the season, has been manned by rookie free agents and warm bodies off the street.

This is what happens when you have selfish characters who are only concerned about themselves on the roster. It drags the team down.

In the Bucs ‘case, it all but killed any playoff chances for the team.

So before Bucs fans start lobbing arrows this morning in disgust and anger, let’s point those arrows at the real culprits. The two who put the Bucs defense in a no-win situation.

Veteran sports columnist Gary Shelton offers his thoughts on the gut-punching Bucs loss to the Eagles in this Tampa Bay Times video.

Here are quotes from key parties after the Bucs devastating loss to the Eagles, compiled by the media relations staffs of both the Eagles and the Bucs.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

GREG SCHIANO

(On being third-and-7 on Tampa Bay’s final drive)
“You know, there are two ways to play it. You can try to throw the ball, (but) we decided to run the ball and make them use their timeout, let it tick. My thinking was, we can punt the ball away and, if we get a stop, the game is over, they have no timeouts. If we don’t get the stop, we put it on the defense and we didn’t come up with the stop. When you are on the positive side, our side of the playing field, the risk-reward; tipped pass, anything that could go wrong, where they could get the ball on the plus side. As it turns out, we didn’t have a great punt, which could have helped. You hit a boomer there, you get them back to the 18, 16, 20, whatever, but that’s not what happened. At the end of the day, we just had too many mistakes to win an NFL football game. It’s what it boils down to.”

(On mistakes during the game)
“Just throughout the game, there were too many penalties at inopportune times. We had our hands on some balls that we didn’t catch. We were fortunate, too; there were some balls that they could have intercepted and they didn’t. At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough, we didn’t coach well enough to win and that responsibility falls on me. I’m in charge. We needed to play better to win and it didn’t happen.”

(On QB Josh Freeman)
“I’ll have to watch the tape to see exactly what the problems were. It just seemed like he wasn’t himself, wasn’t in sync. Then he made some throws that make you say, ‘Oh, there he is.’ We as an offensive football team didn’t play the way we are capable of playing. We made some critical mistakes. At the end of the day you can’t do that in the National Football League. It doesn’t work.”

(On losing three games in a row)
“I’d be disappointed if there was a harder way to prepare and get ready then what we have been doing. We try to do everything that we can. Turn over every stone. That is the way that we operate. We are going to continue to do that, we have to do something. I have to do something to get our team to play better because we didn’t play well enough to win and that’s my job.”

(On the loss)
“We made too many mistakes. It’s not mistakes because guys aren’t working, guys aren’t preparing; it’s more guys making mistakes (from) trying to do too much. You have to do your job, that’s our whole mantra: Do Your Job. And we all – coaches, players – you try to call too perfect of a play, or you try to do something as a player to make something happen… (Football is) the ultimate team game for a reason. You have to do your job, and when you do that it gives you a chance to win. Today, we didn’t do that consistently enough and that’s why we lost.”

QB JOSH FREEMAN

(On losing a close game)
“Any time we lose, it’s frustrating, no matter what the reason is. Today, Philly just found a way to make more plays than us. Whether it (was) at the beginning of the game or down the stretch, it doesn’t matter when it happened, but it happened. We have to find a way to make more plays and score more points. That’s what the game is all about: winning and losing. Any time you lose, and lose close, it’s going to be rough.”

(On watching the final drive)
“That’s part of the game, part of the game. You have to find a way to get it so it’s not that close at the end. The Eagles, like I said, made more plays and down the stretch found a way to make the plays to win the game.”

(On teammates RB Doug Martin and WR Vincent Jackson)
“No question, both of those guys (are important). Vincent had a number of huge catches, including his touchdown. Doug as well, got him running, got him rolling, and busted some tackles, busted some big runs. Mike Williams and I thought the offensive line really cranked it up the second half and answered the call. The fact remains that it wasn’t enough.”

(On the first half of the game)
“We were just a little off. We were taking shots and trying to throw it down field and then one to Vincent (Jackson) was out front of him. The one to Mike (Williams), the guy jumped up and made a play on it. If you hit a couple of those, you really have something going. But, first half, I thought our defense did a great job holding them to 10 points, but you definitely have to come out and play better in the first half and score more points.”

(On what issues the team faced)
“It’s hard to say, because practice, preparation – we’ve been continuing to push the envelope and to work extremely hard. We had a great week of practice, but we just weren’t finding the plays (in the game). We weren’t finding the plays downfield that we normally do. It’s frustrating, but, at the same time, it something that you know that your guys can do that you’re capable of doing. It was there first half today. We didn’t do enough today but all we can do is go out and continue to prepare and continue to play.”

(On the rest of the season)
“We have three games. The one that we’re focusing on is the next one, the New Orleans Saints. After the season is the time for reflection, right now we’re going to try to go in and prepare as well as we can and find a way to win our next game.”

RB DOUG MARTIN

(On the second half)
“Coach Schiano always talks about doing your job and I think that’s what we did coming out in the second half and (Vincent Jackson) had a great game as well as Mike Williams. Josh (Freeman) also did a good job of getting the ball to them.”

(On the loss)
“A loss is a loss. Any loss feels bad, but we just need to bounce back and get ready for the next game.”

(On his play)
“It’s a loss, so I can’t really feel good about anything. Individual stats only matter if you get the W. That’s the main point, right there.”

DB RONDE BARBER

(On the game)
“(Philadelphia) made more plays than we did. I’ll give them credit, the QB went out and executed his two-minute and drove it better than we did on defense.”

(On whether the game was especially dangerous with Philadelphia’s record)
“There isn’t any danger – this is the NFL. I don’t care if they are 3-9 or 6-6. (The Eagles) have been playing good for their coach and they showed up on the field every week.”

(On whether the Super Bowl XXXVII anniversary affected today’s game)
“It was an honor to be a part of the 2002 Buccaneers team. It was nice to see all of those guys, but it had nothing to do with the product on the field (today) – so it doesn’t hurt more or less. It’s 2012 and that was 10 years ago. They celebrated rightfully, but it has nothing to do with this 2012 team.”

CB DANNY GORRER

(On the game)
“It was a real good game. I want to tip my hat to the Eagles; they made more plays than we did today. We have to get back to the drawing board.”

(On his near-interception at the end of the game)
“When I saw the ball, I kind of got excited and what not, but the great corners in this game make those balls. If I want to be a leader and take my game to another level, I have to make that play through the seam.”

(On the last play)
“We knew they had a shot to win the game and we called the defense. We thought the defense was good and we went with it. Like I said, they made one more play than we did and we’ll go back to work Monday.”

DE MICHAEL BENNETT

(On the final play)
“It was a sprint-out pass and you know that that was their play. That’s most teams play in the NFL. In order to get one guy open, they have him running and everyone else is just blocking. For a defensive line, everything is rushing one way and you think it is a rush play. It’s one of those things, they called that play, we knew that play, and as veterans on this team we should have stood up and made those plays.”

DT GERALD McCOY

(On playing in front of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl XXXVII Championship team)
“Yeah, you recognize they’re here; you’d like to win the game for them. If you know the history of Tampa Bay, you know that Philly was an issue for them. A game like this, you definitely want to get the win.”

(On his personal performance)
“It had nothing to do with them (the Super Bowl-winning team); that’s me playing for God. We got a message last night in chapel and they said, ‘What are you playing for?’ They told us what we should play for and that’s my motivation. Just playing as hard as I can for God.

(On the play of QB Nick Foles)
“It’s not easy to keep your poise when you’re getting hit all day as a rookie, but he did. All the credit goes to him. Mike (Bennett) got to him early on that last drive, (and Foles) could have gotten nervous, but he didn’t. (He) sat in the pocket, made the plays and they got a good win. Came on the road and got a good win.”

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
ANDY REID

(Opening statement)
“Listen, the fans were unbelievable. You got to give them credit there. They were out here [and at] times I wasn’t sure who had more fans. I was proud of that part. I was proud of our players for just fighting their tails off. I can go through and give individual accolades, but, as a team, they fought like crazy. Greg Schiano’s put together one heck of a football team and he’s building this thing the right way. That’s a tough football team right there and they’re going to win a lot of football games. To be able to sneak it out like that, that was quite a feat. Again, I’m proud of our guys. It’s been a while since we’ve won one so we’re going to enjoy this one and then get ready for Thursday night.”

(On the play of QB Nick Foles on the final drive)
“He made some great, big throws. It looked like he rallied the crew in there and everybody stepped their game up. The O-line had had a couple breakdowns in the middle of the game there and he was able to rally those guys or they rallied around him, whichever way it went. It looked like Nick really did well, made good decisions, and made big plays.”

(On Tampa bay’s run defense)
“Well, they’re the number one team in the National Football League in stopping the run, so we knew that coming in [and] we knew we were going to have to throw the football a little bit, hoping we could balance it off, but they shut down the run game pretty good. It gave us an opportunity to throw the ball a little bit and picked it up towards the end there.”

(On how important this type of win is for a young quarterback)
“How important is it for a young guy? I’d tell you, it’s a step forward. He’s coming off, I thought, a positive game against Dallas. He put together a good game here against a defense that’s tough and he had to battle. It just wasn’t a smooth event. We had our ups and downs, the ebbs and flows of the game, and he hung with it. It looked like he made people around him better and in himself, he got better.”

(On the conversation with QB Foles before the game-winning touchdown)
“Well, listen, he wanted that last play. That’s the play that he wanted so, I’m talking about the last play of the game. He called it, he wanted it, and he executed it. He did a great job of it, so hats off to him. He came off and he wanted that play. It was a play that we had put in the game plan, in that situation, but that’s the one he liked the best. He was feeling it. It’s a great thing when your quarterback is in tune like that. When he came off, he goes, ‘Hey, I’m feeling this right here.’ You saw (Philadelphia Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator) Marty (Mornhinweg) give him a high-five. That’s what that was all about. (Mornhinweg) just goes, ‘Hey, that’s an awesome deal. That was a great feeling right there.’ So, I’m proud of the kid.”

(On the play of the Eagles’ defensive line)
“I thought they did well against the run. They got a good running team: good run offense, good running back and a good offensive line. I thought (for) our D-line, I’ve always said this, it starts there. I thought they did a nice job. They played a good combo game where you’re able to get some pressure on Freeman. Again, he’s tough to get to as we’ve seen over the last bit. We were able to get a little pressure on him and make a difference there. I thought they played well.”

(On building the team’s confidence)
“They’re excited. You go two months without winning a game in Philadelphia, that’s a tough thing, man. I’m proud of these guys, just staying true to themselves and battling like crazy and coming up with a win down here. The fans, down here, were awesome.”

QB NICK FOLES

(On why he likes to run the particular play that won the game)
“I just like a movement play in that situation because it changes throwing lanes. If you’re in the pocket, a guy can undercut it, whereas if you’re on the run, there’s no undercut. I just like movement plays. It felt good. It was the first play that came to my head.”

(On what was going through his mind during the final drive)
“The big thing is to be smart with the football. Be aggressive. (You) can’t take sacks. The line did a great job up front, really giving me time to throw, and our receivers ran great routes. When that happens it’s a lot easier to execute. The guys really did a great job. It was a great team win. We all stuck together and fought throughout the game.”

(On his rushing touchdown)
“It was just one of those plays where it turns into backyard football. I felt a little pressure, stepped up and got out of the pocket. Sometimes you’ve got to move around and make a play.”

(On getting his first win as a starting quarterback)
“I’m so excited for my teammates, me, coach Reid, our organization, our owners. It’s just very special, very humbling. It’s a great win too because we came back. We were winning. We lost it. The team stuck together. There was never a doubt in our minds. It was exciting to go out there and execute.”

(On the game providing validation)
“This is a special game. It’s a big win for us. We haven’t won in like two months. The emotions are going crazy right now. I really just want to enjoy it with my teammates because we were out there fighting together. Our coaches were with us every step of the way. It’s a big win for us.”

(On having the final playcall in his hands)
“We (Head Coach Andy Reid and Foles) were on the same page. He trusts me. That’s big when you have your coach that trusts you in that situation. I told him I was comfortable with the play and he said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

WR JEREMY MACLIN

(On the win)
“All around as a team, we just never quit. You guys are seeing Nick Foles grow into a phenomenal quarterback right in front of your eyes. I think the sky is the limit for him. One thing we have to do, we understand that this season hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to go, (but) we just have to stay positive and stay fighting until the end.”

(On the final drive)
“I’m never, ever, ever going to have any thought in my head other than we can do it. That’s how I am, that’s my mindset always. This team never quits, everybody in here wanted this game so bad. From the coaches, to the players, to everybody in this organization, (we) just wanted to win so badly. I don’t care how we did it, it just happened to fall like that. Not winning in two months, that’s crazy, but this one feels good.”

(On the final catch)
“When I came out and saw the coverage, I knew that I had a good opportunity of getting this ball. Nick (Foles) put the ball down and away like he was supposed to, I went down and got the ball, made sure I was in bounds, and the rest is history.”

LB JAMAR CHANEY

(On getting an opportunity to play)
“Wednesday I found out. I was very excited. I waited a long time and it was kind of hard just sitting there waiting. Just got to be patient and wait on the Lord; (He) helped me through it. Got a win today, that’s the best thing right there.”

(On staying patient)
“It was real tough, starting every game last year. This year, you don’t get on the field that much; it’s real hard. You just have to continue working, and that’s one thing that I try and do. You can ask the coaches, when we go against the offense in practice, I try and go real hard, not only to help them but to help myself, just in case something happens.

DE BRANDON GRAHAM

(On the defensive line)
“It always feels good to know that we played good. I know that when we get to the film, we are going to have more stuff to correct. But overall, I think we played good.”

(On Tampa Bay’s last drive)
“Get off the field. Three-and-out. Forget about that first run that we made. We still had a shot. They had the holding call, and (on) that third down I can remember DeMeco (Ryans) saying ‘Get off the field, this is that play that we talk about in meetings, get off the field.’ Sure enough, (Fletcher) Cox made a play. It felt good to get off the field, because we gave our offense a chance to win the game.”

RB BRYCE BROWN

(On the win)
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence in ourselves. (It’s) a great win for our coaches. Everybody was in position and glad we made a play. Feels good that we got the win. It was a close game so nerves were there, but I’m excited we got the win. It was a long, hard-fought game.”

(On the booth review of the final play)
“I mean we could all see he was clearly in, so we just decided to hear the call. Then once we got it, it was a sigh of relief.”

(On not giving up the season)
“We’ve got a really strong team. I think a lot of credit goes to our veterans. The veterans are really pushing us to continue to fight. In football, things are going to happen. You’re not going to always have a great season all the time, but it’s important that you continue to fight because it shows the character you have as a person.”

LB DeMECO RYANS

(On QB Nick Foles)
“You see his progression every week, and he just continues to get better and better. For his fourth start, to be able to go out and make a game-winning drive the way he did, even though he was getting hit a little bit the way he did, but he stuck in there and made the tough plays, made the tough throws to help us win this game. It’s special to see a rookie come in and play the way he’s been playing. Nick has a great upside. You see Nick with the decision-making that he has, he’s going to continue to get better as he has over the past four weeks. With him continuing to get the reps and continuing to get the looks, understanding how defenses are trying to attack him, he’ll continue to do well and he’ll be a tough quarterback in this league as he continues to grow and study more.”

(On the defense in today’s game)
“We stop the run. We got them in third-and-long situations and we were able to come out there and get pressure on the quarterback, something we haven’t done in a long time […]. That was the difference (from) prior weeks when guys would make plays on us on a third down. We eliminated the big plays. We didn’t have any big plays. We made them drive the ball down when they had to score.”

CB DOMINIQUE RODGERS-CROMARTIE

(On the success against Tampa Bay’s passing attack)
“The pressure was better, even if he (Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman) had an open route. He wasn’t able to just stand there and make the throws he could normally make, so I think the pressure is what really got him.”

(On Philadelphia QB Nick Foles)
“One thing I know about Nick, and that’s a fact, is that he always stays calm and cool and we never lost faith in him.”

(On the win)
“I give credit to the offense, they go down there and drive like that and Nick stands in the pocket, taking hits. I’m proud of him, just to get a win, it feels good. I think it’s going to bring back the morale of the team and we can just go out and keep the team going. The defense made the stop (on third down) and the offense did what it’s supposed to do.”

WR JASON AVANT

(On what the game proves)
“You really can’t take to heart what people say, especially when you are down. In hard times, people say things they don’t really mean, whether it be fans or players or what have you. So we never took it to heart. We know that we played hard; it’s just that we were turning the ball over. And today we did a good job offensively of not turning the ball over. We had one (giveaway) and we overcame that one as a team and Nick (Foles) did a great job. It’s never been an effort issue; it’s been more of an executing-the-game-plan issue. We always played hard, we just made inopportune mistakes and we did better today.”

(On his conversion on fourth-and-5 during the final drive)
“I didn’t know how close I was. The first thing I was thinking was to squeeze the ball, because when the safety is around I know those defenders are around. I tried to get as much as I could and keep my feet going and tried to get in the end zone, and, once I couldn’t, it was time for me to get the ball to the closest referee and not let (Tampa Bay) touch it, and I was thinking that if I put the ball on the ground they would kick it and the game would be over, so I was just thinking about getting the ball to the nearest referee.”

Bucs icon Ronde Barber was not a happy man after the humiliating loss to the heinous Eagles today.

Interestingly, Barber said the Bucs don’t have what it takes in the secondary. That’s no surprise, but it was surprising to hear from Barber.

“Guys gotta step up and do their jobs better than the guys across from you. To be very frank we haven’t done that. You want to hear reasons for it? I don’t care to get into them.We’re not good enough right now, especially on the back end, to win games like this,” Barber said.

Perhaps Barber was flashing some bitterness toward Eric Wright and Aqib Talib? That’s just Joe speculating.

Barber went on to cite lapses in coverage in the secondary and said the Bucs were outplayed by a rookie quarterback.

Joe hopes this losing streak isn’t helping push Barber toward retirement.

The hope and promise of the proverbial “next year” is the only thing soothing Joe right now following the heinous debacle against the Eagles and their rookie quarterback before a packed house in Tampa today. And what’s intriguing about 2013 is how the Bucs will approach their defensive line.

Michael Bennett, with two sacks today, has nine on the season. Bennett plays the run like a beast. And Bennett rushes inside and outside — one of his sacks was off an inside rush today — and he only turned 27 a few weeks ago.

Translation: Bennett is adding bags full of money to his inevitable unrestricted free agent contract coming after this season.

Joe doesn’t know of any effective, young pass rusher who doesn’t get paid big bucks in free agency. Then throw in the versatility in Bennett’s game, and he’s going to be in demand when the free agency whistle blows in March.

Will the Bucs invest heavily in Bennett? Joe doesn’t see how they have any other choice, unless they’re going to use one of their prime draft picks, which improve weekly. He’s the best of the Bowers-Clayborn-Bennett trifecta.

Bucs coaches say they have confidence in their quarterback, and they pay one of the best and biggest wide receivers in the NFL an eight-figure salary. Then why the hell did the Bucs play chicken crap football at the end of the game?

It was 3rd-and-8 on the Bucs’ 33 yard line with 2:55 left in the game, and Mike Sullivan, or more likely Greg Schiano, opts to run Doug Martin up the middle.

C’mon. Throw the damn ball!

What was the rationale there Coach? To set up your award-winning secondary to win the game for you? The Bucs have weapons all over the field, and running up the gut was wasting every last one of them.

The Bucs punted and never got the ball back. Game over.

Joe was somewhat soothed to hear former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht on the Buccaneers Radio Network hating that call after the game. Joe didn’t feel alone in his anger.

That’s just weak football, and it tells Joe the head coach isn’t as confident in his quarterback as he states publicly.

A handful of minutes after the Bucs coughed up a win to the hapless Eagles on the last play of the game, all but cementing yet another season without a playoff win, much less a playoff appearance, Bucs offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah seemed to sum everything up in one sentence after the game.

“We had a chance to close out the game and we shot ourselves in the foot,” Zuttah said.

Joe knows specifically what Zuttah was talking about. With 2nd-and-7 on the Bucs-24 with just over three minutes left, Ted Larsen was called for holding, essentially killing the drive.

Just because Kenyatta Walker was in the house for the Bucs 2002 Super Bowl reunion doesn’t mean the Bucs needed to get whistled for holding, especially at that moment.

But it wasn’t just that episode. When the Eagles got the ball back, the Bucs were busted for 12 men on the field when Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was spiking the ball. What in the world are you trying to change defenses for at that moment?

The Bucs were also nailed for defensive holding on that fateful drive.

For the Bucs to make the playoffs next year (or beyond), they will have to learn how to put away their toy guns in order to not make the silly mistakes that can easily turn a playoff team into an also-ran in close games in December.

“Get Smart” was a great TV show, but playing Maxwell Smart in football games is rather dumb.

Bucs corner Danny Gorrer falls to his knees after the Eagles beat the Bucs on the last play of the game.

The Eagles were marching and, sadly, Bucs fans had seen this too many times on the very same piece of real estate — at the very same end of the field earlier this season.

Philadelphia was moving the ball on a must-convert drive in order to win in the final seconds. As any Bucs fan should have expected, the Bucs’ secondary was struggling.

Then, rookie third-round pick quarterback Nick Foles threw down the middle on third down trying to hit Marvin McNutt. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Bucs cornerback Danny Gorrer jumped in front of the pass and had the ball in his gut, but couldn’t hang on.

If he did, game over, Bucs win and the playoffs are still alive.

Instead, three plays later, the Eagles win on a touchdown pass on the game’s final play and the Bucs, again, will be watching the playoffs on TV just like the rest of us.

Gorrer was a destroyed soul after the game, all but placing the loss on his shoulders.

“What I saw, I got excited and as I said earlier, the great corners in this game make those plays and get the team off the field,” Gorrer said. “If I want to be a leader, and be great, I have to make that play.”

It was Eagles ball, fourth-and-five from the Bucs 23. Some 16 seconds left. It was do-or-die for the Eagles. The Bucs make a stop, and the win is theirs.

Instead, quarterback Nick Foles, a rookie third-round draft pick, looked far more the franchise quarterback than his counterpart for the Bucs. He stood tall in pressure and connected down the middle for a 22-yard gain to Jason Avant.

We all know what happened after that. Touchdown, ballgame, see ya, playoffs.

In Michael Bennett’s eyes, that play should have never have been completed.

“That sprint out play, that is the play we practiced,” Bennett said in a mausoleum-like Bucs locker room after the game. “We went over that play several times this weekend. We should have been ready for it. We had to make one more play. That is their No. 1 go-to play. And we had to have it.

“We studied that play. We should have made the play.”

Put away your calculators and your hopes. The Bucs’ shot at the playoffs is gone.

Dallas, Washington and Minnesota all rose to the occasion today and won to move their records to 7-6, while the Bucs fell to 6-7. Dallas and Washington both have the key head-to-head tiebreaker edge on the Bucs and better conference records, also a potential critical tiebreaker. And they play each other later this season.

The Rams at 6-6-1 even leapfrogged the Bucs, and at the time of this post, Seattle is clobbering Arizona.

The Bucs need an absolute miracle to get in to the playoffs with a 9-7 record. But that would mean running the table in New Orleans, home for St. Louis and at Atlanta — and that would be a bigger miracle at this point.

One reason the Bucs are fond of saying it is all about No. 5, and wanting to get all the toys for No. 5, is to find out if Josh Freeman will be the long-term solution for the Bucs the rest of the decade.

After nearly three full years as a starter, right now Joe dosn’t know if Freeman is “the guy.”

At times, Freeman is spectacular, as he has shown in many games this year, and a few times during the 2010 season.

Then there was last season … and too many times this season, even when surrounded by Pro Bowl skill players.

Today was a shock to the system that demonstrates Freeman has quite a ways to go before his name can be spoken among the game’s elite, much less being able to lead a team to the playoffs.

Last week, Freeman got rattled by Von Miller and vanished for a good quarter of play, maybe longer, which allowed the Broncos to rally and win. Today, Freeman couldn’t hit the proverbial Tampa Bay if he fell out of a boat, one-hopping passes and generally missing targets by a disturbing margin.

On top of that, Freeman wasn’t making the smartest of decisions either. Why Freeman chose to check down to D.J. Ware who was covered like a blanket for a seven-yard loss of a reception (to be fair, Ware should have dropped the pass) rather than just throwing the ball away is a mystery.

Simply put, this shouldn’t be happening to such a talented quarterback with so many starts under his belt.

For a moment, Joe thought Josh Johnson was the Bucs quarterback, not Josh Freeman.

Then there is Nick Foles, the Eagles rookie quarterback making his fifth career start, a third-round pick from the noted quarterback factory of the University of Arizona. Foles, under pressure, delivered passes today, on the money, exactly the opposite of Freeman under pressure. In Joe’s eyes, Freeman crumbles under pressure far, far too often.

And when the Bucs offense only needed two first downs to seal the game, Freeman couldn’t get the offense to do even that. Then the ball was turned over after a punt to the Eagles and Joe is convinced, with the Bucs’ embattled secondary, every person at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway knew what was coming.

To be blunt, Joe doesn’t know what the Bucs have at quarterback other than a talented, gifted, inconsistent signal-caller that doesn’t seem to have the ability to overcome adversity consistently.

Is Freeman the long-term answer? Joe can’t answer that. Can Freeman lead the Bucs to the playoffs? He hasn’t been able to yet, even with a closet full of toys.

With games like this from Freeman, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has more and more bargaining power when/if it’s time to extend Freeman’s contract after it expires following the 2013 season.

Barring some miracle, Bucs fans will now endure 10 years and counting without a playoff victory.

Thank you Jeremy Zuttah.

Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network after today’s embarrassment to the Eagles, the Bucs’ left guard said there was “no excuse” for the Bucs’ ugly performance on offense in the first half. Zuttah was clear that getting shutout in the first 30 minutes was unacceptable and puzzling.

Frankly, there was no excuse. But there are reasons, from bad handoff exchanges to high throws to Josh Freeman passing on open running lanes for himself to not looking like a hungry playoff team.

What’s scary to Joe is the Bucs likely will have to score 35 points to win next week in New Orleans. Joe certainly wouldn’t touch that bet right now.

The Bucs got spanked by a rookie quarterback and a crappy Eagles team.

Joe can’t sugarcoat this garbage outcome to a garbage team.

For the first time this season, the Bucs started a game slowly, blanked by a lousy defense in the first half behind ugly quarterback play by Josh Freeman. That’s two straight clunkers by No. 5.

The Bucs rallied back but couldn’t keep away from dumb penalties, 12 men on the field — didn’t that happen twice last week? — and couldn’t make a play when they needed one. Danny Gorrer will be kicking himself for a long time.

The Bucs are a talented football team that is now a losing football team, and one that has a lot to prove to its fans in these final three games. The Bucs were a good team a few weeks ago, but not anymore.

Happy football day boys and girls and welcome to Bucs Super Bowl Reunion Day. Joe already saw Warren Sapp on the sidelines wearing his No. 99 jersey doing a spot for the NFL Network.

Fans here at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway are geeked for this game. The Beagles stink and the greatest Bucs team to ever take a field is back, along with Chucky.

So this will be fun. Bucs need a win or Joe will start worrying about the draft. Feel free to share your thoughts on the game.

Yes, the Bucs have released the weekly “Michael Smith list,” and as usual each and every week this season, running back Michael is inactive.

So too is starting defensive tackle Roy Miller.

Here is the full list of Bucs inactives, per the Bucs official Twitter feed.

DT Roy Miller

CB LeQuan Lewis

RB Michael Smith

LB Najee Goode

WR David Douglas

WR David Gilreath

DT Matthew Masifilo.

Week 14

Eagles at Bucs

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13. DirecTV Channel 708.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); SiriusXM Channel 84.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, the morning fog and overcast skies should clear by kickoff and the day should turn into a beautiful west Florida December afternoon. Expect the game to be played under sunny skies with a kickoff temperature of 80 with virtually no wind. The temperature will gradually drop in the second half to about 76 at game’s end. Simply a perfect day to honor the 2002 Super Bowl champs.

Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs -7.5

Outlook: It has come to this: If the Bucs hope to be playing playoff football come January, they pretty much have to run the table, which begins today against the Beagles. While Joe gets what Gerald McCoy told him this week, “This is the NFL; You never have a cakewalk,” a playoff team should pounce on the Beagles, a team in disarray and freefalling, losing eight in a row, putting coach Andy Reid firmly on the hot seat. Another reason the Bucs need to hammer the Eagles is that rookie quarterback Nick Foles is making his fifth start. A team hoping to be in the playoffs cannot, simply cannot lose to a rookie quarterback at home. Today, Joe is guessing Doug Martin gets back on track. While he had rough sledding last week against Denver (combine struggling interior blocking with a talented defense, and that is usually the result), the Eagles are soft up the middle. Joe believes this game is as simple as getting Martin rolling. If he racks up 150 yards, the Bucs should have this game in hand.

Know the enemy: Here are quotes from Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback Nick Foles on the Bucs:

Andy Reid: “I knew quite a bit about Greg Schiano. He coached right up the street here. He had taken a Rutgers program and changed it around, a whole team, a whole culture around. I’ve had great admiration for him. I think he is a heck of a football coach and I didn’t think of anything less than when he went to Tampa Bay. I thought he would bring great energy to that organization. … (On 2002 Bucs) Yeah, [Ronde Barber] got us. He was heck of a player then, he’s still a heck of a player. He switched position which is a tribute of his ability to adapt to a couple of different positions which is mark of a good football player. I have a lot of respect for him and I have a lot of respect for Jon Gruden who is a friend. I am happy for him. I can’t tell you that I am excited to see that whole group again. When I see John Lynch I get upset but he is also a great person and a great kid. They had a good football team. Beat us fair and square. Wish it didn’t happen but it did. I’m glad they have a chance to honor that group. … (On Bucs defense): Listen, they have young players that are all working together to get better. I think they have a real good group, a nucleus, for the future on the defensive side. On the offensive side, they built this thing around Josh and added Doug to the mix. Josh is playing good football and they have a good offensive line, one of the best offensive lines I think going. He has those big receivers that he loves throwing to and rightly so. They have a good group of players and they are playing well.”

Nick Foles: “[Starting in the NFL] it is fast but the more you play it, it is football. (On Bucs defense:) They are very talented group. I mean, you have Barber back there who has been in the league a very long time. They have a very strong defensive line. They are a very talented defense. I just have to execute to the best of my ability and call the right plays. The NFL is football all day. It’s your job. In college you have to go to class and do papers and study for class.”

Joe’s been a bit surprised he hasn’t heard Malcolm Glazer’s name mentioned amid all the endless hype surrounding today’s 10-year anniversary celebration of the 2002 Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.

Say what you want about the elder Glazer, who’s been about of the public eye for years because of serious health issues, it was his winning-is-everything mentality that drove the Bucs’ glory years.

Essentially, Glazer bought the team in 1995 and went all out to build a winner from arguably the worst-run franchise in professional sports.

He chased big-name coaches, strong-armed the community to build a stadium, and spent gobs of money on payroll and wasn’t satisfied with merely being a lasting contender. A title was the primary goal, and the historic future-mortgaging ransoms paid for Keyshawn Johnson and Jon Gruden (four first-round picks and two second-round picks) were evidence that Glazer would pay any price. As Raheem Morris might say, “Glazer took his underwear off, put on his big boy pads, and put his face on people.”

Glazer intentionally shunned the limelight but was greatly involved. Consider these St. Pete Times quotes from Chucky and Rich McKay back in ’04.

“The reality is he’s very much with his sons on top of the everyday goings on here,” Gruden said. “I’m not just talking about the X’s and O’s. I’m talking about player personnel, the facility, every aspect of the organization.”

Rich McKay, the Bucs’ general manager from 1995 to 2003 who now holds the same job with the Atlanta Falcons, said Glazer does not micromanage. “He states his expectations and does it in a simplistic manner. You know what results he wants. … He told me the big picture and you run with it.”

Joe just felt, given how much the founder of Team Glazer has been ignored this week, that it was important to remember his contribution to the title.

Many times when an NFL team puts in a rookie quarterback who was drafted in the third round, it is panic time.

The Bucs don’t see that with Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles, the rookie from Arizona. Especially linebacker Mason Foster.

When Joe asked Foster whether he was looking forward to helping baptize a rookie into the NFL, Foster quickly shook his head and advise Joe not to disparage Foles.

“Not really,” Foster said when asked if he was excited about facing a rookie quarterback. “A lot of times, a coach will put a guy in there because he is well-rounded and he can make a lot of plays for a team.”

That’s partially Foles is playing. Sure, Michael Vick, dangerous as he is, is dinged up, but Vick was playing sloppy with too many turnovers.

So far, Foles has handled himself well. In four games, Foles has completed 60 percent of his passes but does have one more pick (three) than touchdowns thrown (two).

The one thing that will help the Bucs is Foles is not a runner. He’s a classic, NFL dropback quarterback. He’ll only run as a last resort, unlike Vick who was at risk of taking off on just about any snap.

Hopefully, with Foles being a pocket passer, the Bucs’ front defensive line will be able to key in on him more and put pressure in his face.

Joe will take his chances with a rookie making his fifth start over a dangerous guy like Vick.

“The Eagles are a really good team,” Foster said. “Their record may not show it but they have players and playmakers. It will be a challenge.”

The Bucs find themselves in a pinch as we countdown the hours to kickoff of the Eagles-Bucs game. Simply put, if the Bucs lose another game, it’s time to start breaking down cornerbacks in next spring’s draft.

Oh, don’t worry. The Bucs are aware of this all too well. Joe got a chance to talk to right tackle Demar Dotson last week about the Eagles.

“They play real hard, they play tough, their record doesn’t show how hard they play. They get up the field with two inside guys really good and Trent Cole is good. Then you have Andy Reid one of the best coaches. They will fight to the end.

“We have to get back rolling. It is do or die time. We have to get a streak going.”

As Joe stated before, it’s hard to believe the Bucs can suffer another loss and be playing in January. Yes, the Eagles are talented; they also stink. You are what your record says you are.

Time to man up and do the 2002 champions proud while they are in your house.

This is a cool video. Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (remember him, Ronde?) talks about the Bucs offense. McNabb seems frightened by a certain running back he constantly refers to as “The Muscle Hamster” in this CSNPhilly.com video.