It's funny what a couple of tight wins against good clubs can do for an NFL team. All of a sudden a previously winless squad is 2-4, has some life and feels a little confidence.
"We've always felt we were a good team," Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant said. "We just had a bad month."
That may be the case. But the sudden wave of emotion aside, it's going to take a good month or more — not just two weeks — to get the Buccaneers out of the hole they've dug for themselves.
"I don't care what the statistics say. To be 0-4 and buried by a lot of people, to beat Cincinnati and Philadelphia, two of arguably the best teams in football, is a great accomplishment," Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden said. "It wasn't always pretty, but I tip my hat off to our players and our coaches."
But let's face facts here. They beat the Bengals and Eagles by a grand total of three points and needed a 62-yard field goal to notch that win over Philadelphia. Both came in the comfortable surroundings of Raymond James Stadium, which means they still haven't won on the road. And, oh yeah, let's not forget they're still in last place in the NFC South.
Long story short, there's plenty of work ahead. And not as much time as they think.
"We can play," running back Cadillac Williams said, "with the best of them."
But, considering the slow start, just how far will that assessment get them? Today, they travel to the Meadowlands to face the Giants — New York is -9 on WagerWeb.com. Tough divisional dates against New Orleans and Carolina – teams Tampa Bay has already lost to — are next, in that order.
Even if they win all three, a division title would still be a long shot and the wild-card contention party figures to be packed all the way to season's end. It'll most likely come down to tiebreakers.
"We got away with a win [against the Bengals]. We have to learn from this stuff," quarterback Bruce Gradkowski said. "We are looking forward to going to New York."
It's amazing. On a veteran-laden team with a high-profile coach who won the Super Bowl just four years ago, a rookie — who started the season as a backup, no less — seems to have things in the proper perspective more than anyone else.
"We are going to fight until the very end," Gradkowski said. "Don't ever count us out."
Problem is, many already have. And when you go 0-for-September, it's hard to blame them.
CHIEFS A CONCERN: Speaking of slow starts and It's Not Always Pretty-type teams, the Chiefs have recovered from their 0-2 opening with three wins in four tries. And perhaps more important than anything else, Herm Edwards' crew seems to have re-established that Arrowhead Stadium moxie. The Chiefs have won two straight at home, including a 30-27 squeaker against the Chargers last week.
"Hopefully," Edwards said. "this will build our confidence back up."
It better.
After all, the NFC champion Seahawks come to Kansas City today (Seattle is +4 on WagerWeb.com) and Mike Holmgren's short-handed troops figure to be a tad motivated after dropping a 31-13 home decision to Minnesota last week.
"Right now, we need consistency. We need to be consistent on a daily basis," Chiefs running back Larry Johnson said. "As long as we do that, we'll be all right."
It'll help today, of course, that Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander won't be on the field. However, Kansas City might not have Damon Huard, either.
MIAMI MALAISE: The Dolphins don't fall into the group of recovering teams because, quite simply, they're slow start is still going. Miami is 1-6 and in last place in the AFC East as it enjoys — we suppose — its long-awaited bye week.
"Everybody needs to be committed to playing the kind of football that we need," Coach Nick Saban said. "[We need] to play smarter and need to execute better."
The understatement of the week. Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper, heck if you put rookie Marcus Vick in there at quarterback, it probably wouldn't matter. Miami has lost four straight overall and is 0-4 on the road.
And to illustrate just how bad it is, consider who the Dolphins have played — Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Tennessee, Houston, New England, the Jets and Green Bay. It's highly probable that the Patriots are the only team in that bunch to play a postseason game this year.
"I don't care what our record is. We're going to continue to work," Saban said. "I know you guys are big on the results and the records and all that. We're going to evaluate the passion that our players play with. They will play hard, they will play with effort, we will play with toughness. If we don't play with passion, and I don't see that in them, then we're going to get someone else to play."
Might not be a bad idea to start looking now.
