TAMPA, Fla. -- Observed and heard in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' locker room after their 14-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:
Late in the fourth quarter, the Bucs appeared to move the ball to the Cincinnati 20-yard line with a chance to kick a winning field goal. But the play was reviewed, and the Bucs were penalized for having 12 men on the field. How did that happen? According to quarterback Josh McCown, the Bucs brought in Oniel Cousins to serve as an extra blocker and failed to take receiver Robert Herron off the field.
Coach Lovie Smith generally avoids strong criticism of his players. That changed a bit Sunday. Smith didn’t single any player out, but he referred to "stupid penalties" twice. The Bucs were penalized 13 times for 94 yards.
The offense is an easy target after the Bucs scored only 13 points. But defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was pointing the blame at the defense. McCoy said the defense needed to score and didn’t.
