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1. CONTROLLING THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
The Ravens came out of the gate with a purpose and they knew that the team that asserted itself at the line of scrimmage early could control the game. I'll give credit to the Ravens offensive and defensive line. They set the tempo from the first snap to the last. Fast starts will need to be a premium moving forward if the Bucs want to get out of this losing streak.
2. ALL "11" PLAYERS
Football is the ultimate team game. Every player needs to be on the same page and accountable for their own individual play. Along with the execution of their assignments, coming out of the gates with a sense of urgency, collectively, will pay dividends when you play a team like the Ravens. Every game is vital. You only get 16 games to be great. Bucs must put together four quarters of football in all three phases to give themselves the best chance to win. They lacked that as a team on Sunday.
3. ANSWERING ADVERSITY
There will be games that don't go as planned early. When the Ravens jumped out to a 14 point lead in the game, as a team, the Bucs needed to answer the bell with a score, a long drive, or force a three and out. Getting the Ravens off tempo after the first few scores could've helped the Bucs get back in the game. Unfortunately the Bucs weren't able to create on either side of the ball and the Ravens took advantage.
4. CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
Creating a winning culture for a team is not handed to you. You can't walk on the field and expect that a player or unit is going to provide a spark. Teams have to take and earn wins every week. The Bucs can't rely on their best players to go out and win games by themselves. There are injuries all around the league and many teams are shorthanded. Sometimes the teams whose players play the most fundamentally sound will earn their share of victories. In a team game...the best teams get the win.
5. BYE WEEK
Technique, fundamentals, film study, and accepting constructive criticism from coaches are the keys to the off week. The players and coaches that can be tough in their own self assessment get the most out of the bye week. Bye weeks are for teams to get healthy and recharge to make their best run in the second half of the season. The Bucs record of 1-5 was not the plan, but coming out with an attitude and a purpose two weeks from now vs the Vikings will be the tale of the tape for this teams finish of the 2014 season.
