Bucs loss not a matter of R&R

It is time to put to rest talk of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being too rested for last Sunday’s NFC Wild-Card Game against the New York Giants, a game in which they looked out of sync and lost 24-14.

The Bucs were banged up near the end of the season, and resting as many starters as he could was not the worst idea Bucs coach Jon Gruden ever had.

I can’t see how feeling refreshed during the first playoff game is a handicap.
Besides, if the Bucs were rusty, how do you explain their dominance in the first quarter?
The players still practiced during the weeks leading up to the game against the Giants. They just avoided the pounding on the two previous Sundays.

What ended the Bucs' season more than anything else was the play calling in the second quarter that seemed to forget a successful running game, the play of Giants quarterback Eli Manning and the Giants pass rush that pressured Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia into a bad day.

Throw in a substandard core of receivers and you have the makings of an early playoff exit for the Bucs.

It wasn’t a case of the Bucs being too rested on Sunday. It was a case of the Giants being too good.