[Tampa Bay Buccaneers News]

Could the unlikiest of heroes - K Matt Bryant - have saved Tampa Bay's season?

Bryant's boot may have salvaged Bucs' season
By Scott Garbarini Oct 24, 2006, 21:40 GMT

Tampa Bay recorded its second straight victory in the final minute on Sunday, this time under the most unlikely of circumstances. The previously-struggling Matt Bryant delivered the kick of his life, a 62-yarder on the game's final play, to lift the Bucs to an improbable 23-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles and renewed hope after the team's disappointing 0-4 start.

I'm sure most of the nearly 66,000 in attendance at Raymond James Stadium weren't truly expecting Bryant, who entered the day 2-for-5 on field-goal attempts for the season and had never made one beyond 50 yards during his five-year career, to come through with the second-longest kick in NFL history. Almost as unlikely was the fact Tampa Bay pulled out a victory in a game where it blew a 17-0 lead, its offense failed to score a touchdown and the team was outgained by over a 2 1/2-to-1 ratio (506 yards to 196).

'Obviously, Matt Bryant gets his own room when we go on the road now and anything else he wants, he gets,' joked Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden afterward. 'That's one of the most dramatic finishes to a football game any of us will ever see. To beat a team like Philadelphia is a great accomplishment. I don't care what the statistics say.'

What do you guys think? Can the Buccaneers use this to get themselves back in the playoff hunt?

[Lefty Noob]

Well, turning point or not, Bryant's kick was named the biggest play of the first half by McClatchy Newspapers, who said "Before his 62-yard, game-winning kick against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 22, Matt Bryant had never attempted a field goal longer than 52 yards in a game. He made a career-long 52-yarder in high school and missed a 52-yarder last season against San Francisco. He had once made a 74-yarder while warming up with an old ball and a strong wind. But 62 yards in an NFL game? Only two kickers had ever made one as long or longer in a game. 'That's an incredible feat,' Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. '... It was a Hail Mary that was answered.'" So do you think this kick was the best and biggest play of the first half?

[legend]

The way that team looked against the Giants, Bryant may have to make a couple 70 yarders for them to stay in games the rest of the season.

[EmpireWF]

Exactly legend, their offense is putrid. Gradkowski is a rookie QB. Cadillac is suffering from something because he's enduring that sophmore slump. And the receivers were too busy dropping balls in New York to move the chains.

The defense can only do so much.

[ThePundit]

The better win this week if they have any chance to come back.