Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: NFL Monday Night Football 2013 Preview, TV Schedule & Live Stream, More
Locker room drama has made for a long 2013 NFL season for both the Miami Dolphins (4-4) and the Tampa Buccaneers (0-8) thus far, leading up to their Week 10 Monday Night Football match-up, with both teams scrounging for any good news wherever they can find it.
With the team winless, Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano has been under fire, with star CB Darrelle Revis, who the franchise traded for over the off-season, openly questioning the head coach's defensive schemes, publicly complaining about the team's decision to play out of a zone defense, as well as Schiano's handling of long-time starting quarterback Josh Freeman, who was unceremoniously cut from the team earlier in the season.
To add to Schiano's woes, his team collapsed against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter, blowing a ten point led in the fourth quarter - the fourth time this season the team has collapsed in the last quarter, losing 27-24 after Seattle K Steven Hauschka hit a 27-yard field goal in overtime to finish the franchise's largest comeback in team history.
"When you have a team down like that, you've got to choke them out," said Revis. "Because great teams come back. And they are a great team."
Rookie Tampa QB Mike Glennon, who replaced Freeman in the starting lineup, has shown signs of improvement, completing 17-of-23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a tough road game in Seattle, while rookie RB Mike James, filling in for injured RB Doug Martin who is out for the year with a shoulder injury, ran for 158 yards rushing on eight carries as well as a 2-yard touchdown pass in the red zone.
Despite the lack of wins for the year, complaints by his All-Pro cornerback, and the quarterback drama Schiano has faced, it is nothing in comparison with what Miami Dolphin coach Joe Philbin has had to deal with after starting guard Richie Incognito was suspended last week for conduct detrimental to the team in light of an NFL and NFL Players Association investigation into offensive tackle Jonathan Martin's claims of constant bullying and harassment against him in the locker room by Incognito and fellow teammates.
The Dolphins have had to move on without the left side of their offensive line while dealing with the media scrutiny and pending investigation, beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween night 22-20 in overtime in Miami, after DE Cameron Wake sacked Bengals QB Andy Dalton in the Bengals' own end zone to end the game with a safety, ending Miami's four-game losing streak.
"Our backs were up against the wall for a couple weeks in a row and we kept getting pushed back and finally we got out of that hole a little bit tonight," said Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill. "It was a huge win for us."
The Dolphins, looking to salvage what has been difficult season as the league continues their investigation into Martin's claims, want to focus on football and understand that they cannot let the media attention distract them from preparing to play a team hungry for their first win of the year.
"Right now we're focused on sticking together as a team, having each others' backs as a team, and getting ready to play a football game," said Tannehill. "At the end of the day, we're playing a Tampa Bay team on the road on Monday. So we have to deal with this, yes, but we also have to get ready to play a football game."
Live Television Coverage
The Miami Dolphins - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 10 Monday Night Football game can be seen on ESPN with coverage beginning 8:30 p.m. EST.
Live Stream (online)
Live stream coverage can be seen on NFL RedZone.
Live Stream (Radio)
Live Stream coverage can be heard on NFL Audio Pass and Sirius XM Radio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.