Tampa Newspaper Runs Carli Lloyd Ad Which Takes Shot at Bucs' Matt Gay After Missed Game-Winner
By Jerry Trotta
Lost in Daniel Jones' remarkable debut last Sunday, was the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have sent the New York Giants back to East Rutherford with a loss.
Following a DJ touchdown scamper to give the G-Men a lead with less than a minute left in regulation, Jameis Winston drove the Bucs down to field-goal range with plenty of time to kick a game-winner. Instead, Matt Gay botched a 34-yard chip shot and Tampa lost in gut-wrenching fashion.
Four days after the debacle, the Tampa Bay Times brazenly opted to run a Carli Lloyd advertisement, which clearly took a shot at the Bucs present kicking predicament.
Petty or not, the truth is that Lloyd probably doesn't sweat 34-yard field goals. Not only is she one of the greatest women's American soccer players of all time, but she indisputably has the most acclaimed clutch gene of the bunch.
We've honestly lost count as to how many times the attacking midfielder bailed out the USMNT. There's a reason Lloyd, a two-time FIFA Player of the Year was invited to the World Cup this past summer at 37-year-old -- she's an ultimate gamer.
Lloyd was even, at one point, seriously considering pursuing a career in the NFL as a kicker. Whether that ambition had a serious chance of being a reality is a topic for another day. But, she did drill a 55-yarder during an Eagles practice just last month.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians took some heat for taking a penalty which moved Gay's attempt back a few yards, but a 34-yarder is a 34-yarder. Tampa should have walked away with a win and the Times had every right to slight the franchise with this Lloyd ad.