TAMPA — As usual, John Wooden had it right.
The late overseer of UCLA’s college basketball dynasty authored several memorable sayings, including one that has particular relevance to an issue bedeviling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Be quick, but don’t hurry.
The Bucs are on pace to set a franchise record for penalties, but some flags are more perplexing than others. Leading the pack are the 11 neutral-zone infractions called against Tampa Bay this season heading into Sunday’s home matchup against the Falcons.
The discipline problem cropped up again in last week’s 25-12 setback at Indianapolis as Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, fellow defensive tackle Henry Melton and defensive end Jacquies Smith were each flagged for being overeager while trying to get to 40-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck with the Colts in shotgun formation.