John Romano: Instead of dancing into December, Bucs still have some work to do

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

TAMPA — Pardon the intrusion, but where’s the party?

Where is the laughter, the excitement, the anticipation? Why the short tempers and long faces?

Sure, it feels a little snobbish to say it, but this is not the December we had in mind.

The Bucs are potentially a handful of games away from clinching their fifth consecutive NFC South title, and yet this doesn’t seem as joyful as one might think. Injuries have derailed Tampa Bay’s momentum, and the division standings are far closer than once expected.

I mean, who the heck invited the Panthers to this shindig?

The computer models say the Bucs are still big-time favorites to win the South, which only makes me want to kick them in the gigabytes. It’s absolutely true to say the Bucs still contro