The Bucs lost their home and season opener 27- 20 to the Detroit Lions. Here are the team’s grades.
OFFENSE
Quarterback- C- While Josh really didnt have a horrible game, he did little to will his team into the end zone enough. Looks like the rust may have come off finally. When Freeman controls the offense in a quick huddle, they can be dangerous. Freeman finished 28 of 43 for 243 yards, 1 TD and one INT in the end zone.
RB- F+ LeGarrette Blount ended up with a 3.0 avg, and Earnest Graham had 2.2 yards per carry. Thats not going to cut it in the NFL, and its a very scary sign this team could be in trouble. The Bucs ran the ball for 56 total yards.
Wide Receivers- B– Kellen Winslow Jr. led all receivers with 62 yards on 6 catches. Mike Williams and 4 catches for 50 yards, but didnt get going until the 4th quarter. Williams had the lone offensive TD.
Offensive Line- C+ The Bucs could not run the ball, however after watching the game again, the O line wasnt as bad in the pass game. Suh was a non-factor, with 1 tackle.
Overall– Too many times the Bucs settled for Field Goals, and far too many occasions the Bucs threw a screen pass that gained next to nothing. The Bucs offense did a horrible job with time of possession, and far too many times Detroit wore out the Bucs by keeping Tampa Bay’s defense on the field too long.
DEFENSE
D-Line- D They got zero sacks on Mathew Stafford, although they hurried him a few times, for the most part the game plan for Detroit was not for Stafford to sit back and throw from the pocket. The lions fed the Bucs a steady diet of draws, and quick screens, which kept the chains moving, and wore out the Bucs defense while keeping them on the field in the heat. Tim Crowder and Michael Bennett led all Bucs linemen with 4 tackles. Gerald McCoy had only 2 tackles, and was guilty of two penalties. Overall the D Line was responsible for 15 tackles.
Linebackers- C The Bucs may have missed Barrett Ruud at first in pass defense, but overall the unit had the leading tackler, Geno Hayes, with 8. Quincy Black had 7 and Mason Foster had 5.
Secondary- C+ Safety Sean Jones finished tied with the lead for 8 tackles, with Ronde Barber coming in second in the group with 6. Talib had 3 tackles and a Pick 6 that not only gave the Bucs the lead, but kept them in the game. Calvin Johnson was held to only 88 yards on 6 catches, but 2 touchdowns.
Overall Defense C– The Bucs Defense overall gets a C; they were average. They are taught to deal with the heat, but the Lions who came in from the great white north could have practiced in Hawaii for all we know, they kept the Bucs defense on the field and simply wore them out. The Bucs Offense was not able to get enough first downs to compensate. No Lion rusher had 100 yards, but as a team the Lions rushed for 99 from their running backs.
Special Teams- A- The Bucs returned their first kickoff in this new “no kickoff’ league 75 yards thanks to Sammy Stroughter, but the Bucs were not able to capitalize on offense. Connor Barth made both FG attempts, and Michael Koenen punted the ball well.
Summary– No reason to panic yet, but the Bucs were one of the teams that were NOT ready for the regular season. Clearly, the Bucs would have been better off having their starters playing in the Washinigon redskins game instead of all the backups. By the 4th quarter, the Bucs offense came alive. The running game will be a mystery, because the Lions took the run game out of it by going up by more than one score. Also, to be sure, Detroit is officially going to be a good team, and they were hot coming out of the preseason, while the Bucs were not. I expect a very different game next week at Minnesota.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
