Football season is officially upon us. With the start of the NFL Preseason now underway, its time to start evaluating the young talent that the Buccaneers have in game type situations.
Because I live in Kansas City, I was able to attend last nights game at Arrowhead Stadium and came away very impressed with our Bucs. Here are a few things that I took from last nights game;
1) Josh Freeman continues to impress:
Freeman took the field and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. He was communicating to his wide outs and offensive lineman and was in complete control of the huddle. His passes were on time, accurate, and he made some incredible throws into the small windows of Kansas City’s zone coverage including one to WR, Mike Willliams. Freeman kept his eyes down the field and was not affraid to take what the defense gave him as he dumped the ball off to LeGarrette Blount on a couple of occasions. Freeman played pretty much all of the first quarter and even took advantage of Mason Foster’s fumble recovery deep in Chiefs territory by running it in for a touchdown. It was a very solid night for Freeman as he we 9-13 with 74 yds and a rushing touchdown.
Please read more for Michael’s ON LOCATION GAME Analysis!
2) Defense is getting better:
Other than two runs by Thomas Jones (Jamal Charles did not play), the Buccaneers shut down the Chiefs rushing attack. DT’s Frank Okam, Roy Miller, and Al Woods all looked stout and made life difficult for the Chiefs interior lineman. Mason Foster also looked good, making a key third down stop when he collided with Chiefs backup QB, Tyler Palko, along the sidelines. Second year LB Dakoda Watson was also impressive, recording a sack, 2 tackles, and a forced fumble.
3) DE’s are significantly improved:
Like the DT’s, the DE’s look much more improved. The DE’s as a whole recorded 6 sacks with Kyle Moore leading the way with 2. Michael Bennett was a part of the sack on qb Tyler Palko that resulted in a safety. Although rookie Defensive End Adrian Clayborn did not record a sack, he was very productive in run support and was always around the ball, showing the great motor and tenacity that was advertised with him.
4) Offensive Line should have a break out season:
As a whole, the starting OL looked extremely impressive. Freeman was not sacked, let alone touched, and the running game averaged 4.1 yds per carry. Donald Penn and Co allowed Josh Freeman to go through his progressions and not worry about the rush. This group is primed to make a significant difference on offense and will be a major problem for defensive fronts.
5) Dezmon Briscoe is very talented:
I know we all knew this, but Briscoe is very talented and that talent was on display last night as he recorded 4 catches for 60 yds. Briscoe was in sync with Freeman and looked good running his routes. With Williams and Benn already establishing themselves as the number 1 and 2 wide outs, Briscoe is a safe bet to be the Buccaneers 3rd wide out come opening day. He needs to be on the field because Williams, Benn, and Briscoe have the potential to become the best group of young wide receivers in the NFL.
6) The Chiefs are in trouble:
Say what you want about preseason, but it’s is a time to evaluate players and to see what they have. Well, the Chiefs didnt show a whole lot through out the game, period. The lockout just ended a couple weeks ago, but that does not excuse a 0 point performance. Heck, Matt Cassel, the starting quarterback for the Chiefs, didnt even throw a pass and they didn’t cross midfield till about the 4th quarter. Every part of their game looked lethargic and they were just going through the motions. Ive heard from analysts and “experts” that the practices that certain players organized during the lockout wouldn’t really do a whole lot. I disagree, I believe that it was extremely important because at the very least, they were able to form comradery and timing with team-mates and everyone being on the same page is key. I have to wonder if the Chiefs really took the time off as that time off, and if they really applied themselves they way they should during the lockout. Buc fans should feel very happy that they have a guy like Josh Freeman leading the way as he was not only one of if not the first player to organize practices, but he was also one of the only players that had workouts on a consistent basis. Players like Arrelious Benn, Donald Penn, and Mike Williams were around Freeman the entire lockout and that will pay off huge as the season goes on.
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