When the Buccaneers squared off against the Cleveland Browns for the third game of the preseason, they needed to leave a lasting impression on Raymond James Stadium going into the regular season. Unfortunately, that message was to temper expectations and pray for the offensive line.
Last year, I told a close friend that Tampa Bay could make the playoffs if the offensive line held. This year, that’s an eerily reminiscent statement. Before we all start cringing every time the ball gets snapped, let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly against Cleveland.
The Ugly: Offensive Line
The offensive line spent most of 2014 preventing Josh McCown doing much of anything, but it finally won him a game in Raymond James. Jameis Winston looked good in week two, but never got a chance to make a difference against the Browns. When Cleveland’s defensive line brought pressure, the o-line became a nondescript collection of turnstiles once again. Allow me to let Deadpool show us what it was like to watch this…
The Bad: Offense, Defense, and Special Teams
While there were glimpses of positives, things never came together. Poor coverage plagued the return teams and even allowed a punt to be taken for a touchdown. While the defense, especially the starters, weren’t exactly horrendous, there were missed tackles and a general lack of splash plays. Behind poor blocking, none of the offense was able to get anything rolling. This game had a lot of bad, and there is plenty of blame to go around.
The Good: Lack of Penalties and…
I don’t want to dwell on this game for too long because of how painful it is to think about. There is more going on, and it’s time to move forward. As tough as it was to watch, it wasn’t completely devoid of a silver lining. The asterisk to week two was the ridiculous amount of penalties, but that was one facet that Tampa Bay improved on. After a week of double digit penalties for triple digit yardage, the Bucs finished only two penalties for a mere ten yards. There was one other highlight, and let’s watch it again…
