The Buccaneers totally kicked the Texans butts last Thursday Night in Houston.  Luke McCown was very sharp in this game completing all 5 of his pass attempts to 52 yards.  Chris Simms did not have his best showing in this game as he completed 9 of 15 passes for 71 yards with 1 interception.  Rookie Josh Johnson finished up this game and he looked solid completing 8 of 13 passes for 85 yards.  Kenneth Darby was the leading rusher for the Bucs in this game with 55 yards on 16 carries (3.4 ypc).  Michael Bennett was also busy for the Bucs in this game with 13 carries for 48 yards (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 20 yards (6.7 avg).  Clifton Smith only had 5 yards rushing on 5 carries (1.0 ypc) but he also caught 4 passes for 35 yards (8.8 avg).  TE Ben Troupe was the Bucs leading receiver in this game with 52 yards on 4 grabs (13.0 avg).  Rookie WR Dexter Jackson also had a solid game with 2 catches for 17 yards and 1 carry for 13 yards on offense.  On special teams, Jackson returned a kickoff for 23 yards and a punt 83 yards for a TD.  The Bucs finished up this game with 129 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 201 yards.  They had possession of the football for a stunning 39:05 in this football game.

Linebacker Patrick Chukwurah led an impressive Bucs’ defense with 6 tackles in this game.  The Texans finished up with 58 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 33 passes for 137 yards.  The Buccaneers finished the preseason with a 3-1 record.

The Buccaneers finally played a team that punched back and things didn’t go too well for them.  Jeff Garcia started and he didn’t play too well on Saturday Night.  He completed 11 of 18 passes for 79 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  Brian Griese was so-so in this game completing 7 of 11 passes for 71 yards.  Luke McCown looked the best of the QBs in this game for the Bucs.  He completed 11 of 19 passes for 104 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  McCown was also the Bucs’ leading rusher in this game with 29 yards on 1 carry.  Maurice Stovall was busy for the Bucs against the Jags as he caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg).  The Buccaneers finished up with 75 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 48 passes for 247 yards against the Jags.

The defense had a solid game against the Jaguars on Saturday Night in Tampa.  Linebacker Adam Hayward led the Bucs in this game with 5 tackles.  DT Chris Hovan (3 tackles, sack) and CB Ronde Barber (2 tackles, interception) also really played well against the Jags.  The Jaguars only finished this game with 37 yards rushing on 26 carries (1.4 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 28 passes for 164 yards.

The Buccaneers have lost starting guard Davin Joseph for up to two months after he had to have surgery to repair a broken foot.  Rookie Jeremy Zuttah is likely to start in Joseph’s place and he will likely be a huge dropoff.  This is a severe blow to the Bucs’ offense as Joseph has really developed quickly into a quality NFL guard. 

The Buccaneers have released offensive OT Luke Petitgout who was suspended for 4 games by the NFL for violating league policy shortly after the Bucs cut him.  25-year old Donald Penn will be the likely starter at left tackle for the Bucs this season.  He played in 16 games (12 starts) for the Bucs in 2007.  QBs should keep their head on a swivel with Penn watching there backs.

The Buccaneers looked great against the scrubs that the Patriots played last night.  Brian Griese was very efficient completing 9 of 10 passes for 44 yards.  Luke McCown followed Griese in the game and he was also solid completing 7 of 10 passes for 79 yards with a 1-yard TD pass to fullback Byron Storer.  Chris Simms didn’t play much completing 2 of 4 passes for 24 yards.  Rookie Josh Johnson completed his only pass attempt in this game for 6 yards.  Michael Bennett led the way for the Bucs with 57 yards rushing on 8 carries (7.1 ypc).  Kenneth Darby also was busy carrying the ball 9 times for 33 yards (3.7 ypc).  Ernest Graham pitched in with 13 yards rushing on 5 carries (2.6 ypc) with a TD run.  Antonio Bryant was a busy body with 2 catches for 37 yards (18.5 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 16 yards.  The Buccaneers finished up with 170 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 25 passes for 125 yards.  The Bucs controlled the clock for an amazing 37:58 of this football game.

CB Elbert Mack led a dominating effort by the Bucs’ defense with 4 tackles and a interception.  Safety Sabby Piscitelli also had a solid game with 3 tackles and a fumble recovery that he returned 24-yards for a TD.  The Patriots only finished up with 56 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 25 passes for 118 yards.  While it’s true that the Patriots didn’t put there best team on the field this was still a nice win for the Bucs as they were dominating.

Jon Gruden helped lead the Buccaneers to a surprise 9-7 record last season which was good enough to win the weak NFC South.  But, the Bucs then got stomped 24-14 at home by the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.  The Saints and Panthers both appear to be better on paper so the Bucs need to stay healthy and focused to possibly hold them off in the division.  Gruden has now been the Bucs head coach for six years now and he has compiled a 48-48 record (50%) during the regular season.  He is also 3-2 in the post season including a Super Bowl Championship in 2002 over his old team the Oakland Raiders.  Gruden has been a solid coach in his NFL career despite his need to collect QBs and TEs.  It will be interesting to see if he can get the Bucs to play over their heads again in 2008 which is what it will likely take to get them back to the playoffs.  Gruden has now been a NFL head coach for 10 years and he has compiled a 86-74 record (53.8%) during the regular season and he is 5-4 (55.6%) in the post season.

The Bucs were very efficient on both sides of the ball defeating the horrible Miami Dolphins last Saturday Night.  Luke McCown got the start and he was effective completing 9 of 15 passes for 70 yards.  Brian Griese was the most impressive QB of the night for the Bucs as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 59 yards with a 3-yard TD pass with WR Brian Clark.  Chris Simms was also pretty good on Saturday Night with a lot of scouts in attendance as he completed 8 of 10 passes for 60 yards.  Rookie Josh Johnson completed his only pass attempt in his NFL debut for 15 yards.  Michael Bennett was a workhorse for the Bucs against the Dolphins carrying the football 19 times for 74 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run (1-yarder).  He also caught 4 passes for 16 yards against the Fins.  Clifton Smith was also busy carrying the ball 9 times for 28 yards (3.1 ypc).  Kenneth Darby pitched in with 12 yards on 5 carries (2.4 ypc) on Saturday.  TE John Gilmore caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg) as he was one of 14 different receivers to catch a pass for the Bucs in this game.  The Buccaneers finished up with 114 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.5 ypc).  They also completed 28 of 40 passes for 181 yards as they held onto the football for a stunning 36:11 on Saturday Night.

The defense was awesome for the Bucs on Saturday Night in Miami.  Safety Will Allen led the way for the Bucs with 4 tackles.  CB Ronde Barber also was very effective with 3 tackles and a sack.  The Dolphins finished up with only 64 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.0 ypc).  The Bucs only allowed 134 yards passing as the Fins completed 15 of 27 passes.  This was a nice win to start the preseason for the Bucs but they were likely playing the worst team in the NFL so I wouldn’t get too excited about it.

33-year old Matt Bryant has turned into one of the best kickers in the NFL in Tampa after kicking around a few teams without much luck.  Bryant played in all 16 games for the Buccaneers last season and he connected on 28 of 33 field goals (84.8%).  He also made all 34 of his extra points last year.  Look for Bryant to possibly make a run for a Pro Bowl appearance if the Bucs’ offense gets him a lot of field goal attempts in 2008.  Bryant has now played in 78 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 106 of 130 field goals (81.5%).  He also has nailed 146 of 149 extra points (98%) in hs career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

Jon Gruden appears to love collecting TEs like QBs as he has four decent ones.  26-year old Alex Smith is the best of the TE bunch for 2008.  He played in 14 games for the Bucs last season and he caught 32 passes for 385 yards (12.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Bucs would like to use Smith more in the offense but he needs to step up and win the starting job outright.  Smith has now played in 44 games in his NFL career and he has caught 108 passes for 1,002 yards (9.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

6’4″, 270 pound Ben Troupe has always been very highly touted but he has never been the big time player many expected of him.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Titans and he caught only 5 passes for 47 yards (9.4 avg).  Look for Troupe to catch more passes than he did last season but he still won’t make a huge impact.  Troupe has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has caught 106 passes for 1,056 yards (10.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

28-year old John Gilmore was brought in as a free agent and his game is blocking for the run.  He played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he caught 3 passes for 14 yards (4.7 avg).  Don’t expect him to catch more than 5 passes in 2008 for the Bucs but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to help the team win with his blocking.  Gilmore has now played in 86 games in his NFL career and he has caught 21 passes for 194 yards (9.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

The Bucs have re-signed Jerramy Stevens despite his off field issues.  He played in 15 games for the Bucs last season and he caught 18 passes for 189 yards (10.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Stevens has the most talent of any of the Bucs’ tight ends on the roster but he never seems to be focused on the job at hand as he drops too many passes.  Stevens has now played in 86 games in his NFL career and he has caught 148 passes for 1,647 yards (11.1 avg) with 19 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Buccaneers have the same look at WR as they did in 2007 and I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.  Hopefully, this won’t be the season that Joey Galloway starts to act his age.  The 36-year old Galloway is a freak of nature as he’s still lightning fast and can get down the field.  He played in 15 games for the Bucs last season and he caught 57 passes for 1,014 yards (17.8 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Look for Galloway to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving again this season as long as he can keep in one piece.  Galloway has now played in 176 games in his NFL career and he has caught 669 passes for 10,572 yards (15.8 avg) with 77 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 63 times for 496 yards (7.9 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.

32-year old Ike Hilliard is a possession receiver who just keeps catching a lot of footballs.  Hilliard played in 15 games for the Bucs last season and he caught 62 passes for 722 yards (11.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Hilliard to have another solid season for the Bucs in 2008.  Hilliard has now played in 145 games in his NFL career and he has caught 499 passes for 5,973 yards (12.0 avg) with 31 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 15 times for 126 yards (8.4 ypc) in his career.

25-year old Michael Clayton has never come near his rookie production and the Bucs are starting to lose some faith in him.  Clayton played in 14 games for the Buccaneers last season and he caught 22 passes for 301 yards (13.7 avg) without a TD grab.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 22 yards (4.4 ypc) last year.  I have a hunch that Clayton is going to have a solid 2008 season in which he might wind up with the second most catches on the team to Galloway.  Clayton has now played in 56 games in his NFL career and he has caught 167 passes for 2,222 yards (13.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 16 times for 95 yards (5.9 ypc) in his career.

23-year old Maurice Stovall has nice size at 6’5″, 220 pounds but he has never really stepped up in Tampa.  Stovall played in 15 games last season for the Bucs and he caught 10 passes for 86 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Stovall to have a hard time holding onto his job unless he starts to play better.  Stovall has now played in 24 games in his NFL career and he has caught 17 passes for 188 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 29 yards (14.5 ypc) in his career.

The Bucs like taking chances on talented players who have had off field issues and they have done it again with 27-year old Antonio Bryant.  Bryant did not play last season but no one can deny that he has big time talent.  Bryant has played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has caught 250 passes for 3,837 yards (15.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 43 yards (4.8 ypc) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C