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.