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.