The Bucs sucked on both sides of the football today and the score could have been much worse if they were playing a better offensive football team.  Josh Freeman continued to stink it up today as he completed 14 of 33 passes for 93 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 21 yards (5.3 ypc).  Cadillac Williams also had a game to forget as he carried the ball 11 times for 14 yards (1.3 ypc).  Kellen Winslow led the way in the passing game for the Bucs with 4 grabs for 26 yards (6.5 avg) today.  The Buccaneers finished up with 124 total yards on offense today (43 rushing, 81 passing) as they had possession of the ball for 25:54!

LB Barrett Ruud (11 tackles) and S Tanard Jackson (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) did their part on D.  Too bad the other 9 guys stunk today.  The Jets finished up with 310 total yards on offense today (175 rushing, 135 passing) in this game.  The Buccaneers are now 1-12 on the year.

The Buccaneers might be inspired after seeing what the Browns did to the Steelers last night.  That is because the Jets (6-6) and the Buccaneers (1-11) have the same exact records that the Browns and Steelers had going into last night’s game which the Browns won.  For the Buccaneers to have a good shot to win the game this Sunday they will need to establish a running game with Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward against a Jets’ D that is allowing 109.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  Josh Freeman will have to be careful when throwing the ball this week as CB Darrelle Revis of the Jets is a true shutdown corner who has 5 interceptions this year already.  That means that throwing the ball to Antoino Bryant could be dangerous.  This game is set up for Kellen Winslow to have a big game in the passing game as a young QB’s best friend is often the TE.

On defense the Bucs will need to tighten up their chinstraps as the Jets are going to come out of the locker-room trying to bully them with their running game.  The Jets are averaging 168.6 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry as Thomas Jones (1,068 rushing yards, 9 TDs) is having a great year.  Still, with Kellen Clemens starting at QB the Bucs must stop the run and force him to throw the ball if they are going to have any chance of winning this game.

PREDICTION:  JETS 20, BUCCANEERS 10

The Buccaneers have been pathetic this season as they are now 1-11 on the year.  Still, if the Bucs saw what the Browns did last night they know how much a couple of more wins would make them feel.  It won’t be easy as they play the Jets at home this weekend.  After the Jets, the schedule won’t get any easier as they then play the Seahawks in Seattle, the Saints in New Orleans and the Falcons at home.  The Buccaneers are likely going to be one of the frontrunners for the first pick in the NFL Draft next April but they need to try to win every game they can to restore some pride in the team.

Rookie 7th round pick Sammie Stroughter will replace the injured Clifton Smith returning punts and kick-offs.  Stroughter has returned 11 kickoffs for 324 yards (29.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg).  Stroughter is also making a mark on offense for the Buccaneers this season as he has caught 27 passes for 288 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stroughter was a outstanding pick by the Bucs last April and he should be able to do a decent job filling in for Clifton Smith.

The Bucs have lost special teams ace Clifton Smith for the rest of the season after he suffered his second concussion of the year last Sunday.  Smith played in 11 games for the Bucs this year and he returned 31 kickoffs for 902 yards (29.1 avg) and 23 punts for 232 yards (10.1 avg).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 7 yards (1.8 ypc) and he caught 2 passes for 4 yards (2.0 avg).  The Bucs will miss Smith who usually helped give the offense good starting position.