Our starting offense needs to come out and fire every cylinder in tonight’s preseason game against the Browns and not just because we necessarily need that to win this game but more as a morale boost. The Bucs starting offense got it done in the last two preseason games, but they were not, by any means, textbook or even pretty. I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as you are touching that chicken box at the end of every drive. But 3-10 isn’t exactly what you want to see from your starting QB and WR’ group. In all fairness, both the Jags and the Eagles have a pretty solid defense, but we will face much tougher defenses this season. Preseason is where everything starts coming together. It’s not just to see who will and who will not make the roster, although preseason game play adds leverage to the decision making. But preseason is a glance at the basic design of the starting group.
We were 6-10 last season, and with the additions all the way around the team, most expect 9-7 or better. But no one is seeing a 9-7 potential team, so far in this preseason. I still believe we can accomplish 2 or more wins this year over last year, and most of that belief comes from the defensive play.
The secondary and pass rush is overall much improved and will go a long way in helping us win games this season. We didn’t have that last year, so we gave up big leads and lost games that we should have otherwise won. Our defense hasn’t been put to the test yet, nothing significant, and tonight’s game shouldn’t be any different, however, the fact that the offense faces a majority of teams who run 3-4 defenses this season, tonight’s game will be a test for our offense. I hope we can overcome this difficult task. It’s more than just two-quarters of preseason play for the starting offense tonight, it is preparation for the teams we face this season. We will need the Buccaneers starting offense to come out and shine tonight not just to prove that we are the team we all believe us to be, but to prove to themselves that they are who we think they are. If we do that then the defense should easily compliment the offense and seal the deal.
