The good, bad, and downright ugly

[wreck ship]

The good: Coach Schiano has this team ready. Ready for what? I don't know but they look the part.
The starting D kept Brady on his heels thanks to awesome coverage by the secondary and lb's and pressure from the front four. Bennet was clearly the mvp in the first half followed by Barron.
Doug Martin looked good again despite the oline getting their asses handed to them by the pats dline. I've always stood behind Blount as the opening day starter but in this defensive game, Martin hitting the right holes and being a factor in the passing game could have pushed him into the starting role. Blount is clearly a finisher and not a starter. Vjax earned his paycheck and until the Pats rolled their coverage over to him, Freeman was earning his. Ronde looks good at safety and deserves credit for the pick six but he did miss his lane on a blitz. Micheal Smith is the real deal and should make the final 53.

The bad:Freeman. Despite a good looking 1st drive, Freeman struggled with confidence and command and threw some ducks at his 3rd option. One particularly could have extended a drive and despite having a wide open lane to run for a 1st, he throws a lame duck and ends up trotting off the field. Which brings me to another bad about Freeman...RUN the freakin ball man! Not every time but in a defensive game like this, take what the defense gives you and run. It keeps the clock moving, it keeps the defense honest, and in some cases it's actually the thing to do.
The run D was bad in my opinion. There were some bright spots but over all the pats starting O was better on the ground than in the air. I don't know if it was the Pats oline or more Ridley but I got flash backs from last year after watching our LBs get pushed out of the play. The run D looked better with McCoy in but that's not a good thing.

And to the ugly:Buc fans suck. From the stadium to the message board there are a lot of wishy washy Buc fans. I saw waaay to many Pats jerseys in the stands and the game day thread was full of foul mouth 2nd graders. The way the message board looks you would think the Bucs lost 31-14 or something. Also injuries are an ugly part of the game and tonight was ugly for the Bucs. Devin Joseph looks to be gone for the season by all accounts and McCoy looks to be his fragile self. Whats worse is the huge drop off from McCoy to whoever fills in for him. Clayborn walked off with an injured arm and had xrays but looked good on the sideline. I'm still holding my breath on the report on those two guys but thank god we have 2 weeks to rest them.
Preston Parker should not be catching punts. Last but not least, Freeman. I know it's preseason but damn is he frustrating to watch when he misses a target in single coverage. I give him credit for going through his progression and finding the single coverage but he failed to deliver and on a few occasions could have made the defense pay by running. For all the talk in the offseason about making Freeman more relaxed, he looks as wound up as Javagay and on top of that, his throws look unconvincing and wobbly.
Some people may say Freeman didn't have an ugly night but as the leader of this team, he had a butt ugly night. He's doing too much thinking and not enough playing for the fun of it.

[ryan24]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

[Franchise 5]

And to the ugly:Buc fans suck. From the stadium to the message board there are a lot of wishy washy Buc fans.

+1

[J-Train]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

You're exactly right. They stick with a gameplan in the preseason. When the games actually matter, Freeman will be more aggressive.

[mrchillwill]

did you see how brady looked?

[wreck ship]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

Thats my point. If the coaching staff is telling him not to run cause it's preseason, they are hindering him. If I'm watching tape and I see that all my recievers are covered, I want to see Freeman improvise to keep the drive going. Not force passes to show the coaches what a good listener he his.

[ryan24]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

Thats my point. If the coaching staff is telling him not to run cause it's preseason, they are hindering him. If I'm watching tape and I see that all my recievers are covered, I want to see Freeman improvise to keep the drive going. Not force passes to show the coaches what a good listener he his.

That's not Freeman's issue then.

[wreck ship]

did you see how brady looked?

Brady looked like he was in prison until the staters went out.

[Pewter Pirate]

The Good- Dan the Man, he rode the wave tonight.

What?

[wreck ship]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

Thats my point. If the coaching staff is telling him not to run cause it's preseason, they are hindering him. If I'm watching tape and I see that all my recievers are covered, I want to see Freeman improvise to keep the drive going. Not force passes to show the coaches what a good listener he his.

That's not Freeman's issue then.

It is Freemans issue. His number #1 priority is to keep the drive alive and when he passes up a perfect opportunity to run for a 1st or to keep the clock moving in order to force a pass, that's a problem. He's clearly thinking more about finding a reciever than keeping the drive going. He took a sack when he should have tucked the ball and ran from the pressure.

[mrchillwill]

The Good- Dan the Man, he rode the wave tonight.

you are not a bucs fan, you have a sig with a panthers player in it.

[JavaRay]

The Good-  Dan the Man, he rode the wave tonight.

Good post.   

It's time for Danny O to get the start not only next week, but opening day against the Panthers.

[Pewter Pirate]

The Good-  Dan the Man, he rode the wave tonight.

Good post.   

It's time for Danny O to get the start not only next week, but opening day against the Panthers.

What?

[wreck ship]

The Good-  Dan the Man, he rode the wave tonight.

Good post.   

It's time for Danny O to get the start not only next week, but opening day against the Panthers.

What?

STFU with that **CENSORED**. I'm beginning to think your apart of that circle jerk

[ryan24]

I don't think the Bucs want Freeman taking off in the preseason. We'll see what happens when the real bullets fly.

Thats my point. If the coaching staff is telling him not to run cause it's preseason, they are hindering him. If I'm watching tape and I see that all my recievers are covered, I want to see Freeman improvise to keep the drive going. Not force passes to show the coaches what a good listener he his.

That's not Freeman's issue then.

It is Freemans issue. His number #1 priority is to keep the drive alive and when he passes up a perfect opportunity to run for a 1st or to keep the clock moving in order to force a pass, that's a problem. He's clearly thinking more about finding a reciever than keeping the drive going. He took a sack when he should have tucked the ball and ran from the pressure.

Dude.