1. Josh Freeman Needs To Play Like Tom Brady
Freeman, who is expected to play the majority of the first half and possibly into the third quarter, needs to play like a starting franchise quarterback by moving the chains and putting touchdowns on the board. In order for teams like the Buccaneers to beat teams like the Patriots, that has a stud quarterback like Brady, Freeman will have to rise to the occasion and be Brady-like. That means no turnovers, completing a high percentage of his passes and putting the ball in the end zone and not having the offense settle for field goals.

Freeman is the key to the Bucs’ offensive production in 2012 and needs to get a head start on the season with so many new weapons and a new offensive playbook. With the season opener against Carolina just around the corner, Freeman needs an extended look in this game to be able to dissect the tape and make adjustments accordingly before taking on their divisional rivals.

2. With Penn Back, O-Line Needs To Rebound
Last week against the Titans, the offensive line was largely responsible for the lack of production from the quarterbacks and running backs. Tampa Bay had only 81 yards of offense, six first downs and Freeman and Dan Orlovsky couldn’t get anything going after being under constant pressure. In order for Freeman to get comfortable in the pocket and the ground game to gain momentum, the offensive line has to step up, especially after such an abysmal performance against Tennessee last week.

Part of the turnaround begins with the return of left tackle Donald Penn who needs to play up to his Pro Bowl potential. Despite missing the all of training camp with a calf injury, Penn looks like he is in good physical condition. The biggest negative Penn will have entering the Patriots game isn’t physical, but mental. Penn’s return is significant as he and Carl Nicks need to start building chemistry on the left side of the line the way Nicks and Demar Dotson were starting to do before Penn returned to practice. If Penn and Nicks can gel quickly, and if Penn can live up to his potential, Freeman should feel a little bit safer and the running back duo of Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount will be more productive between the tackles.

3. It’s Time For The Defensive Line To Start Getting Sacks
Pressuring the quarterback is not enough. The defensive line must start getting signal callers on the ground. There’s no better time to rise to the occasion than sacking a quarterback like Brady that is hard to bring down. Through two games, the defensive line hasn’t sniffed the quarterback in terms of sacks or even knockdowns. The only sack the Bucs have recorded this preseason was by blitzing linebacker Dekoda Watson. Michael Bennett, who is playing for the injured Da’Quan Bowers, and Adrian Clayborn have a lot of pressure on them, but a healthy Gerald McCoy should be able to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks as well.

4. Bucs Must Show Progress By Tackling Better
After a sound showing in terms of tackling and producing three-and-outs against Miami in the 20-7 win in preseason opener, Tampa Bay took a huge step back with its tackling after the first three defensive series against Tennessee. The tackling became so bad that it looked like the Bucs had reverted back to 2011 form against the Titans.

Tackling is a fundamental part of football and far too often this preseason, that fundamental has been lost among some of the Buccaneer defenders. Making big plays is nice, but handling your responsibilities and assignments should be first order of business.

Earlier in the week the Bucs worked on tackling the feet/ankle and ran dive tackle drills to ensure the opposing player is brought down by any legal means. Drafting safety Mark Barron and linebacker Lavonte David should help in this area as both were very strong tacklers in college. Unfortunately, due to their lack of NFL experience both players are on a learning curve, and although they can both make immediate impacts, they can’t be the sole providers of dishing out punishment to the Patriots.

5. Tampa Bay’s Tight Ends and Fullbacks Need To Block Better
One of the biggest downfalls of Luke Stocker out of last week’s game was the blocking integrity. The fullbacks and tight ends struggled to block effectively in the ground game, leaving LeGarrette Blount, Doug Martin et al to rely solely on the offensive line to block the outside edge. Between the tackles Nicks, Jeremy Zuttah, and Davin Joseph were able to open up slight gaps at times, but the fullbacks just couldn’t securing the outside was a definite weakness – completely unacceptable for a run-first offense.