Pewter Report’s Dory LeBlanc offers up her analysis on how Tampa Bay’s offense played against Washington in the Redskins 24-22 victory over the Bucs, and dishes out the game grades for the offensive unit.

QUARTERBACK

Is seems as if things are starting to click for Josh Freeman. Against Dallas, Freeman completed 10 passes out of 28 thrown, for a dismal 35.7 percent completion percentage and 45.2 QB rating.

Sunday, Freeman made 24-of-39 passes for 61.5 percent and QB rating of 83.2. Quite a turnaround in a week, but it’s still not at the top of the quarterback food chain in the NFL.

Fans and media alike were clamoring for the Bucs to open up the playbook and throw the ball more after two weeks of a run-first mentality that wasn’t coming to fruition. 39 passes is opening the playbook, couple with the two long shots down the field, the first to Mike Williams for 65 yards in the third quarter, tying his career-longest, and again to Vincent Jackson for 54 yards in the final quarter of the Redskins game. Both drives ended with Tampa Bay touchdowns, and the catalyst seemed to be the big playmaking throws by Freeman.

Freeman did throw an interception in the second quarter on a pass intended for Jackson but attempted to extend plays with his legs; taking off with the ball twice, netting five yards and sliding for three. Freeman accuracy was right on in the opening and closing quarters, but wavered in the middle; if not for the 65-yarder to Williams, his third quarter numbers would have been much worse.

First Quarter: 8-for-9, 64 yards

Second Quarter: 5-for-13, 24 yards, one interception

Third Quarter: 4-for-8, 99 yards, one touchdown

Fourth Quarter: 7-for-9, 112 yards

Freeman is still not in the same class as pass-happy QBs Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, or the Mannings, but if he can improve on his execution and accuracy after the playbook was opened, Freeman is heading in the right direction. 

Through the first three games the Bucs were so committed to the run, most questioned if there was even a passing play in the offensive playbook. The Redskins were sixth against the run entering the game, and the few amount of rushing attempts could have been part of the game plan against Washington, considering their pass defense was ranked 31st in the league.

Doug Martin had eight carries for 33 yards for a respectable 4.1 yard per carry average, but it could have been higher had a 19-yard run not been called back for a holding penalty called on Jeremy Zuttah.

LeGarrette Blount registered his first touchdown of the season bullying his way into the end zone from the two yard line, and finished the game with six carries for 17 yards (2.8 yards per carry).

D.J. Ware took a direct snap and ran 17 yards up the left side, his only attempt on the ground Sunday.

Arrelious Been took an end around for a five-yard gain in the first quarter.

Freeman kept the ball twice, running for five yards, and then sliding after three yards on a third down.

That brings the total to 18 attempts for 80 yards between five ball carriers, for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Granted, Martin’s 19-yarder would have put the total yards on the ground closer to 100, but the holding call negated the run.

The positive side is that Martin averaged slightly over four yards per run, which may mean he’s starting to know where the holes are going to be.

Freeman threw for 299 yards, with two receivers catching the bulk of those yards. Vincent Jackson caught six passes for 100 yards and a score, while Mike Williams had four receptions for 115 yards. Both players caught deep passes, with Williams being the recipient of a 65-yarder that would ultimately result in Jackson’s seven yard touchdown reception towards the end of the third quarter. Jackson caught a 54 pass in the fourth quarter that went on to set up Blount’s two yard TD run. The 65-yarder to Williams tied Freeman’s longest career pass, and Williams and Jacksons combined yards marked the first time Tampa Bay had two receivers end with at least 100 yards each since 1992.

Now the bad news. Jackson was targeted 11 times, and Williams eight. Martin, who has been fairly solid thus far in the passing game was 2-for-5. Between the Bucs top three receivers, 12 passes were missed.

The remainder of the receiving corps was productive, as Tiquan Underwood was targeted three times and caught all three passes for 39 yards.

It seemed Arrelious Benn would finally have the breakout game people were waiting for after starting the game with two receptions and the end-around, but Benn fizzled in the second half, and did not make another catch.

When the Bucs have two receivers with at least 100 yards, and three more with double-digit yardage, it has to be considered a good day. The grade would have been much higher if not for the drops by the top two receivers. 

Pass protection is still holding up, with Freeman sacked once in the Redskins game – a six-yard loss on third down in the second quarter, forcing Tampa Bay to end the drive with a punt. On the sack, Washington DE Ryan Kerrigan put an inside move on Demar Dotson and got right in. It was the first sack allowed by Dotson since he took over for Jeremy Trueblood as the starting right tackle.

On the second drive of the game, Jeremy Zuttah was called for holding, negating a 19-yard Martin run to the left side. Martin has been running productively to the left behind Carl Nicks and Donald Penn, and this trend will be examined as the week goes on as to a breakdown of the offensive line in regards to Martin’s rushing totals.
 

Overall, Freeman is being pressured on drop backs, but the line is keeping defenders from reaching Freeman. 

By far the most difficult of all the offensive grades to give. Tampa Bay’s two tight ends, Dallas Clark and Luke Stocker, were targeted a total of six times with four catches for 20 yards.

Clark was 3-of-4 for 15 yards, but the pass thrown at him that he didn’t catch was one of Freeman’s worst balls of the game. Clark was draped in coverage, and the ball was errantly thrown behind him.

Stocker just flat out dropped his pass, which will happen from time to time, but it sticks out when you are only targeted twice.

The tight end situation in Tampa Bay is the most perplexing of all the offensive positions. Signing Clark should have been an asset to Freeman, but instead has been more like an afterthought.

Stocker’s role should be more of a blocking tight end, but truth be told, none of the tight ends on the Bucs roster are true blockers. Stocker was considered an all-around tight end, but has yet to produce as such.

Short passes over the middle or out in the flats if the linebackers are committed to the box would work for both of the Bucs’ TEs in the game plan, but the game plan hasn’t called for much of it yet. Clark was a major factor in the fourth quarter drive against the Giants that netted the Bucs a late TD, but other than that has been invisible all season.

The tight ends can only catch what is thrown to them and that hasn’t been much, but what is thrown has to be caught.