Much has already been chronicled about the Buccaneers recent offensive ineptitude against the Cowboysthis last Sunday.  It was incredibly painful to watch and it will be very difficult to watch them this year if this vanilla offense continues.  Last year was forgettable, but I think one of the answers to moving the ball better may lie in the 2010 campaign.

Josh Freeman may need to start using his feet to get yards rather than just his arm.

What was lost in the analysis of that season and how great Josh Freeman was that year is the fact that he often made plays with his feet rather than with his arm.  He had many runs where he escaped the pocket and gained positive yards on the ground, often resulting in a first down.  A few of these runs went for 10 yards or more.  This year, he stands tall in the pocket, moves around if he gets pressured, but very rarely takes off for a positive gain.  If he does this more, it creates a new aspect to the passing game, makes the defense keep a player up towards to line to try and stop it, and can increase the throwing space for him in the intermediate routes.

I don’t think this is the ultimate solution to the offensive woes from last week, but it is a simple solution that can be implemented next week in order to sustain drives and move the ball effectively.  Despite missing some stars, the Redskins defense is still pretty good and moving the ball may be difficult at times. (more…)