Week three is the most important week of the preseason because the starters get the longest look. We caught a glimpse of how good this Buccaneers team really could be.
On national Dog Day these “Dawgs” got pounded by the Buccaneers, 30-13. The Bucs really got a good look at their starters tonight and they performed above expectations. With strong performances by every starting group it was really hard to pick who “lost” for the Buccaneers. But with a performance this strong there were many options to pick for winners.
Winner: Adam Humphries
After this performance there really shouldn’t be any question who will be the number three receiver for the team. With two nice catches early he displayed some good hands. But that’s not the reason he’s on here. Towards the end of the first quarter Humphries broke free on a punt return for 73 yards. He was helped a little by Andy Lee not really trying to make a play but I don’t think he would’ve stopped him. He had a full head of steam and has definitely earned a starting spot on this team. Bernard Reedy had a nice 43 yard return himself but he shouldn’t over take Humphries as the return man.
Loser: Donteea Dye
Donteea Dye didn’t do anything wrong this game but he didn’t do anything to help himself. Injuries happen but with a position that is so up in the air losing your chance to display your abilities really doesn’t help. Dye injured his hamstring after the first kickoff and remained out the rest of the game. If Dye’s injury is serious he may end up missing his chance to make this team.
Winner: Entire Defensive Line
Facing a speedy quarterback in RG3 and a future hall of fame tackle in Joe Thomas the Buccaneers got after the quarterback tonight. The Bucs had five first half sacks and eight total. Noah Spence picked up his first and Jacquies Smith had two himself. The Bucs line just looked so much better than they did last week against the Jags. They also held the starters to under 50 yards rushing. This line has potential and can apply some serious pressure to opposing quarterbacks when they work in sync like they did tonight.
Loser: Russell Hansbrough, Peyton Barber, and Storm Johnson
Getting his chance to get a bulk of the carries early, Barber really didn’t shine in the spotlight. With Mike James out and Martin and Sims only totaling eight carries, Barber got action in the first half when others did not. He did not have a good day finishing with nine carries and 16 yards. Storm got off to an even rougher start fumbling the ball on his first carry. Barber fumbled as well but recovered his own mistake. Storm finished with two carries for -5 yards. Russell Hansbrough had the “best” game having 27 yards on nine carries.
Winner: Jameis Winston to Mike Evans
Winston to Evans is going to be a Buccaneers facet for many years to come. Tonight was the best night for the two so far this year. Evans had five catches on five passes thrown with 115 total yards. Winston threw some darts his way and Evans hauled them all in. He should’ve had a really long touchdown but lost his balance and ran out of bounds. He redeemed himself two plays later catching a 34 yard touchdown. With both of them losing weight this off-season their speed and play making ability should be a dynamic duo this season.
Loser: Mike Glennon
Glennon down right stunk this week. Playing four drives he completed two of his seven attempts and just looked off. He had a pass that was tipped behind the line of scrimmage and easily could’ve been a pick six if there was a Brown in the area. This isn’t the first time this off-season Glennon looked off. Maybe it’s rust maybe it’s because he’s playing with the second team but as a higher ranked backup quarterback in the NFL he really has not looked the part so far. If he wants Osweiler money he’s got to have a statement game next week in the final pre-season game.
Bonus Winner: Roberto Aguayo
If you really thought Aguayo wasn’t going to be in this piece you haven’t paid attention to the Buccaneers this off-season. Coming off a really shaky first two weeks he nailed all six of his field goal and extra point attempts and held the Browns to only touchbacks on kickoffs. If this isn’t a booster to his confidence I don’t know what is. Maybe all the psychological stuff really did help or he just stayed out of his own head. Whatever he’s doing he’s gotta keep it up and he can recapture the success that he had at Florida State.
Next: Bucs Trounce Browns: Immediate Reaction
With the NFL preseason now half over, we got a good look at the Buccaneers starters. They looked really good. They were playing the Browns but they looked like they could compete with anyone tonight.