Buccaneers game grades: 2017 Week 2 win over Chicago Bears
SECONDARY
If the offensive line was a big concern amongst Buccaneers faithful, the secondary was their defensive concern just as big, if not bigger.
Early on, the Bucs secondary got beat deep early and often which ultimately contributed to the team not winning enough games to make a post-season appearance.
If the first quarter belonged to the linebackers, the second was all secondary.
Free-agent Robert McClain played in Atlanta when head coach Dirk Koetter was there as the offensive coordinator, and he came to Tampa for the 2017 season to make plays for his team again.
See ya! Robert McClain PICK-SIX! pic.twitter.com/RlYiUdFsRb
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 17, 2017
A missed extra point followed his pick-six, but a 23-0 lead is nothing to scoff at, and McClain certainly did his part to earn it.
Another name brought to the roster came a bit later. Ok, he came a lot later.
Safety T.J. Ward was released by the Denver Broncos, and quickly secured by the Buccaneers.
While he hasn’t had a whole lot of time to learn the defense, his raw talent and ability still shined through at times.
The first play his presence was felt on, came on an outside run when Ward measured the blockers, found a gap, and absolutely leveled the ball carrier.
Later, Ward tipped a pass in the fourth quarter which nearly fell into the hands of teammate Vernon Hargreaves III.
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Chris Conte led the secondary in tackles with seven total, and made some key plays himself. If the former Bears defender can continue solid play like he did this week, his reputation amongst Buccaneers fans will surely heal itself.
They may not get as much credit for it, but don’t believe for a second this group wasn’t an instrumental part of keeping the Bears running backs in check as well.
This group may have bent from time-to-time, but they certainly did not break.
Glennon threw for over 300-yards, but it took him more than 30 completions to do it, and the only touchdown throw surrendered came in garbage time with the game in hand.