TAMPA, Fla. -- In their preseason home opener Friday night against the Cleveland Browns, with brand-new, jumbo-sized scoreboards and a surround sound system rivaling that of a concert venue, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on an electrifying show, dominating on offense, defense and special teams. They came from behind last week to beat the Jaguars, but never trailed Friday night, winning 30-13.
QB depth chart: Quarterback Jameis Winston said all week that he needed to start fast and turnover-free. He did just that. Using no-huddle, Winston hit Mike Evans for a 23-yard pass over the middle and on the very next play for 16, before a short pass to Vincent Jackson. It took Winston an entire quarter before he completed a pass last week. After the Bucs settled for a 48-yard field goal on the opening possession, Winston roared back with no-huddle again, engineering a 12-play, 82-yard drive that was punctuated by a 3-yard toss to Charles Sims.
In the second quarter, using no-huddle again, Winston connected with Evans on a 47-yard catch-and-run, with Evans running along a tightrope on the far sideline. Winston found Evans again, delivering a beautiful 34-yard throw down the middle of the field just as the pocket quickly collapsed on top of him, with Evans spinning 360 degrees as he made the catch. Winston finished his day 16-of-25 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Mike Glennon came in at the beginning of the third quarter and completed 2 of 7 passes for 13 yards, while third-string quarterback Ryan Griffin went 2-of-3 for 13 yards.
Maybe that player could start: The Bucs were without several key pieces, including defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. Akeem Spence stepped in and performed admirably, as did Josh Allen at left guard. Josh Keyes stepped up in the absence of both Daryl Smith and Devante Bond at strongside linebacker. Aside from Spence, these players are really backups, but they performed well enough to win.
Who got hurt? Kick returner Donteea Dye left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return. Several players were held out due to injury, including Smith (undisclosed), Ali Marpet (ankle), Mike James (undisclosed), McDonald (undisclosed), Bond (hamstring) and Evan Spencer (knee).
A surprise player who impressed: Head coach Dirk Koetter said at the beginning of training camp that Adam Humphries would be the Bucs' third wide receiver. With that job already locked up, Humphries set his sights on another one -- the punt returner job. At the very end of the first quarter, Humphries returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown.
When it was starters vs. starters, the Bucs looked …: Like the dominant team for the first time in three preseason games. Winston and the offense started fast, scoring a touchdown or a field goal on all but two offensive possessions in the first half, while the defense pressured Robert Griffin III heavily, sacking him five times in the first half alone.
One reason to be concerned: The offensive line has already been without starter J.R. Sweezy, who continues to recover from a back procedure. Then, starting right guard Marpet showed up in a walking boot this week at practice and did not play. Sweezy's replacement, Kevin Pamphile, missed the game due to a family matter. Josh Allen, who would be considered the third-string left guard, got the start, meaning the Bucs are paper-thin along the offensive line.
Pass-rush positives: The Bucs' pass rush was outstanding, with eight sacks on the night, including seven from the defensive line. Jacquies Smith led with two sacks, while William Gholston, Noah Spence, Howard Jones, Kourtnei Brown, and Kwon Alexander each contributed one. Gerald McCoy and Robert Ayers split one. It was the most sacks the team has had in a preseason game since 2000.
Special-teamers shine: Special teams got off to an atrocious start at the beginning of the preseason. On Friday night, they were flawless. Roberto Aguayo nailed a 48-yard field goal on the opening drive, a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, in addition to making all three of his extra points. Humphries had his 73-yard punt return for a touchdown and Bernard Reedy had a monster 43-yard return at the end of the third quarter.
