Buccaneers 20, Seahawks 10 (Game #7) [5-2-0]

Jeff Garcia is Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback again, with good reason.
Garcia completed 26 of 37 passes for 310 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant on Tampa Bay’s opening drive, and the Buccaneers beat the struggling Seattle Seahawks 20-10 on Sunday night.
Making his second straight start in place of Brian Griese, Garcia helped the NFC South-leading Bucs (5-2) improve to 4-0 at home.
Garcia clearly outplayed fellow backup-turned-starter Seneca Wallace, the Seahawks’ third quarterback in three weeks. Garcia was 14-of-17 by halftime, helping the Bucs take a 17-0 lead, and the outcome wasn’t ever in doubt. He was sacked once and completed passes to 10 different receivers.
Bucs coach Jon Gruden said Garcia will continue to start. The 38-year-old Garcia made his fourth Pro Bowl last season, his first with the Bucs, but lost the starting job earlier this season.
“He was hot tonight,” Gruden said. “His mobility was a factor tonight, and he created a lot of opportunities running and throwing for a lot of people.”
Wallace, meanwhile, never got rolling. He finished 12-of-23 for 73 yards, with a 2-yard touchdown pass to John Carlson with 1:55 left, and had two turnovers in the second quarter. Maurice Morris ran for 56 yards for Seattle (1-5) in its third straight loss.
“Our confidence on offense isn’t where it should be,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. “Now we have to keep them going, somehow, some way, and get that confidence we used to have.”
Bryant finished with 115 yards receiving, and Earnest Graham added a 1-yard touchdown run for the Buccaneers, a fitting up-the-gut score on a night where Tampa Bay honored retired fullback Mike Alstott with a halftime ceremony.
“It was a great night for a great player,” Graham said. “And it was a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Alstott sees plenty of similarities between himself and Graham, who switched to fullback last week.
“He can do a lot. He’s versatile. He’s a team player,” Alstott said. “When he gets an opportunity he makes the best of it and, if he doesn’t get the opportunity, he doesn’t complain about it. That’s what wins championships.”
So does defense, and Tampa Bay was strong there once again.
The Bucs entered the game having given up an NFL-low three touchdowns in 11 opponent trips inside the 20, and held Seattle to a TD and field goal in two trips into the red zone. Tampa Bay held a 402-176 edge in total yards, and forced the Seahawks into settling for only a 26-yard field goal by Olindo Mare in the third quarter on a drive where Seattle drove to the 8.
Tampa Bay controlled the ball for nearly 42 minutes.
“I think the defense played great,” said Bucs safety Sabby Piscitelli. “But the biggest thing was the offense kept us off the field.”
The Bucs got their longest pass play of the season to open the scoring, the 47-yard hookup from Garcia to Bryant—who hadn’t caught a TD pass since Dec. 3, 2006.
Bryant sprinted down the left sideline, jostling with cornerback Kelly Jennings most of the way. Jennings stumbled and fell, Bryant caught the ball at the 10 and scored easily.
Graham’s score capped a six-play, 59-yard drive to give Tampa Bay a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Matt Bryant added two field goals for the Bucs, who kept pace with Carolina in the NFC South.
There was a scary moment early in the second quarter, when Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill delivered a hit that injured two players—including teammate Lofa Tatupu.
Tampa Bay wide receiver Ike Hilliard made a catch around the Seattle 5, with Tatupu dragging him from behind. Hill came from the front, slamming into both, and Hilliard crumbled to the turf in such a way that teammates began instantly waving to the sideline for medical assistance.
“You never want to see that happen,” Hill said.
Hilliard—who fumbled—was driven off in a cart, but sat up for the ride. Gruden said he had a concussion and would be hospitalized for observation overnight. Tatupu had a concussion, and because the play was blown dead, Seattle felt it was denied a chance to run the fumble in for a touchdown.
“It was a factor in the game,” Holmgren said.
Xtra, xtra: Bucs halfback Warrick Dunn left the game with a back injury but Gruden said he expects him to play next week at Dallas (Associated Press - Sports).

Buccaneers 27, Panthers 3 (Game #6) [4-2-0]

Jeff Garcia knows the drill.
Benched quarterbacks must wait patiently for chances to show they deserve playing time, then have to make the most of those opportunities.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection answered the call Sunday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 27-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers\, delivering exactly what they needed to climb into a tie for first place in the NFC South.
“This is just one game and we don’t know what’s going to happen next. But it felt great to be playing again. If we can just build on these things, we have a lot of good things to look forward to,” he said.
Garcia, starting for the first time since the opener because Brian Griese is injured, threw for 173 yards and a touchdown. Warrick Dunn had his most productive day running the ball since rejoining the Bucs with 115 yards on 22 carries.
The victory, Tampa Bay’s first at home against the division rival Panthers since 2002, enabled the Bucs (4-2) to pull even in the standings with Carolina (4-2), which sputtered a week after routing Kansas City 34-0.
It has been a rollercoaster year for Garcia. He led the Bucs to the playoffs in 2007, but lost his starting job last month after missing most of training camp with a calf injury and playing poorly at New Orleans in the opener.
Instead of sulking, he got healthy. He also stopped talking about his failure to receive a contract extension during the offseason and Tampa Bay’s unsuccessful pursuit of Brett Favre when the former Green Bay quarterback decided to come out of retirement.
“I think the main thing as a player is that I need to play with emotion, I need to play with energy and I need to have a certain excitement about myself when I step on the football field,” said Garcia, whose 2-yard TD pass to Alex Smith gave Tampa Bay an early 14-0 lead.
“If I don’t have that I’m not who I need to be. It wasn’t so much being away from the game for the past four weeks as much as it was realizing where I need to get myself back to where I can be successful on the football field.”
With Griese out due to a sore elbow and shoulder, Garcia completed 15 of 20 passes with no interceptions to make a case for regaining the starting job.
Coach Jon Gruden said the 38-year-old will start next Sunday’s home game against Seattle, noting that Griese still isn’t able to throw.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for our quarterbacks and realize its a hard game to play when you’re not healthy,” Gruden said.
Earnest Graham’s 1-yard scoring run made it 27-3 early in the fourth. Rookie Geno Hayes blocked a punt and returned it 22 yards for Tampa Bay’s first touchdown, and Matt Bryant added field goals of 37 and 49 yards.
The defense did its job, too, intercepting Bucs nemesis Jake Delhomme three times, setting up a touchdown and stopping two other promising drives.
The Carolina quarterback entered the game 7-1 vs. Tampa Bay, including 4-0 at Raymond James Stadium, where the Panthers had not lost in five trips since 2002—the year the NFC South was formed.
“I don’t know if its a wake-up call. We got beat,” Delhomme said. “Very simply, we didn’t play well and they played well.”
All three of Tampa Bay’s interceptions came on passes that glanced off Delhomme’s intended targets.
Tanard Jackson picked off a first-quarter pass that deflected off tight end Dante Rosario, Jermaine Phillips intercepted a deep throw that receiver Muhsin Muhammad and cornerback Aqib Talib were battling for in the end zone, and Talib got the last one on a ball that went through Steve Smith’s hands.
Turnovers weren’t the only obstacles for the Panthers. Delhomme underthrew a wide open Smith on a 48-yard completion that easily could have gone for a 72-yard scoring pass.
“That’s kind of how our day went,” Carolina coach John Fox said.
As it was, Smith made a nice adjustment and caught the ball as he was falling to the ground, where Jackson touched him down at the Tampa Bay 24. The Panthers eventually settled for John Kasay’s 20-yard field goal after Jonathan Stewart lost a yard on second-and-goal from the 1 and Delhomme’s third-down pass was broken up in the end zone.
Delhomme was 20 of 39 for 242 yards.
Smith, who also dropped what would have been a TD pass in the final minute, finished with six catches for 112 yards. However, the Bucs limited DeAngelo Williams to 27 yards rushing on 11 carries.
“It’s a letdown for us,” Smith said. “You can’t get away from that.” ^Notes: Smith has five 100-yard games in his past seven outings against Tampa Bay. … Garcia has won five consecutive starts against Carolina, including two for the Bucs. … Dunn, who spent the past six seasons in Atlanta and beginning his career with the Bucs, has 30 100-yard games. The Panthers defense allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season (Associated Press - Sports).

Broncos 16, Buccaneers 13 (Game #5) [3-2-0]

Brian Griese has one more bad memory of Denver to digest.
Tampa Bay’s quarterback was knocked out of the game with a swollen right elbow on a blind-side blitz in the third quarter Sunday, and he watched helplessly as Jay Cutler guided a patient Denver offense to a 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.
Cutler, who piled up nearly 1,300 yards passing in winning the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month award in September, threw for a season-low 227 yards with a workmanlike 23-for-37 performance as he worked almost strictly the underneath routes to avoid Tampa Bay’s dominant downfield defenders.
“It’s really not my thing. We’re used to throwing the ball down the field, getting big chunks and really couldn’t do it against this defense,” said Cutler, who has led Denver to a 4-1 start.
Griese, making his first visit to Invesco Field since his five frustrating years in Denver as John Elway’s successor, never looked at cornerback Champ Bailey barreling in on him from his right side and was smothered at the goal line just as he released the ball late in the third quarter.
“It’s going to be all right,” said Griese, who couldn’t grip the ball without pain after taking a direct helmet hit on his elbow. “The doctor doesn’t seem to think that there’s anything wrong structurally so that’s a good thing.”
Bailey hesitated for a split-second just before his free shot on the quarterback. Otherwise, Griese might have been hurt worse and Bailey might have had his second career sack or at least a forced fumble.
“I wish I could get a sack,” Bailey said. “That goes down as nothing, I don’t think. I don’t know how you put that down on the stat sheet.”
The play happened so fast, but Bailey remembered every single step as he and fellow cornerback Dre’ Bly executed a rare double safety blitz.
“I had a lot of time to think,” Bailey said. “I took a little hesitation step … because he kind of pumped a little bit and when the back ran past me I thought he was going to at least look that way. And he could have hit him real quick.”
Instead, it was Bailey doing the hitting.
Griese was replaced by the more mobile Jeff Garcia, the man he supplanted after a loss to New Orleans in the opener, but Garcia had only slightly more success against the Broncos.
“I don’t care too much about quarterbacks, really,” Broncos pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil said. “I wish he would’ve stayed in the game, though. Garcia runs around too much.”
Garcia shook off several hard hits himself to lead the Buccaneers on a 13-play, 90-yard drive, hitting Ike Hilliard from 7 yards to cut Denver’s lead to 16-13 with 2:02 left.
The Broncos, who scored their only touchdown late in the third quarter on Cutler’s 10-yard pass to Brandon Stokley, iced it thanks to running back Michael Pittman, who spent the past six seasons in Tampa Bay.
Pittman, who had a couple of key third-down runs that helped the Broncos break away from a 6-6 halftime tie, put this one away with a 6-yard rumble for a first down with 1:38 left, and Denver ran out the clock and took a two-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West.
“He was fired up about this one for obvious reasons,” Cutler said. “Pitt’s been there all year for us, third down, goal line, short yardage. He’s very valuable for us.”
The Buccaneers (3-2) blunted the Broncos’ league-best offense, which came in averaging 33 points, but Denver’s defense—which had been allowing 29.5 points a game—suddenly found traction after a miserable first month.
“We’ve been in some high-scoring ballgames, back and forth, and our defense has caught a little heat,” Cutler said. “We had some trouble stopping some people, but we knew they were a lot better than that. We’ve got too much talent, too much character over there. It’s good to see them lock it down this week.”
The game’s first touchdown came with 5:41 left in the third quarter, when Stokley hauled in Cutler’s pass in the right flat and followed Brandon Marshall’s big block into the end zone to put Denver ahead 13-7.
Both teams had to dink and dunk their way down the field. Tampa Bay didn’t have a pass play longer than 17 yards and Denver had just one reception longer than 15 yards.
In the first half, Prater kicked field goals of 55 and 40 yards for Denver, and his counterpart, Matt Bryant, was good from 33 and 31 yards, the latter as the first half expired.
Prater estimated his 55-yarder would have been good from 70 yards, and he added four touchbacks in five kickoffs.
“Honest to God, why work on your kickoff return when you come here?” Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. “That guy was unbelievable.”
Griese finished 13-for-19 for 88 yards and Garcia was 13-of-17 for 93 yards, one TD and one interception.
Xtra, xtra: Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud sprained his right knee (Associated Press - Sports).

Buccaneers 30, Packers 21 (Game #4) [3-1-0]

Derrick Brooks hasn’t been himself this season. A sore hamstring has seen to that, feeding the perception that the 10-time Pro Bowl linebacker and Tampa Bay’s aging defense are slowing down.
Aaron Rodgers will tell you otherwise.
Brooks had one of three interceptions off Green Bay’s young quarterback and also forced a fumble that Jermaine Phillips returned 38 yards for a touchdown Sunday, helping the Bucs (3-1) beat the Packers 30-21.
“Unbelieveable,” Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. “We know he’s been nursing and working through an injury. What he played like today was the Derrick Brooks that everybody recognizes. He made plays sideline to sideline. There’s a lot of strength left in Derrick Brooks and we need him in the final 12 weeks.”
Rogers threw for two touchdowns to Greg Jennings, who had six receptions for 109 yards, but was sacked three times and left the game for one series with a shoulder injury midway through the fourth quarter.
The fourth-year pro returned briefly after Green Bay (2-2) fell behind 23-21 on Matt Bryant’s third field goal of the game. But he was hit from the blindside as he launched a pass on second down, and the ball was picked off by Gaines Adams with just over two minutes to go.
The Packers said Rodgers will be examined Monday. The quarterback thinks he might have separated the shoulder when he was tackled after scrambling for a 7-yard gain in the third quarter.
Both Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy said it was too early to predict whether he’ll be able to play next week against Atlanta.
“I’m sure we’ll take a look at it (Monday),” Rodgers said. “If there’s a way I can go, I’ll go.”
Earnest Graham put away Tampa Bay’s third straight victory with Brian Griese at quarterback, breaking a 47-yard run to the Packers 1 and then scoring on the next play to make it 30-21. He finished with 111 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Rodgers was 14-of-27 for 165 yards. He threw a 25-yard TD pass to Jennings on Green Bay’s opening drive of the game, then threw a 48-yarder to Jennings on the last play before he was removed from the game to trim Tampa Bay’s lead to 20-14.
When Bryant, kicking four days after his infant son died at home, booted a 23-yarder to put the Bucs ahead, coach Mike McCarthy didn’t hesitate to send his starter back onto the field to try to pull out a win.
Matt Flynn was 2-of-5 for 6 yards on the two possessions he replaced Rodgers. The Packers finished with 181 yards total offense and just eight first downs—one in the second half, on Rodgers’ long TD throw to Jennings.
Still, the Packers had a chance to win, thanks to mistakes by Griese, who threw three interceptions for the second straight week. Charles Woodson returned the last pick 62 yards for a TD that gave Green Bay a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“Offensively we were poor. We’ve just made a number of the same mistakes that we’ve made the first three weeks. Penalties. Turnovers,” McCarthy said. “It’s very difficult to win a football game like that.”
A week after throwing a franchise-record 67 times and accumulating a career-high 407 yards passing in an overtime win over Chicago, Griese completed 15 of 30 passes for 149 yards. But the day belonged to the defense, and Bryant, whose 3-month-old son Tryson, died at home on Wednesday.
“It’s been a very, very difficult week, especially for Matt,” Gruden said. “You have to pray for him. He’s a man of very few words, always has been, always will be. I think he needed the game today. He needed football today, and did he really perform.”
The Packers played nearly the entire second quarter in their own territory, with Rodgers throwing two interceptions to set up 10 points and a short punt giving the Bucs the ball at the Green Bay 41 leading to one of Bryant’s field goals.
Rodgers was one of just three starting quarterbacks who didn’t throw an interception during the first three weeks of the season. He extended his streak of consecutive attempts without a pick to 108 before a throw intended for Brandon Jackson deflected off the running back’s hands into Brooks’ arms on the first play of the second quarter.
Brooks, slowed by a hamstring injury sustained during a season-opening loss at New Orleans, nearly had two other interceptions. He forced Ryan Grant’s fumble midway through the third quarter, and Phillips scooped up the ball and raced to the end zone for a 20-7 lead.
“This is a testament to this team, just finding a way to win in the fourth quarter,” Brooks said. “No matter what phase of the game or who it is, we’ve been able to come up with big plays. To me, that’s the sign of a good football team.” (Associated Press - Sports).

Buccaneers 27, Bears 24 [OT] (Game #3) [2-1-0]

For one brief moment, Brian Griese acknowledged a little extra satisfaction.
He refused to take shots at his former team during the week, but landed a big one at the last moment on a day when he was off target.
“I can’t lie to you guys,” he said. “The game meant a lot to me, personally, coming back.”
Griese set up Matt Bryant’s winning 21-yard field goal in overtime with a 38-yard pass to Antonio Bryant, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied to beat the Chicago Bears 27-24 on Sunday.
After blowing a 14-point lead in a 20-17 loss at Carolina last week, the Bears couldn’t protect a 24-14 advantage in the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers got a 35-yard field goal from Matt Bryant with 3:11 left, and Griese orchestrated a 79-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:49, hitting Jerramy Stevens with a 1-yard pass in the closing seconds of regulation. Several key mistakes cost Chicago (1-2) in overtime.
After Tampa Bay (2-1) punted, Rashied Davis dropped a third-down pass near the Buccaneers 35. Tampa Bay then took over at its own 7 and had third-and-9 at the 8 when Griese hit Stevens with a 2-yard pass.
There was a pileup and Charles Tillman jumped in late, leading to an unnecessary roughness penalty that gave the Buccaneers a first down at the 24. Tampa Bay was at the Chicago 44 when Antonio Bryant beat Nathan Vasher for a 38-yard pass that set up the winning field goal.
“It was a costly mistake on my part,” said Tillman, who had a shoving match with Tampa Bay’s Donald Penn after the game’s first play from scrimmage.
Griese said he “kept preaching” that his teammates maintain their focus after that skirmish and “it ended up paying off for us,” he said.
Traded by the Bears in the offseason, Griese threw a franchise-record 67 passes, completing 38 for 407 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his second straight start. The man he replaced last week, Jeff Garcia, was listed as the third quarterback.
The Buccaneers were leading 14-9 when Vasher picked off Griese midway through the third quarter, and the Bears immediately grabbed the lead.
Kyle Orton, who struggled in the first half, orchestrated an 86-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 6-yard pass to Matt Forte. Brandon Lloyd caught the conversion pass to give the Bears a 17-14 lead and added a 19-yard TD that made it a 10-point game midway through the fourth quarter.
Orton was 22-for-34 for 268 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Not bad, considering he passed for just 76 yards in the first half, got sacked three times and had one pass intercepted in the end zone by Barrett Ruud and another returned 45 yards by Gaines Adams for a TD.
“I think we kept them off balance a little bit (in the second half),” Orton said. “Basically I think we executed and that’s what it always comes down to, is execution. And I thought we were put in good position all day. We really got it going there for a stretch, we were executing and moving the chains.”
Lloyd had six catches for 124 yards, and Forte caught seven for 66. The rookie also ran for 89 yards on 27 attempts.
The Bears were able to get good field position because of their defense even though Pro Bowl kick returner Devin Hester was sidelined by a rib injury, but they missed several touchdown chances early on.
Chicago took away the run game, holding Warrick Dunn to 31 yards on five carries and Earnest Graham to 16 on 12 attempts. Antonio Bryant caught 10 passes for 138 yards, none bigger than the last one. And Ike Hilliard added six catches and 57 yards with Joey Galloway nursing a sprained foot.
“It was just a great ball and a great catch,” Vasher said, referring to Antonio Bryant’s 38-yarder. “It was a long game and they made some plays when they needed to.”
That Griese led a late rally was ironic. And just to be clear: He called some plays while others came from the sideline as the Buccaneers made their run.
Why bring that up?
Because Griese found himself in an awkward situation after his finest moment as a Bear last season.
He led Chicago on a 97-yard touchdown drive with no timeouts in the final two minutes of a 19-16 win at Philadelphia and mentioned afterward that he had to call all but the final play because the audio in his helmet wasn’t working. The next day, he was at the podium to clear up a “miscommunication” and say some of the plays were, in fact, called from the sideline.
“This is huge,” coach Jon Gruden said. “We lost a difficult game at the end of regulation in New Orleans, and we didn’t want to lose another in a similar fashion.”

Xtra, xtra: Brad Johnson threw 61 passes for the Buccaneers against Carolina on Sept. 14, 2003. The 67 passes by Griese were the most by a Bears opponent (Associated Press - Sports).

Buccaneers 24, Falcons 9 (Game #2) [1-1-0]

Brian Griese played smart, if not especially well, giving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers what they needed most: a win.
The Bucs turned two early mistakes by Atlanta’s Matt Ryan into 10 points, and Griese “managed” the team’s offense well enough to likely hold on to the starting quarterback job after a 24-9 victory over the Falcons on Sunday.
“I wanted to come out and get the win. That was my goal,” said Griese, starting in place of Jeff Garcia, who was benched after playing poorly in Tampa Bay’s season-opening loss at New Orleans.
“Secondly, I wanted to knock the rust off myself and get a rhythm going. I think we did some good things that we can improve on. At the same time, I’m grateful for the opportunity to play.”
A week after beating Detroit in his pro debut, Ryan threw incompletions on his first nine passes before settling down to keep Atlanta (1-1) in the game with three field goal drives that trimmed a 17-point deficit to eight with five minutes to go.
The Bucs (1-1) ended any hopes the rookie would finish an improbable comeback when Earnest Graham took a handoff and barreled around right end on a 68-yard TD run that put the game out of reach.
“As a rookie, it’s not going to be easy. There’s going to be ups and downs. You’ve got to weather the storm,” Ryan said. “You’ve got to learn from experiences like this, take what you can from the film and get better.”
Ryan completed 13 of 33 passes for 158 yards. Aqib Talib’s interception on Atlanta’s third play set up Griese’s 5-yard TD throw to John Gilmore, and Sabby Piscitelli’s second-quarter pick positioned the Bucs for a field goal that made it 17-0.
Atlanta scored on Jason Elam’s 32-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the half, then Ryan led two long field-goal drives that gave the Falcons a chance if they could get the ball back.
Graham finished with 116 yards on 15 carries. Warrick Dunn had a 17-yard TD run in the second quarter and wound up with 49 yards on 12 carries.
But the Bucs were impressed with Ryan’s ability to retain his composure after the slow start. The rookie didn’t complete a throw until hitting Roddy White for a 9-yard gain with six minutes left in the second quarter.
“He battled through some bad passes, but he settled down because he’s big, he’s got strong arms, and he definitely doesn’t lack confidence,” cornerback Ronde Barber said.
Griese was 18-of-31 for 160 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. John Abraham sacked him in the fourth quarter, forcing Tampa Bay’s lone turnover.
Although Garcia twisted an ankle during the season opener, the injury wasn’t why coach Jon benched him.
Griese helped Tampa Bay to a 5-1 start before a season-ending knee injury in 2005, and the Bucs had hoped to re-sign him the following offseason before he agreed to a contract with Chicago.
Gruden reacquired him in a trade this year.
“I foresee Brian being the starter next week, but I’m not going to say it until I talk to both guys,” Gruden said.
“He managed the game. It’s his first game back here as a starter, and to win is quite an accomplishment. He missed a couple of guys he would normally hit, but he managed the game and will get better and better.”
With Michael Turner running for a franchise-record 220 yards in his Falcons debut, Ryan only threw the ball 13 times against Detroit. Sunday, he had more attempts than that in the first half alone.
Some of the throws were high, one was thrown behind a receiver and intercepted by Piscitelli, and another was launched backward toward the sideline, bouncing 11 yards in the wrong direction before rolling out of bounds.
“Obviously, you don’t want to start 0-for-9 and throw two interceptions. But you’ve got to keep battling,” Ryan said. “Everybody on our team did that. You’ve got to love that.”
Xtra, xtra: The Bucs limited Turner to 42 yards on 14 carries. WR Joey Galloway, who did not play in the preseason because of a sore groin, sprained an ankle in the fourth quarter (Associated Press - Sports).

Saints 24, Buccaneers 20 (Game #1) [0-1-0]

Drew Brees delivered on his pledge to give the Saints’ storm-weary fans what he thought they deserved.
Brees passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, giving fans already jubilant about their team’s quick return from Hurricane Gustav a 24-20 season-opening triumph to celebrate as well.
Tampa Bay had a shot to win the brutal, back-and-forth contest until Scott Fujita intercepted Jeff Garcia’s fourth-down pass just inside the Saints 20-yard line with just under 40 seconds to go.
Brees’ scoring passes went for 39 yards to David Patten, 84 to Devery Henderson and 42 to Reggie Bush, with Bush’s score putting the Saints in the lead for good in the fourth quarter.
Garcia was 24-of-41 for 221 yards, including a 2-yard TD pass to Ike Hilliard, which gave the Bucs a brief 20-17 lead.
But Tampa Bay’s offense produced only one touchdown. The Bucs’ defense got the other in the first quarter, when blitzing linebacker Barrett Ruud hit Brees as he threw, causing a fluttering pass that Phillip Buchanon intercepted and returned 26 yards.
Bush, who vowed to come back strong from a down second season in which he never had a gain longer than 25 yards, had 112 yards receiving and 51 yards rushing. He did most of the work on what proved to be the winning drive, starting with a 29-yard gain on a short reception over the middle.
His touchdown came on a short third-down reception on which he juked Jermaine Phillips at the 25 and stiff-armed Buchanon at the 5 before diving for the pylon. Bush was close to stepping out of bounds before his dive, but Tampa Bay did not challenge the call.
After sitting out all four preseason games, flamboyant tight end Jeremy Shockey made his debut for New Orleans and had the crowd chanting his name while he celebrated a tough 10-yard catch on third-down. The play, just a few plays after his 26-yard reception, set up Martin Gramatica’s field goal late in the third quarter, which tied it at 10.
Shockey finished with six catches for 54 yards.
Henderson’s TD reception, a career-long catch for him, came after Brees had drawn the Bucs’ offside and then took a shot downfield for his fastest receiver, who was wide open after Ronde Barber fell down.
The play put the Saints up 17-13 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Tampa Bay finally converted its first third down early in the fourth quarter on Joey Galloway’s 13-yard reception, which extended an 11-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Hilliard’s score with 10:43 left.
Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham led all rushers with 91 yards on 10 carries. His career-long 46-yard gain, on which he broke four tackles, set up Matt Bryant’s 33-yard field goal that gave the Bucs a 13-10 lead in the third quarter.
While practicing in Indianapolis last week, where the Saints set up shop to stay out of Gustav’s way, Brees said he was pleased the regular-season opener would be played in New Orleans, as scheduled, so the team could give the region’s fans “what they deserve.”
The Saints took the opening kickoff 76 yards on six plays, capped by Brees’ scoring pass to Patten on a third-and-short play. Phillips and fellow Bucs defensive back Aqib Talib hesitated on a play fake, letting Patten get behind them.
A rash of penalties helped stall New Orleans’ next few drives as the game evolved into a defensive struggle for the rest of the first half. The Bucs had only four first downs until their last drive of the second quarter, which covered 61 yards in 1:25 to set up Bryant’s 37-yard field goal, giving Tampa Bay a 10-7 halftime lead (Associated Press - Sports).

Buccaneers 16, Texans 6 (Preseason) [3-1-0]

With three catches this preseason, Dexter Jackson probably isn’t the receiver Tampa Bay has been looking for to play opposite Joey Galloway.
That’s OK. The speedy rookie is finding other ways to contribute.
Jackson returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and the Buccaneers’ backups beat Houston’s 16-6 on Thursday night in the preseason finale for both teams.
“That was huge,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said. “That’s one of the reasons we took him. When you have a guy like that who can change the game it’s bigger than big.”
Jackson, a second-round draft pick from Appalachian State, is a dynamic former track star whom the Buccaneers hope to use in a variety of ways. Along with his touchdown, he added 13 yards on a reverse in the first quarter.
“I was just using my speed and believing in it,” he said. “That was really big for me going into the season. It will be a big confidence maker for me.”
Jackson’s return, where he simply outran the Texans, was the highlight of this game where only one starter from either team played. Houston right guard Mike Brisiel played one series with backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels before being replaced. Rosenfels was 3-of-5 for 39 yards.
While Jackson excelled on special teams, kicker Matt Bryant struggled early, missing from 54 and 36 yards in the first half. He connected on field goals of 40, 29 and 31 yards in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know if I was disappointed so much as I was shocked,” Gruden said. “The guy doesn’t miss field goals. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this guy. I think he’s going to be just fine.”
Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia didn’t play on Thursday despite a poor performance in his preseason debut last week. The 38-year-old missed the first two preseason games with a strained right calf and was intercepted twice in limited work against Jacksonville.
He believes he’ll be ready for the opener.
“I think my main (repetitions) have to come in practice, mentally getting sharp and physically doing what I need to do,” he said. “I don’t feel like I needed to play anymore in the preseason than what I played.”
He got more work this preseason than Galloway, who missed the entire exhibition season with a sore groin.
Backup quarterback Luke McCown was solid in his limited action, going 5-for-5 for 52 yards before being replaced by Chris Simms. Simms was 9-of-15 for 71 yards in his most extensive action of the preseason.
Still, he doesn’t think he’ll survive Saturday’s final cuts.
“I don’t think I’m going to be here,” Simms said. “I think the writing is on the wall. So be it.”
The Texans started second-year running back Darius Walker. The former Notre Dame standout had 18 yards on nine carries.
“They pushed us around on the line of scrimmage pretty good,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said.
Questions abound for Houston at the position with starter Ahman Green and backup Chris Brown both nursing injuries that have kept them out of most of the preseason.
Green injured his groin on his first carry in the preseason opener and Brown has struggled with a back injury since late July. Kubiak still expects them to be ready for the regular season.
Tampa Bay got 13 carries for 48 yards from one-time 1,000-yard rusher Michael Bennett. Bennett is third on the depth chart, but provides an extra body with Carnell “Cadillac” Williams out for at least the first six games recovering from a knee injury.
A bit of comic relief came in the second quarter when Houston’s 303-pound defensive tackle DelJuan Robinson fielded a short kickoff and rumbled for a 17-yard gain.
Kris Brown kicked field goals of 53 and 41 yards for Houston. During introductions, he led the Texans in paying tribute to receiver Harry Williams by holding up his jersey as his name was announced. Williams is recovering after injuring his neck and spine last week against Dallas.
Cornerback DeMarcus Faggins, one of three original Texans, had five tackles on Thursday and hopes his strong performance earn him a spot on the team.
“I don’t know if they’re getting tired of me or not, but I’m just trying to let them know that you can’t be tired of me,” he said. “I’m going to keep my name in your brain.”
Kubiak said he’s been impressed with how Faggins has rebounded from last season’s struggles.
“He worked through some hard, hard time that sent him the other way and now he’s battling back and playing his tail off,” he said. “he’s a great example of how much of a roller coaster ride it can be in this league.” (Associated Press - Sports)

Jaguars 23, Buccaneers 17 (Preseason) [2-1-0]

Jon Gruden knows what he has in Jeff Garcia, so the Tampa Bay coach isn’t sweating the veteran Pro Bowl quarterback’s shaky preseason debut.
Garcia was intercepted twice, but threw a second-quarter touchdown pass before departing the Buccaneers’ 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
“I’m not going to be a basket case,” Gruden said of the 38-year-old’s performance. “He’s played a lot of football.
“He’s going to be fine.”
Garcia, whose future with the Bucs was in question this summer while the team pursued a possible trade for Brett Favre, missed most of training camp because of a strained right calf that also sidelined him for Tampa Bay’s first two preseason games.
The big question now is whether Garcia has had enough game work that Gruden will be comfortable going into the regular season opener without playing him more than most of the other starters in Thursday’s preseason finale at Houston.
Garcia completed 11 of 18 passes for 79 yards, including a 10-yard TD throw to Michael Clayton on his final play. But he also was intercepted twice by safety Reggie Nelson—once in the end zone—and the Bucs turned the ball over on three of the five possessions he was in the game.
“It was a tough start. There is a lot of rust I have to shake off,” Garcia said. “I am glad Coach Gruden gave me the opportunity to stay in there and continue to compete, and thankfully we put a drive together and finished it off well.”
Jacksonville’s starters played into the third quarter, and David Garrard finished his night with a 4-yard TD pass to Marcedes Lewis for a 17-7 lead. He also threw an 8-yarder to Dennis Northcutt after Nelson’s first interception.
Earnest Graham’s first-quarter fumble led to a Jacksonville field goal, and Garcia’s second interception stopped a Tampa Bay drive that reached the 11.
“I made two very poor decisions tonight, which is very unlike me, and I think it shows that I haven’t practiced a lot and haven’t played at all,” Garcia said. “Those are things I needed to get out of my system. Hopefully I can move on from here.”
Tampa Bay linebacker Antoine Cash was carted off the field with a neck injury midway through the fourth quarter, but had movement in his extremities after diving and colliding with a teammate making a tackle.
“We don’t know the exact severity, but he is moving around,” Gruden said. “The signs are good, but it’s a scary thing. We’re praying for him obviously, but we do have good news from the standpoint that he is moving around.”
The Bucs played without three offensive starters—receiver Joey Galloway, who has yet to play in the preseason because of a sore groin; fullback B.J. Askew, and guard Davin Joseph, who broke his right foot during the previous week’s preseason victory over New England. Jacksonville back Maurice Jones-Drew left in the first quarter with an ankle sprain and did not return.
“He’s OK. He would keep going if we let him,” Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said.
Garrard was 10-of-16 for 118 yards and one interception for the Jaguars, whose first-team offense scored one touchdown in seven possessions during the team’s first two preseason games. Backup Cleo Lemon directed a 15-play drive lasting more than seven minutes to produce Josh Scobee’s 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
“The defense came out and started excellent and created turnovers. … That is the type of football we definitely want to try and play this year,” Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor said. “Offensively, we capitalized and did some good things. But of course, we know we can get better.”
Tampa Bay’s Luke McCown threw a 3-yard TD pass to Chad Lucas late in the fourth quarter. The backup quarterback also marched the Bucs deep into Jacksonville territory before the potential winning drive was stopped on downs in the closing seconds.
“Obviously we have a lot of work to do yet,” Del Rio said. “But it’s always a lot more fun to do it after you’ve done some things well and come out of here with a victory.” (Associated Press - Sports)

Buccaneers 27, Patriots 10 (Preseason) [2-0-0]

No Tom Brady equals little offense for the New England Patriots, though it’s difficult to gauge how much that concerns coach Bill Belichick at this stage of the preseason.
With the 2007 MVP sitting out for the second straight week, the defending AFC champions sputtered with backup Matt Cassel running the show in a 27-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.
“I think it was pretty obvious we’ve got a lot of work to do, based on tonight, in all three phases of the game,” said Belichick, who played down the significance of Brady not playing.
Brady remained at home, reportedly to rest a sore foot, and Cassel had limited success moving the ball against a feisty Bucs defense that scored on his third-quarter fumble and intercepted the first pass thrown by successor, Kevin O’Connell.
Asked if Brady would have played had it been a regular-season game, Belichick said: “Well, it’s not a regular-season game.”
And, would he characterize Brady’s not playing as precautionary? “I wouldn’t characterize it,” he replied.
Bucs starting quarterback Jeff Garcia also has yet to play this preseason after missing most of training camp with a sprained right calf. His absence is creating plenty of opportunities for Brian Griese, Luke McCown and Chris Simms to build their cases for being No. 2.
Griese and McCown produced a 17-3 halftime lead, with the Patriots scoring on Stephen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter.
Blitzing safety Sabby Piscitelli scooped up an errant shotgun snap to Cassel and ran 24 yards for a touchdown that made 24-3 early in the third.
Griese, listed third on the depth chart, got the start and directed an impressive 17-play, 80-yard TD drive on the first possession of the night. Earnest Graham finished the nine-plus minute march with a 1-yard run.
“It was a good opportunity for us to go against a quality defense,” said Griese, who worked two series and completed nine of 10 passes for 44 yards. “I know they had some guys out, but this team is a really good team. And for us to come out and put a drive together to start the game was good for our confidence.”
McCown, who entered camp No. 2 after winning one of three starts last season, led a drive that produced a 34-yard field goal and threw a 1-yard TD pass to Byron Storer to complete an eight-play, 86-yard drive in the second quarter.
The big play in the drive leading to the field goal was a 33-yard completion to Antonio Bryant, who’s asserting himself in the battle to claim the receiver’s spot opposite Joey Galloway.
The sixth-year pro, a former 1,000-yard receiver who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2006, had two receptions for 37 yards and also gained 16 yards on a reverse during the Bucs’ game-opening drive.
“I played with Luke before, so it was an opportunity for us to run some old plays,” Bryant said of his 33-yard catch and run.
“He and I played together in Cleveland, so we have a way of connecting. I kind of had an idea he was going to throw it because of the way the coverage looked. We just happened to make the play.”
Randy Moss, the other half of New England’s record-breaking passing combination, made his preseason debut and caught two passes for 25 yards. Both receptions came on the five-play drive Cassel used to get the Patriots on the scoreboard at the end of the first half.
Safety John Lynch, who helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl six seasons ago, made his New England debut, despite only joining the team on Friday.
Lynch, entering his 16th season, was announced as a starter, giving the crowd of 63,365 a chance to give him a nice ovation. It was only ceremonial, though, as Brandon Meriweather and Antwain Spann were on the field as planned for the first snap.
Meriweather left in the first half with a leg injury and did not return.
Cassel was 6-of-10 for 57 yards before being replaced by O’Connell, who led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that Heath Evans finished with a 1-yard run.
“We got some experience against a good team, against a fast team, against a playoff team,” Belichick said. “There’s a lot of things we’re going to need to do better.” (Associated Press - Sports)

Buccaneers 17, Dolphins 6 (Preseason) [1-0-0]

Chad Pennington flipped through play charts on the sideline in his new Miami Dolphins jersey, watching his fellow quarterbacks audition for their jobs.
He also saw why Miami signed him.
Tampa Bay swarmed Miami's struggling quarterbacks, and Michael Bennett had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown to lead the Buccaneers to a 17-6 win over the Dolphins on Saturday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
"We just have to get used to game speed, game tackling and just get honed in," Tampa Bay linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "I think we did a pretty good job. Everybody was hustling. We have a couple of big hits out there but all around we are just trying to get a feel for the game again."
Second-year man John Beck, rookie Chad Henne and Josh McCown alternated play at quarterback for the Dolphins. None led the offense to a touchdown, struggling to even get first downs.
Henne was the most effective Dolphins quarterback, throwing for 67 yards on 5-for-10 passing. He also led Miami's two scoring drives, and perhaps most importantly, he didn't throw an interception.
"He threw the ball away, which is one of those situations that we talked about," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "He made a couple nice throws there on some back-shoulder throws."
Pennington, cut by the New York Jets after they signed Brett Favre, signed an $11.5 million, two-year contract with Miami on Friday. He is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Dolphins this season, serving as a bridge to the future for one of the Dolphins' two quarterbacks.
But which two?
McCown — tabbed as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart earlier in the week — didn't play until the fourth quarter. He hasn't stood out through the first two weeks of training camp, and either McCown or Beck will likely be the odd man out when Miami trims its quarterbacks to three.
Tampa Bay entered the preseason with a firmer quarterback rotation.
Starter Jeff Garcia, out with a strained right calf, didn't make the trip to Miami. His four backups — Luke McCown, Brian Griese, Chris Simms and Josh Johnson — used the time to feature their talents for the other 31 NFL teams that might be interested should they be cut or traded.
Griese led the Buccaneers on a 19-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brian Clark as the first half expired. The score gave Tampa Bay a 7-3 lead.
"I think we did well. We moved the ball well," said Luke McCown, the brother of Miami quarterback Josh McCown. "We were slow a little early. They did some good things on defense. We got it going after a series or two. We had a couple good drives, but we just have to finish."
The Buccaneers controlled the clock for much of the game, wearing down Miami's defense and forcing the Dolphins to use their reserves early. The Buccaneers also had an 18-play drive that ended with a 36-yard missed field goal attempt by Matt Bryant in the second quarter.
"We've got to do a little better job of getting (the defense) off the field right now," Sparano said. "There have been some long drives."
Ricky Williams showed some highlight-reel runs in his first game since tearing a chest muscle last November. Williams had 31 yards rushing on five carries, including a 12-yard run that received the loudest cheers of the night from the scattered crowd at Dolphin Stadium.
Bennett's 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put Tampa Bay ahead 14-6. Bryant had a 32-yard field goal to stretch the Buccaneers' lead to 17-6.
Dan Carpenter kicked a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the Buccaneers' lead to 7-6. Carpenter also had a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter to put the Dolphins ahead 3-0 (Associated Press - Sports).