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).