Bucs stumble out of the blocks, lose home opener

The Bucs didn't just lose the home opener.
They suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.

On the other hand, it's as though the Bucs merely lost the home opener. It just counts as a loss.

There's the tarnish on the silver lining, however.

The offensive line broke down a few times. The problems were predictable given the late scratches of TB's two starting guards, Dan Buenning and Davin Joseph. The loss should not be pinned on the offensive line, however.

I don't suggest an alternative starter for young Chris Simms, but Simms put on display the one facet of his game that I have criticized repeatedly: lack of pocket presence. Simms only occasionally flashes that sixth sense that makes a quarterback do the right thing in the pocket. Simms' retreats from the Raven pass rush added needless lost yardage on a couple of occasions.
He also persists in telegraphing his throws to the extent that defenders can get a hand on the ball near the line of scrimmage. One such pass was batted up in the air and snagged by a Baltimore lineman who lumbered deep into TB territory with the ball, eventually resulting in a field goal for the Ravens.

Though the defense gave up 27 points (yes, one touchdown came on another Ravens interception), they turned in a solid performane after the initial Ravens touchdown drive.

The game actually hinged on the big plays. The Ravens gathered three interceptions off of Simms, picked up key third downs, failed to lose any of their three fumbles, and picked up a questionable pass interference call on Ronde Barber (a similar play by a Baltimore defender was not called as pass interference later in the game). Baltimore, in addition to playing solid football in all phases of the game, had a bit of luck on their side.

The Bucs come out of the game with the loss, and three questions.
The first question mark was expected even without the loss of the two starting guards. Run protection was expected to be a strength, while pass protection figured to be a bit of a liability. The Bucs ran very little since they trailed from early in the game, but the run blocking looked okay for the most part. The pass protection was mediocre--it was the outcomes of the plays where the quarterback was pressured that produced the pain (big yardage losses, interceptions).
The second question mark, referencing my comments above, is Simms' pocket presence. Simms will need to make better decisions in taking care of the ball in order to be an elite quarterback--unless the line starts offering him sterling protection. His play against the Ravens was not good enough for a win.
The third question mark concerns the rest of the offense: Where were the big plays? Cadillac Williams had a solid game, but had no big gainers and scored no points. Joey Galloway had only one pass thrown his way, by my count, but it bounced off his hands and chest as he began to run to elude the onrushing defender as the ball arrived. Galloway looked like he worked his way open on some deep routes, but Simms didn't attemt any deep throws to Galloway. Michael Clayton had three catches. Alex Smith caught a ball for a nice gain. No points from either. Mike Alstott picked up some important first downs (his run for a first down on a pass in the flat may have been the best individual effort by a TB ballcarrier on the day, as Alstott slipped past the linebacker standing right in front of him to pick up about seven yards after first contact), but no points.

The bottom line is that the offense is not producing, and it has yet to prove at any point this season (emphasizing the light preseason work) so far this year.

One more thing: Buccaneer fans have yet to learn how to support their team properly. The crowd cheers wildly when the Bucs are introduced, goes crazy during the kickoff, and then promptly lapses into a coma when the Ravens offense takes the field.

The Ravens' opening drive was a big key to their success on the day. The early score dictated strategy, and the problem was compounded when the TB offense made mistakes on which Baltimore capitalized. That opening drive took nearly 9 minutes, and took some of the starch out of Tampa Bay's defense.

That opening drive is precisely when crowd noise is helpful, but early-game crowd noise is typically absent at Raymond James Stadium. A three-and-out on that first drive, assisted by a boisterous crowd ... and who knows how the game turns out?

Tampa Bay crowds cheer the success of the previous play. They are reluctant, out of habit, to exhort the defense to success on the next play, except when the importance of the play has become obvious even to them.

Every play is important. Make noise when the defense is on the field.