Bucs take win over Redskins, 19-13

The Redskins giveth, and the Bucs taketh away.

Though the Bucs lost quarterback Jeff Garcia to injury for most of the game, the Washington Redskins were unable to recover from a 19-3 deficit built on four lost fumbles in the first half.

The four fumbles each led to points for the Bucs: a touchdown and three field goals. The Bucs added a fourth field goal late in the first half after forcing a Washington punt from deep in Redskin territory.

Bruce Gradkowski spelled Jeff Garcia a few plays after the Bucs' first play from scrimmage. Garcia scrambled for a 1 yard gain and was tackled with a sideways hit to the ribs.

The Bucs failed to pick up a first down in the second half, but the defense salted the game away on the strength of a fourth-down hold inside their own 10 yard line, a Ronde Barber interception at about their own 30, and an end zone interception by Brian Kelly with under 25 seconds to play.

Barber's interception made him the all-time leader for the Buccaneers in that category, with 32.


Special Teams
Though the return team turned in a mediocre performance (including a muffed punt by normally reliable Ike Hilliard), kicker Matt Bryant nailed four field goals and punter Josh Bidwell boomed 7 punts for a heady 50.4 yard average. Special teams earned a big share of the victory.

Defense
The defense played well, but ceded the Redskins quite a bit of second half yardage. Much of that fell to the ineptitude of the Buc offense which made a custom of three-and-out in the second half. The hard tackling contributed to the four first half fumbles, and the defense came up with the key interceptions late in the game to preserve the win.

The pass rush maintained its intensity from last week against a better offensive line. Elderly rookie defensive end Greg White picked up another sack and forced two fumbles. Though the team gave up over 100 yards rushing to the 'Skins, the visitors were not able to run consistently. The Bucs forced third-and-long a number of times in the first half, and produced a key second-half stop on fourth-and-one. Rookie defensive end Gaines Adams made the tackle behind the line of scrimmage on that play.

Offense
I have suggested that Bruce Gradkowski may have been one of the steals of the 2006 NFL draft as a sixth-round selection.

I'm not going to back off on that statement, but if Gradkowski doesn't learn to throw an accurate long ball then he will struggle to work his way into the starting lineup, let alone serve as an effective backup.

The offense started the game well, with Earnest Graham breaking off a number of runs in excess of 5 yards. Aside from a short touchdown drive that depended on Graham's running, Gradkowski could not get the Bucs into the end zone even with excellent field position.

In the second half, the Redskins make adjustments and the Bucs failed to pick up a first down. Gradkowski threw one deep ball to Joey Galloway. Galloway was open by a couple of steps and the ball went where nobody could catch it.

On the next series Garcia returned to the game and tried another long pass to Galloway on third and long. Again, Galloway was open but the pass was nowhere near the target. At least Garcia had the excuse that his arm was hit as he was releasing the ball.

All in all it was a bad day for the Bucs offense except in one respect: no turnovers.

Officiating
Great job. I have no complaints, though I probably won't get to review the game since my DVD recorder flubbed up its part of the bargain. I thought I saw some holding by Redskin offensive linemen, but as likely as not the same thing was happening on the other side of the ball.

Next Up
The Bucs travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in the Superdome. While I wasn't confident enough to predict a win over the Redskins, the Bucs should win in New Orleans.

That's not to say the outcome is guaranteed. The Saints are the best team in the division on paper and they have weathered the loss of Deuce McAllister pretty well. However, I expect the Bucs to move effectively against the Saints defense while the Bucs defense hold their offense in check.

That said, losing the turnover battle probably spells a Bucs loss. Nor would a fast start by the Saints' offense bode well. Regardless of the caveats I'm wrong if the Bucs lose.

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