BUCCANEERS 101

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a major step backwards on Friday night and got trounced by the Tennesee Titans 30-7 in their preseason home opener.

We went back and watched the game again and here is what Buccaneers101.com came away with in regards to the defense:

Defensive Line:
If there is a silver lining from the Bucs' 23-point beatdown on Friday night it's that the first-team defense played very well early on. It all started on the Titans' first drive on a third-and-1 play. Running back Chris Johnson got the handoff and was stuffed by defensive ends Michael Bennett and Adrian Clayborn. He only had one tackle, but Bennett looked good and flashed a good first step.

The defensive tackles had a rough outing; especially Roy Miller. The fourth-year DT really failed to hold his own against Tennessee's offensive line. He didn't record a tackle and seemed to be pushed around far too easily.

Linebackers:
The first-team trio played alright early on and did their jobs. Rookie Lavonte David gave great effort and on one play he helped bring down Chris Johnson for a 5-yard loss after initially failing to bring him down earlier on the play.

But the tackling broke down as the game went along and the Bucs defense was really sloppy in the tackling department. Titans ball carriers were able to put up huge chunks of yardage because of huge holes and missed tackles. Johnson had a pair of 14-yard TD runs, quarterback Jake Locker had a 21-yard scramble, and Darius Reynaud had a 39-yard scamper in the second half.

However, not all was bad. Dekoda Watson played well and recorded the Bucs first sack of the preseason on a second half blitz. Watson also had four tackles.

Secondary:
Rookie first-round pick Mark Barron made his NFL debut against the Titans and was solid. He didn't appear to be out of position at all and had a good nose for the ball. Barron flew in like a missile on Johnson's third-and-1 carry and helped Bennett and Clayborn make the stop.

Safety Ahmad Black was a mixed bag. He picked off Locker early and returned the ball 29 yards down to the Titans' 2 to help set up the Bucs only score. He also made what appeared to be a touchdown saving tackle on a punt return. But Black also had a boneheaded penalty with a helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver, which extended a Tennessee drive.

Cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Eric Wright each had a pass breakup and played man coverage well.

Tags: Ahmad Black, Dekoda Watson, Eric Wright, Football, Mark Barron, Michael Bennett, NFL, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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