BUCCANEERS 101

1. Buccaneers101.com has no problem with how head coach Greg Schiano handled the end of the game with the Giants on Sunday. Everyone is making a big deal about the Bucs going after Eli Manning and trying to strip the ball when he was attempting to kneel down in the victory formation, but we think what Schiano ordered his players to do was smart. It shows that this is not a team that going to bow down to anyone, including the defending Super Bowl Champs. It may be an unwritten rule, but it was not illegal to try and force a fumble on that play. Schiano had success doing that while at Rutgers and he was just trying to give his team one last chance at tying the game. You play to that final whistle and that is exactly what Schiano told his team to do on Sunday. Good job.

2. People are roasting the secondary after giving up 510 passing yards to Manning, and rightfully so, but let's not forget that they had no help from the defensive line. After dominating last week against Carolina, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was completely held in check by the Giants' offensive line. Ends Adrian Clayborn and Michael Bennett were ineffective. The Bucs couldn't even rattle Manning when they sent linebackers and safeties at him. Sunday's performance just shows that the Bucs still have a lot of work to do on defense, and getting a consistent pass rush should be their No. 1 priority.

3. Despite being active for the game, running back LeGarrette Blount saw the field very little and looks to be an afterthought on offense. Rookie Doug Martin was the bell cow once again and had 20 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Blount didn't even get a single carry despite Tampa Bay having a 14-point lead at one point in the second half. Blount's problem is that he is very limited in what he can do while on the field and doesn't have the skill set of Martin or even third-down back D.J. Ware. Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan would be wise to use Blount more so that Martin doesn't wear down as the season goes on, but it looks like he will only be used sparingly unless something happens to Martin.

4. As we talked about early this week, cornerback Myron Lewis' days in Tampa appear to be coming to an end. Unlike last week, Lewis was actually active against the Giants. However, he never left the bench. When starter Eric Wright got injured in the third quarter, it was undrafted rookie Leonard Johnson, not Lewis, that came into the game to replace him. This is bad news indeed for the former 2010 third-round pick. The Bucs just don't have any confidence in Lewis to get the job done and he will likely be released once E.J. Biggers and Anthony Gaitor come back from injury.

5. Disaster seemed waiting to happening with Tampa Bay's injury-plagued offensive line going against New York's excellent pass rushers. With RG Davin Joseph out for the year, RT Jeremy Trueblood out with an ankle injury, and LG Carl Nicks not 100 percent with a toe injury, it appeared the Bucs' boys up front would be in for a long day against the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. But the offensive line held their own pretty well against New York's pass rush and only allowed Josh Freeman to get sacked twice. Pierre-Paul had a big day with eight tackles and one sack, but Tuck and Umeniyora were pretty much shut down. It was an encouraging performance from a unit that was really banged up.

Tags: Adrian Clayborn, Doug Martin, Eli Manning, Football, Gerald McCoy, Greg Schiano, Jeremy Trueblood, LeGarrette Blount, Myron Lewis, NFL, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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