What We've Learned About Every Positional Unit So Far in Buccaneers Preseason

We've only had one week of preseason football so far, and yet we have learned much about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In the Friday night game against the Miami Dolphins, the Bucs prevailed 20-7. It was a great game, and the Bucs looked better than expected in almost every area.

This article will recap how each positional unit did in that game and give the performance a grade based on how much better or worse the unit did than expected.

Quarterbacks

The Buccaneers quarterbacks did a lot to impress on Friday night.

As expected, Josh Freeman started the game under center. Completing four of five pass attempts for 41 yards, he looked a lot more like his 2010 self than the disastrous 2011 model.

One pass that really stood out was his 16-yard toss to Luke Stocker.

It was right down the middle, sure, but Stocker was well covered and Freeman was under pressure. I doubt that Free would have been able to get the ball off if he wasn't 6'5''.

Dan Orlovsky did not throw an incompletion. This was pretty amazing, even more so when one considers his deep attempts.

Sure, the Miami secondary was miserable, but the passes were accurate. The highlight of the night was when Orlovsky threw a 46-yarder to Tiquan Underwood, who was under double-coverage. In the former Colts signal-caller, the Bucs have found a very serviceable backup.

The one sore spot was Brett Ratliff, who managed fewer than five yards per attempt on 11 passes. Don't be surprised if he doesn't make the 53-man roster. 

Final Grade: A-

Running Backs

To tell the truth, I was fairly disappointed in the running backs. 

Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount played well, scoring a touchdown each, yet neither of them really stood out.

Martin showed the quickness and agility we all know he has, but I didn't see the same power that was in his college game-tape.

There was one great run, though, where Martin actually flipped over, landed on his feet, and kept running for a first down.

The other three guys (Mossis Madu, Michael Smith and De'Anthony Curtis) did not do well at all. Both Smith and Madu, two very speedy runners, barely broke one yard per carry. And if not for a 19-yard run, Curtis would have averaged .25 YPC.

A lot of this can be blamed on the weak offensive line, yes, but even when given ample space to work in, the RBs did not excel.

As a kick returner, Smith was fantastic. On one of his two returns, he broke three arm tackles on a 74-yard effort. The other was for a decent 34 yards.

Final Grade: B-

Wide Receivers

Much to my disappointment, Vincent Jackson did nothing besides block a few times on the opening drive. 

But much to my excitement, Tiquan Underwood did a lot.

Underwood was targeted three times and caught the ball on each of those targets.

He proved himself a deep threat, racking up 67 yards on two deep catches. I can see him making the 53-man roster.

Preston Parker, whom many expected to take a leap as a slot receiver this offseason, had a rough time, fumbling on a punt return (which drew the ire of Greg Schiano) and landing a 15-yard penalty on a dead ball. 

Besides Underwood, no Buccaneers receiver had more than one reception. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is good or bad, as it either means that the Bucs have a diverse and deep stable of wide receivers or they have no real standouts at the position. 

For now, I'm going to see the glass as half-full.

Final Grade: B+

Tight Ends

Sometimes, less is more.

While the tight ends did not get too many receiving targets, they made a presence in pass protection and run blocking.

Luke Stocker, who started in Dallas Clark's absence, did quite well in blocking, and he did catch that really nice ball I wrote about earlier. He could end up starting once the regular season comes around.

I also came away intrigued by Drake Dunsmore's skill set. The seventh-round pick stands at only 6'3'', but plays much bigger. He is mostly known for his receiving talent, but he came off as a decent blocker when it came to it.

Final Grade: B

Offensive Line

Pass protection: great

Run blocking: mediocre

I came away quite underwhelmed by the offensive line.

Since the signing of All-Pro guard Carl Nicks, expectations for the O-line have been through the roof. The interior trio of Nicks, center Jeremy Zuttah and Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph was supposed to be among the NFL's best.

The problems stem from the tackles, namely LT Demar Dotson and RT Jeremy Trueblood. Dotson, a right tackle by trade, was converted to the left side in the wake of Donald Penn's injury. He has played better than expected, but he's not Penn.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Trueblood has no business starting on an NFL team anyway. He could be a good backup, but the Bucs should have looked for an alternative during the offseason.

Once Penn returns, I picture the Bucs moving Dotson back to the right side and starting him over Trueblood.

Then, the O-line should improve.

Be assured, the grade does not come merely from the starters, but from the lack of depth among the O-line. In fact, if not for the starters performing so well, the grade would be in the low-C range.

Final Grade: B-

Defensive Line

After defensive tackle Brian Price was traded away to Seattle, questions arose about who would replace him opposite Gerald McCoy.

Price might have struggled with his injuries as a Buc, but his presence on the field was large enough to be missed in the near future.

Fortunately, fourth-year player Roy Miller stepped up and held his own against the Dolphins offensive line. 

The starting defensive ends, Adrian Clayborn and Michael Bennett, impressed as well. Clayborn provided the pass rush he was expected to deliver, while Bennett was as strong as usual in run defense.

Even the second- and third-stringers looked good. Not great, but good.

Frank Okam, a fifth-year DT, was one backup who really stood out to me. He tipped a Matt Moore pass at the line of scrimmage which ended up being intercepted by linebacker Lavonte David.

Final Grade: B+

Linebackers

Tampa Bay only allowed the Dolphins to convey three of 13 third-down attempts (23 percent), and the linebackers were a huge part of making that happen.

By now, everyone probably knows about how great Lavonte David was, but I'll recap it for you anyway. In addition to the interception, he racked up a tackle, along with plenty of pressure and good coverage.

Before the draft, the only knock against David's draft stock was his size. Right now, David is on track to prove that a linebacker in the modern NFL doesn't have to be any bigger than 6'1'' and 233 pounds.

The other starting linebackers, Mason Foster and Quincy Black, weren't too shabby, either. Black didn't get onto the stat sheets, but he generated a routine pass rush. Foster, meanwhile, recorded three tackles in roughly a quarter of playing time.

My only concerns about the linebacking corps are regarding the depth. As the game wore on, the short-mid-range zone coverages fell apart, letting rookie QB Ryan Tannehill dissect the Bucs defense on the way to an above-100 passer rating.

Some people may want to credit Tannehill for his 167-yard performance, but in truth, it was the fault of the Buccaneers defense. The players responsible may only be backups, but the breakdown does worry me.

Final Grade: B-

Defensive Backs

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that once Mark Barron and Aqib Taliib get on the field, the Buccaneers secondary will be a force to be reckoned with. 

Barron was drafted seventh overall in April, a rare spot for a safety. This speaks volumes about Barron's talent (or at least Tampa Bay's assessment of it). 

In the meantime, the Bucs have a mini-position battle at backup strong safety between Larry Asante and Cody Grimm.

Grimm may have gotten the starting nod in Week 1, but he missed too many easy tackles (at least two by my count) for Asante not to have overtaken him. Asante put up a team-high five solo tackles and one tackle assist.

At free safety, Tampa Bay has Ronde Barber, who seems to have transitioned well from corner to FS. He didn't miss any easy tackles, which is already an improvement over last season's performance.

As for Aqib Talib, we didn't see much of him. Instead, the Bucs started Anthony Gaitor, a second-year player out of Florida International University. He landed a solid four tackles. 

Myron Lewis started opposite Gaitor, but did not fare as well. He blew coverages and missed tackles, in contrast to an impressive training camp where he made a name for himself as a possible contender for nickel corner.

Speaking of nickel situations, free-agent acquisition Eric Wright took over the duties of covering the slot in sub packages. 

By the third quarter, the Tampa Bay secondary looked awful. The zones were weak all over the field, allowing Tannehill to make a variety of deep throws, and the corners and safeties did not play very aggressively at all.

Final Grade: C+

Special Teams

The Bucs did quite well on special teams.

The net punt average length was 42.3 yards, and not a field goal was missed.

And the kickers made two excruciatingly difficult PATs.

Well, maybe they weren't "excruciatingly" difficult.

But they were as tough as PATs come.

Which doesn't say too much, now that I think of it.

Final Grade: A