Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Cleveland Browns: Full Report Card Grades for Tampa Bay
Despite multiple opportunities to seize a victory late in the game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell for the seventh time in eight tries this season, losing 22-17 on the road to the Cleveland Browns.
The Bucs suffered multiple miscues on special teams and underwhelming play from quarterback Mike Glennon, but still led at halftime and had Cleveland gift-wrap a potential game-winning drive. In the end, questionable play-calling and poor execution by all three units in the second half sent Tampa Bay to a 1-7 record on the year.
Tampa Bay outgained Cleveland on offense 365-330, but red-zone stalling and special teams failures left too many points on the board. The Bucs seemed to forget all about Bobby Rainey after an effective first half, getting away from the running game down the stretch despite the game being close.
The sacks and takeaways that have eluded the Bucs defense for most of the season were present today, as they took down Brian Hoyer three times and picked him off twice, but it simply wasn't enough. Despite the turnovers and multiple poor throws, Hoyer still managed to throw for 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns, completing 21 of his 34 passes on the day to lead Cleveland to their fifth win in six attempts this year.
Despite missing starting left tackle Anthony Collins and struggling for much of the season even with him in the lineup, Tampa Bay's offensive line turned in a solid performance, clearing the way for 113 yards rushing and giving Glennon plenty of time in the pocket.
The Bucs were a popular bounce-back team in preseason projections this offseason, but at the halfway point of their schedule, many fans are already looking ahead to a potential top pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
*All stats courtesy of NFL.com
Quarterback
1 of 10
If anyone was looking for a reason to hand the starting job back to Josh McCown or spend a top pick on a quarterback in next year's draft, this week's performance from Mike Glennon just might be enough.
The second-year pro threw for 260 yards and two scores, but he barely completed 50 percent of his passes, tossed two costly interceptions and made a handful of poor throws. Glennon showed poor arm strength and decision-making on too many plays, and he failed to take advantage of a strong performance from his offensive line, a unit that has struggled all year and was without starting left tackle Anthony Collins.
Many fans wanted head coach Lovie Smith to fully commit to Glennon as the starter for the rest of the season, but I doubt those feelings are so strong after this week.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 10
It was a tale of two halves for lead back Bobby Rainey, who started in place of the injured—if not completely ineffective—Doug Martin.
Playing against one of his former teams, Rainey rushed for 80 yards on 15 first-half carries. But in the second half, Tampa Bay abandoned their efficient running game, giving Rainey just four carries for seven yards over the final two quarters. Rainey added 34 yards on his only reception of the game.
Backup Mike James rushed for just nine yards on his four carries.
Rainey played a fantastic game, totaling 121 yards on 20 touches. For whatever reason, the coaching staff seemed to forget he existed in the second half, but that's not his fault.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Outside of a couple of drops, this was one of the more impressive performances Tampa Bay's receiving corps has turned in this season.
Rookie Mike Evans looked every bit like a top-10 pick, hauling in seven passes for a career-high 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he should have had a third score if not for a poorly thrown ball by Mike Glennon.
Vincent Jackson—who looks to be transitioning into the 1b to Evans' 1a—had 86 yards on six catches, but he continues to drop passes far too frequently for someone who makes over $10 million per year. Still, the veteran has proven worth keeping instead of trading before last week's deadline.
Tampa Bay got very little from the rest of this group, though. Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught just one pass for three yards, while the only other receiver to catch a pass was Louis Murphy, who had two receptions for just 13 yards.
This unit made enough plays to win today's game. With better play from their quarterback, they may have succeeded.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Many fans and analysts were already planning Mike Glennon's funeral for this afternoon, considering this struggling unit would have guard Oniel Cousins starting at left tackle for the injured Anthony Collins.
But Tampa Bay overachieved all afternoon, paving the way for more than 100 yards on the ground and allowing just two sacks, picking up blitzes and controlling the pocket for Glennon to give him plenty of time to work with.
Despite being down a starter, this one of the best outings of the season for this group.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
This unit's job? Control the line of scrimmage against the run and get pressure on the quarterback. For most of the afternoon, they succeeded in both areas.
The Browns struggled on the ground all game, managing just 50 yards on 28 carries, good for a meager average of 1.8 yards per attempt. Fresh off his big-money extension last week, Gerald McCoy bagged a pair of sacks, while reserve rusher Jacquies Smith added another.
Big man Clinton McDonald even got involved in the takeaway game, plucking a tipped ball for a key interception in the second half.
The biggest knock against this group came on an encroachment penalty late in the game from William Gholston, who turned a field-goal attempt into a 4th-and-inches for the Browns, who converted and ultimately found the end zone. That four-point difference would have allowed the Bucs only need a field goal on their final drive.
High-priced free-agent signing Michael Johnson was quiet once again, but that's become expected at this point, especially against one of the league's best left tackles in Joe Thomas.
Overall, this was a strong performance from Tampa Bay's front four, even in another losing effort.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Tampa Bay's linebacker group is usually bailed out of a poor grade by the performance of Lavonte David, but today was a fairly pedestrian outing for the entire unit.
David tallied nine total stops, while Mason Foster added seven of his own from the middle. The Bucs spent plenty of snaps in the nickel, leading to just three tackles from strong-side backer Danny Lansanah.
The play of the linebackers helped hold the Browns to just 50 yards rushing, but the unit sometimes committed too quickly and fervently to the run, getting sucked in on play-action passes and leaving clean passing lanes and open zones for Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland passing game.
All in all, a fairly average effort devoid of any real "splash" plays from this unit. Still, keeping the Browns rushing attack in check keeps this grade out of the basement.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
The good? The defensive backfield created key turnovers on multiple occasions.
The bad? It didn't matter.
Despite an impressive interception and return from Johnthan Banks and another pick forced by a pass breakup from reserve safety Bradley McDougald, Tampa Bay's secondary allowed yet another mediocre quarterback to throw for 300 yards.
Brian Hoyer made just enough plays down the field to win the game, converting key third downs, and Alterraun Verner dropped another interception and was burned deep by a rookie undrafted free agent for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The takeaways are helpful, but yet again, they're rendered obsolete when you don't make the plays in between when they're needed.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
This group had a huge impact on the game, but not in the way Bucs fans wanted.
Tampa Bay allowed both a blocked field goal and a blocked punt, taking points off the board early in the game and giving Cleveland advantageous field position late in the game.
Rookie Patrick Murray missed a 55-yarder just short, only converting one of his three field-goal attempts on the day. Michael Koenen's punting average was stunted by the blocked kick, but he pinned the Browns inside the 20 with two of his other three attempts.
The return game was virtually nonexistent for the Bucs, but the coverage units did their jobs.
Grade: D-
Coaching
9 of 10
The biggest injury the Bucs have endured this season was to a man with a headset, not a helmet.
The absence of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford continues to reveal a glaring weakness for the Bucs, and questionable play-calling led to yet another loss this week.
After rushing the ball with great success in the first half, Tampa Bay seemed to abandon Bobby Rainey and the ground game, especially when it mattered. On their final drive, with a 2nd-and-1 inside Cleveland territory, the Bucs opted to throw the ball on the next three plays, failing to convert and giving the ball back to the Browns for good.
The biggest improvement in this department was in penalties, as the Bucs were flagged just four times for 33 yards. Tampa Bay also managed the clock much better than Cleveland, an improvement over previous games, as well.
There were some pluses in this department, but the play-calling continues to cripple the offense.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
Another week, another performance that had its high notes for the Bucs, but just wasn't enough in the end.
Mike Glennon's shortcomings as a passer were more evident today than they've been at any point this season, and the inability of the offense to convert their red-zone chances into points continues to cripple Tampa Bay's chances of victory.
On defense, sacks and takeaways were there, as was the commitment to shut down the run game. But the secondary allowed yet another mediocre quarterback to hang 300 passing yards on them, and they gave up just enough big plays down the field to put their team behind on the scoreboard.
The play-calling continues to be a huge issue, and there doesn't look to be a solution on the horizon.
The Bucs got solid performances from multiple units this week, but poor play from the quarterback position and questionable play-calling can easily be enough to undo a potential winning recipe elsewhere.
Grade: D+
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