Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins: What We Need to See on Saturday

Dress rehearsal, game plan, in-state rival, returning starters.

Those are some of the main ingredients for Saturday night's third preseason game matching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James.

The Bucs need a serious rebound after their non-serious performance last week against New England.

Good news: It simply didn't count. More good news: If this team needed a reality check, it got a big one. With that in mind, here are a few things you need and/or want to see on Saturday night.

Tight ends Kellen Winslow Jr. and Luke Stocker

Kellen Winslow is Josh Freeman's favorite target, so you're not getting a real measure of Freeman when Winslow is not in a game. The Bucs have done a marvelous job of managing his fragile knees and getting him through preseason camp. No need for Winslow to get hit when it doesn't count. That being said, he'll probably get some work against the Dolphins.

Luke Stocker has been missing in action, but he's back at practice. He's listed behind Winslow in the depth chart, so it's time for him to show us what he's got. Stocker is going to be on the 53-man roster, which means that if they keep three tight ends as they did last year, Daniel Hardy and Ryan Purvis will be battling for the third tight end position while Collin Franklin and Nathan Overbay will be competing for a possible spot on the practice squad. 

Bring on Mount Kilimanjaro 

One player who has stepped up in camp and the preseason is Frank "Mount Kilimanjaro" Okam. It's time to start considering him the Opening Day starter at nose tackle. Roy Miller has a partial MCL tear that is hampering him and Brian Price is a huge question mark.

Okam may be that force in the middle that the defensive line has missed. With Gerald McCoy being a bit undersized at the under-tackle, it's a benefit to have big ole Mount Kilimanjaro in there eating up space and blockers on the opposing offensive line.

Return of Marcus Arrelious Benn

It's time to get Marcus Arrelious Benn up and running. Dez Briscoe has proven that he'll be in the 53-man lineup with Mike Williams, Benn and Sammie Stroughter. That leaves a lot of competition for the remaining wide receiver spots. These last two games will go a long way toward deciding who those players are.

Offensive Line Needs to Rebound

The offensive line was flat out awful last week. It's time for these guys to step it up. The starting lineup is set:

Donald Penn, Ted Larsen, Jeff Faine, Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood are the starters.

The backups need to show up, especially James Lee, who hasn't pushed Trueblood the way the coaching staff hoped he would.

Josh Freeman Needs to Be Ultra-Sharp

It was a nightmare at Ray-Jay for Freeman last week: constant pressure, sacked twice, receivers not getting open, no running game. Can't get much worse than that. The big fella simply needs a great game—not a good game, a great game—under his belt going into Week 1.

How Much Will Aqib Talib Play?

It's a safe bet there's a suspension coming down for Aqib Talib. It will be interesting to see how long he plays Saturday night, if he plays at all. If he's going to be suspended for say four to six games, which is a strong possibility, well then, as Raheem says, "Next Man Up." It will be interesting to see who that "next man" may be. Morris isn't ready to name the starter-in-waiting should Talib be sitting at home Week 1.

Myron Lewis is scheduled to play. We haven't seen much of him and it is difficult to judge his progress or lack thereof. Lewis is listed on the depth chart as the backup to Talib with D.J. Johnson third. E.J. Biggers is backup to Ronde Barber with Anthony Gaitor and Elbert Mack gaining attention.

Mason Foster Needs to Keep Bringing it

Mason Foster got slapped with a $20,000 fine by the Commish for his great hit on Chad Ochocinco last week. In the new, dainty version of the NFL, as seen in the eyes of commissioner Roger Goodell, that's a no-no. It was simply a great tackle, so good, in fact, that Ochostinko offered to pay the fine himself.

Foster is the hitter, the physical presence the Bucs have wanted as opposed to the finesse, non-physical Barrett Ruud, who apparently is Roger Goodell's dream player.

Foster says he won't change the way he plays.

Excellent!

Kicking Game Is Solid

There is one phase of the game you don't need to be concerned with. Michael Koenen is just what the doctor ordered. Get rid of those complaints about the Bucs not wading into the mud that is free-agency. Mark Dominik got the one player who will make an immediate impact on this team and, with his kickoff and punting prowess, that's Koenen.

So far, he is as advertised.

Run defense, please!

After giving up nearly 200-yards rushing to the P-Men last week, the run defense needs to show up against the Dolphins. Yes, really, please.

So, there you have it, there's your checklist.

Morris has not said how long he'll play his starters, but you can bet they'll play the entire first half and perhaps a bit into the third quarter so they can get used to coming back into action after spending time in the locker room.

Last call. Next week it will be a battle of the bubble boys.

The Bucs need to bounce back and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, they need to come out of this contest healthy.

Don't they?