Patriots - Buccaneers - Five disappointing Bucs on offense

There was a lot to be disappointed about in the last game, but as always, a few players separated themselves from the pack of disappointing players. 

QB Josh Freeman
I didn't think Freeman looked all that sharp in the first game anyway, and he certainly didn't look good in this game. When he got time, and he did have time on a number of snaps, he failed to make throws. Whereas training camp reportedly featured an aggressive Freeman taking perhaps too many risks downfield, this game and the last game featured a Josh Freeman who wouldn't pull the trigger on a throw.

It's possible that the receivers weren't getting open - but as soon as Josh Johnson went into the game, he pulled the trigger on two aggressive, downfield throws. Both throws were accurate, on-target....and dropped. The Patriots still had a lot of their starters in at that point, too. 

G Ted Larsen
The entire starting offensive line was subpar against the Patriots, but Larsen was probably the worst of the bunch. With a false start and two blown blocks by my count, he had more negative plays than any other offensive lineman. Larsen was adequate as a starting guard last season and looked very good against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he struggled to match up with Gerard Warren against the Patriots. It's not all bad, though: Larsen improved later in the game. 

WR Dezmon Briscoe
Briscoe has been generating a lot of positive buzz this offseason. He ended last season on a high note, and produced against the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener. Unfortunately, Briscoe forgot to show up this week. The second-year wideout got a lot of snaps, but was targeted just twice. He made one seven-yard catch on third down that was short of the first-down marker, and he dropped an on-target long ball from Josh Johnson that may have been slightly tipped by the defender. If Briscoe wants to make an impact this season, he needs to show up in a game like this and get himself open. He failed to do so against the Patriots. 

TE Nathan Overbay
Overbay looked like a competent player late last season, as he showed off some blocking skills and showed he could contribute in the passing game. Unfortunately, he has not been performing well in the preseason. After doing nothing against the Kansas City Chiefs, he blew a run block on a linebacker with the starting offense and had a false start. Overbay looks to be losing the fight for the third tight end spot. 

T James Lee
Another week, another poor game from James Lee. With Trueblood continuing to look good, Lee is starting to lose any chance of winning the starting job. In fact, he looks significantly worse than he did last year. Playing him at left tackle for a part of the game didn't help him, of course, but he didn't look anything like the player he was last year.