Kevin_ODonnell's Blog

For the second week in a row, the score doesn't paint the pre-season picture. Jon Gruden wanted to accomplish two things in Jacksonville, get Jeff Garcia on track and turn up the front-four pressure. He got both in the first quarter, which is all you should really care about.

What the Bucs proved in J-ville is that Garcia gives the Bucs something that Gruden hasn't had in his first 5 years here, a QB that can create plays with his legs. His lone TD toss to David Boston was amazing. Garcia bought time and threw a dart with no more room to run. He finished the night 6-for-6 for 43 yards with the one TD. What little the backup QB's did doesn't concern me, because if the Bucs lose Garcia to injury, their season is over.

Defensively, the starting unit picked their pace. Kevin Carter came up with first sack of the night, but it shows that even after 12 years in the league, he's still has some gas in the tank. The second team defensive unit was just awful, giving up 24 straight points on 4 possessions. The tackling coupled with players being out of their gaps were inexcusable.

The good news is that this is just pre-season, but it shows the Bucs aren't ready for Seattle yet.