National Football League

Buccaneers search for answers to slow starts

Published Sep. 15, 2011 11:54 p.m. ET

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers insist they haven't lost any of the confidence that helped them emerge as one of the NFL's biggest feel-good stories of a year ago.

The league's youngest team dropped it's season opener to Detroit last week, raising questions about whether the team has lost some of the swagger that coach Raheem Morris felt was a vital part of winning 10 games in 2010.

In the aftermath of a 27-20 loss that wasn't as close as the final score, Morris said he felt some of the club's young players ''blinked'' against the Lions.

That viewpoint was not shared by quarterback Josh Freeman, who took responsibility for a slow offensive start that placed an added burden on the Bucs defense.

''I really don't feel like that was the case. Did we get stuffed on first down and second downs that put us in difficult situations on third down, yes,'' the third-year pro said. ''But there was never a time in that game where we didn't feel like we could drive down the field, score a touchdown, get in a rhythm and win the game.''

The Lions outgained the Bucs 147 yards to 4 in the opening quarter, put together five scoring drives of at least 70 yards and didn't allow the Bucs offense to get into the end zone until the final two minutes of the game.

Freeman threw for 259 yards and one touchdown, however most of his production came was in the second half when the Bucs turned exclusively to a no-huddle attack that took running back LeGarrette Blount off the field.

A 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie, Blount finished with 15 yards on five carries. The 247-pound second-year pro touched the ball once after halftime.

Morris second-guessed his decision to abandon the game plan so early, but also said he was surprised by the way some of the team's young players performed.

''We kind of blinked a little bit. ... But that's OK,'' Morris said. ''They'll get better. We'll figure that out.''

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson agreed, adding ''there was just a different feeling on the sideline.''

''And there's really no reason for this team to blink,'' Olson added. ''You guys are a good football team. Believe that is what our message is to our players. ... You were a 10-6 football team, won a lot of big games last year. Settle down, take a deep breath and play football.''

Last season, the Bucs became the first team NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start 10 or more rookies and finish with a winning record, going 10-6 after posting a 3-13 record in 2009. This season's 53-man roster features 35 players who are 25 years of age or under, including two more rookie starters on defense.

Freeman said a faster start offensively would have helped against the Lions, who dominated time of possession in the first three quarters.

''There was never a moment in that game where somebody turned it down, somebody shied away or somebody flinched. We were ready to go,'' Freeman said, adding that sustaining some drives early would have kept Tampa Bay's defense off the field for longer stretches while also putting more pressure on Detroit's defense.

''You look at it, when we're in manageable third downs we're a top 10 team,'' the 23-year-old quarterback said. ''If you have to ask an offense to convert third-and-longs each series, then more often than not you're not going to convert.''

Morris has been searching for the answer to the team's penchant for starting slowly ever since becoming the NFL's youngest head coach two years ago.

An ability to close strong was one of the keys to last season's turnaround. Freeman has a knack for being at his best with games on the line, directing winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in seven of the 13 games the Bucs have won since he became the starting quarterback midway through his rookie season.

Freeman is as puzzled as anyone by the offense's lack of production early in games.

''People want to point and say there's some big issue - they can't start. We're the same guys at the end of the game that we are at the beginning of the game,'' the third-year pro said, adding that there's no real reason for alarm.

''It's kind of a chicken little complex. Lose the first game and you're never going to win again. `You can't start, the defense can't do this or do that.' Within this building, we know what kind of team we are. We know we let one get away last weekend. We know we can go out, play better football and win games.''