Sputtering Buccaneers seek answers to slow starts
Josh Freeman is establishing a reputation as a quarterback who knows how to close out games, however Tampa Bay's propensity for starting slowly continues to haunt the NFL's youngest team.
The Bucs (4-3) dropped in a tie for second place in the NFC South following a 24-18 victory to the Chicago Bears in London. They flew home Monday to begin a bye week that will provide some time to seek some answers.
''There's no excuses,'' coach Raheem Morris said after watching Freeman lead a fourth-quarter rally that fell short Sunday when the quarterback threw his fourth interception of the game in the final minute.
The Bucs flew to England six days before the game to get acclimated to the time change and surroundings. The Bears (4-3) didn't arrive until Friday, yet Tampa Bay came out flat and fell behind early for the fifth time in seven games.
Freeman has led winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in eight of the 17 games the Bucs have won since the third-year pro took over as the starter midway through his rookie season. He led his team back from a 21-5 deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes against Chicago, however it was too little, too late.
''Those issues have been with us all year,'' said cornerback Ronde Barber, who recorded the first safety of his career when he tackled Bears running back Matt Forte in the end zone for the only points Tampa Bay managed until Connor Barth kicked a 33-yard field goal on the final player of the first half.
Chicago took its 16-point lead early in the third quarter, and the Bucs didn't score their first touchdown Chicago's Jay Cutler threw an interception to set up Freeman's 2-yard TD throw to Kellen Winslow with 10 minutes left in the game.
''There's obviously concern,'' Barber said. ''Raheem talks about us being a consistent team. We play physical, smart, but consistency has been an issue for us all season. ... Whatever it is, we've got to find the answer and correct it. We've got a bye week to do that. Hopefully, we come back a better football team after these 10 days.''
The puzzling part of Sunday's performance was it came a week after the Bucs played their best game of the season in beating New Orleans 26-20 to take over first place in the NFC South. The loss to the Bears dropped Tampa Bay into a tie for second with the Atlanta Falcons, one game behind the division-leading Saints.
''It just came down to not executing. We've got to find a way to get plays going earlier so you don't feel in the second half that you have to force it, feel like you have to fabricate some momentum,'' Freeman said. ''We've got to be able to sustain something earlier on in the game, make plays, keep the score closer so we don't have to do that.''
Both Barber and Morris said playing in London for the second time in three seasons was not a factor. Two years ago, Tampa Bay flew at the end of the week and lost 35-7 to the Bears.
This time the schedule included time off for sightseeing and what Morris thought was a good week of practice and preparation at a resort outside the city.
''When we got in to London, it was business as usual. It felt like a normal road game,'' Barber said. ''That's not the issue. Our issue has to be having the same urgency ... at the beginning of the game as we have at the end. If we do that, we win this football game.''
The bye week comes at a good time for the Bucs, who not only need to find a way start faster but get some key players healthy, too.
Leading rusher LeGarrette Blount has sat out the past two games with a knee injury, and his backup, Earnest Graham, left Sunday with ankle injury that kept him off the field for the final three quarters. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy remained sidelined for a second week with a sore ankle and safety Tanard Jackson strained his left hamstring against the Bears on an interception return.
The offensive line is banged up, too. And, the Bucs could be looking for help at running back if Graham's injury is serious that he'll miss significant playing time.
Morris is confident his young team will regroup and leave the London trip behind when the season resumes at New Orleans on Nov. 6.
''Our goal is to win the division. ... My team won't worry about what happened last week, they won't worry about what's going on right now,'' the coach said. ''We'll ride this plane home, come out next time and go.''
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AP Sports Writer Mattias Karen in London contributed to this report.