Bucs 10 Redskins 16 - the game report Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com, published 13 September 2004 The Washington Redskins got what they wanted out of Clinton Portis in a 16-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at FedEx Field. The Buccaneers will have to wait another week to see if their own offensive imports can have a similar impact. In the case of Joey Galloway, the wait could be even longer. The answers came a lot more quickly for the Bucs on defense, however. After a slow start, the Tampa Bay defense put together an inspired second-half turnaround and even tied the game on a nine-yard fumble return by Ronde Barber late in the third quarter. Unfortunately, Washington’s own defense came up big in the fourth quarter and the Redskins tacked on two John Hall field goals to win by six in the season opener for both teams. Portis, acquired in an offseason trade for Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey, went 64 yards for a touchdown on his first carry as a Redskin. The Bucs, meanwhile, started six new players on offense and struggled to move the ball throughout the afternoon, gaining just 169 yards of offense. Tampa Bay’s run defense took a beating early on in opener, then stiffened considerably, allowing the Bucs to get back into the game. Washington gained 166 of its 291 yards on the ground, including 148 by Portis. Portis, in fact, had 102 yards by the six-minute mark of the second quarter. However, he had just 112 yards at the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter and was repeatedly caught in the backfield in the second half. Overall, the Bucs’ defense allowed 145 yards of offense in the first quarter and just 146 the rest of the way. The Bucs started a new running back, two new receivers and three new offensive linemen, but none produced Portis-like numbers. Galloway did not have a catch before suffering a groin strain in the second quarter as he tried to haul in a pass in the end zone. The extent of his injury was not available by the end of the game, but any absence could be difficult for the Bucs’ offense, which was counting on Galloway’s breakaway speed. Tim Brown, the other new starter, caught four passes but for a total of just 23 yards, with no play longer than 10 yards. RB Charlie Garner gained 25 yards on 11 carries and caught one passes for four yards. The Buccaneers’ revamped offensive line can only be judged by the offense’s numbers as a whole. QB Brad Johnson was four times, though he often had time to throw despite a blitz-happy Washington defense. Johnson was dropped on each of the Bucs’ last three plays from scrimmage. The running game picked up just 30 yards and 2.0 yards per carry. The Bucs did have a nice debut from another offensive newcomer, rookie Michael Clayton. The team’s first-round draft pick had a promising first game, playing extensively at flanker and catching a game-high seven passes for 53 yards. One quasi-new Buccaneer who also had a nice 2004 debut was wide receiver Frank Murphy, the team’s kickoff return man. Murphy had four kickoff returns for 125 yards. Included in his exploits was a 54-yarder in the second quarter, the longest by a Buccaneer in almost two years, and another long runback in the first that was called back on a penalty. Murphy last played for the Buccaneers in 2001, though he did have a kickoff return for a touchdown during the 2002 preseason. The Bucs actually looked quite good on special teams, overall. Martin Gramatica shook off an up-and-down preseason to calmly nail his first try of the season, a 47-yarder in the second quarter that was set up by Murphy’s long return. New punter Josh Bidwell shanked his first punt as a Buccaneer then settled into a groove, eventually averaging 40.1 yards on nine punts, with a fine net average of 35.9 and three kicks inside the 20. The Bucs, who kept seven linebackers up among their 45 active players, were strong on kick and punt coverage throughout the day, allowing just six yards per punt return and 21 yards per kickoff return. And the Buccaneers’ pass defense appeared to be strong to start the season, even with a relative lack of pressure on the quarterback. Brunell was not sacked, nor even pressured on many plays, but he was able to complete only 13 of 24 passes for 125 yards. The only real pressure of the day was supplied by reserve DT Ellis Wyms, who twice flattened Brunell as he threw, forcing incompletions. Unfortunately, the offense had trouble generating any big plays and could not sustain drives with its short passes and struggling running game. The Bucs’ initial first down came more than halfway through the second quarter, and they would pick up only 10 first downs and 169 total yards on the day. Tampa Bay’s longest play from scrimmage was a 24-yard catch by TE Rickey Dudley in the third quarter. Johnson completed 24 of 37 passes but averaged just seven yards per completion and 4.5 yards per attempt. The Bucs were in a 10-0 hole before they dented the scoreboard for the first time in 2004. A sack and forced fumble by safety Matt Bowen gave Washington a short field late in the first quarter, and they turned it into a 32-yard field goal drive. LB Shelton Quarles kept QB Mark Brunell from scrambling for a first down near the Bucs’ goal-line, so the Redskins settled for John Hall’s 20-yard field goal. Murphy’s 54-yard return on the ensuing kickoff put the Bucs at Washington 34, but they could gain only five yards before Gramatica hit his 47-yarder with 13 minutes left in the first half. Barber tied the game with just under five minutes left in the third quarter. Brunell tripped as he turned to hand the ball to Portis, leading to a muffed exchange that sent the ball bounding high in the air. Barber came out of a group of players with the ball and trotted nine yards into the end zone, untouched. A turnover in the other direction led to Washington’s winning points. Johnson was intercepted by LB Antonio Pierce near midfield with 11 minutes to play. Portis’ 16-yard run keyed a 27-yard drive that ended in John Hall’s 30-yard field goal. After two sacks ended Tampa Bay’s next drive, Washington drained most of the remaining five minutes off the clock with a 10-play, 51-yard drive leading to Hall’s game-capping 34-yarder.