Bucs falter late in loss to Washington Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 5 October 2009 They went into FedEx Field on Sunday looking for a spark. They never got it. Sparks can help launch a rocket to the moon. They also can start the fire that burns down your house. The Bucs' house didn't go up in flames Sunday. During a 16-13 loss to the Redskins, most everything about them just sort of smoldered. That was especially true of their offense and particularly true of first-time starting quarterback/sparkplug Josh Johnson. That ember of enthusiasm he lit during his brief stint against the Giants last week glowed for a while longer Sunday, but Johnson repeatedly failed to fan it into the blaze the winless Bucs are searching for. The area in which he failed most often was on third down. The Bucs converted two of 13 tries, and Johnson was sacked three times and intercepted once while moving the chains on just two of six conversion throws. Johnson also struggled in the red zone. After giving the Bucs an early lead by hitting Antonio Bryant with an 8-yard touchdown pass, Johnson failed to produce touchdowns in two other trips inside the Redskins' 20-yard line, including a critical possession in the fourth quarter. Finally, he failed on several occasions to cash in on big-play chances downfield, choosing instead either to run the ball himself or throw to a back in the flat. "He'll get better, and when he does he'll take some of those shots," Coach Raheem Morris said after the Bucs' losing streak grew to eight. "He's got to lay it up there and give his receivers a chance to make a play. And he's got to do better on third down and in the red zone. But he did a do a nice job of managing the game, and he did some nice things with his feet." Johnson ran seven times for 41 yards, thereby adding an element to the offense that wasn't there when veteran Byron Leftwich was at quarterback. Just like Morris, though, Johnson wasn't all that pleased with his overall play. "My day, it just wasn't good enough," said Johnson, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 106 yards, one touchdown and the one pick. "I have to get the playmakers the ball more. I mean, they did a lot of good things from a defensive standpoint to take (our playmakers) out of the game, but there are ways to get them the ball. I have to do better at getting everybody involved." For once this year, the Bucs' quarterback didn't have to worry about his defense. After recording just three sacks and two takeaways their first three games combined, the Bucs had three sacks and four turnovers Sunday. Gaines Adams got the first of those sacks two plays into the game, and when Jimmy Wilkerson notched the second and forced a fumble on the third play, Adams fell on the ball to set up the Bucs' first score. The defense created at least three more potential scoring opportunities as cornerback Aqib Talib tied a team record by intercepting Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell three times. Those three picks resulted in just three points, however, as the Bucs turned the ball over on downs after the first and Mike Nugent missed wide right on a 48-yard field goal try after the second. The miss was Nugent's second of the day. "We still had a chance to win that game even with the two missed field goals," said Morris, who didn't hint at a change in kickers. "(Nugent) will get his opportunities again." The same can almost assuredly be said of Johnson. The Bucs aren't expected to make a change at his position anytime soon, but it's clear they're looking for him to play a little more aggressively. "We have to find our identity again," wideout Michael Clayton said. "I mean, we're going to be a running team and everyone knows that, so they're bringing eight guys into the box against us. What we have to do now is figure out a way to make the passing game work so that the running game can be effective again. The way to do that is to take some shots and get everybody involved." Johnson won't argue with Clayton. He gave himself a C for his first start and walked away knowing he had wasted a good chance to make his team a winner. "We did some good things in the first half," Johnson said. "But in the second half they had the mindset that they were going to make us drive the ball. And we did have some drives. We just didn't finish them."