The Buccaneers’ offense was dreadful in their first preseason game on Friday, particularly Josh McCown and the offensive line, writes Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times. Although McCown has already been named the starter, he gave no reassurances that he could handle the job. The offensive line was just as disappointing, and has fans and pundits in the Tampa area worried about the unit this season.
Here are some other notes from the team’s first week of the preseason:
- Right tackle Demar Dotson acknowledged the offensive line’s struggles on Friday, according to Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter). “In the first preseason game, you expect some mistakes,” said Dotson. “You can’t look at it & panic.”
- Head coach Lovie Smith responded to the poor play of his offensive line by saying that he is always looking for outside help if it improves the team, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The team was rumored to be interested in 49ers’ guard Alex Boone, should he become available. However, Smith did say he thought they had the offensive line in place that could do the job this season.
- On a positive note, star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy spoke about the versatility of Da’Quan Bowers, according to Kaufman (via Twitter). “He’s playing inside, he’s playing outside,” said McCoy. “And he’s making plays at both positions.”