Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Tampa Bay 25 at Baltimore 0 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay controlled the clock all game, but continued to struggle getting the ball into the end zone. Michael Pittman looked to be physically back to 100%, shifting gears and looking fully healed from the ankle injury that bothered him in the preseason. Jon Gruden's offensive scheme is still not clicking on all cylinders. The offensive line is having problems blocking the pass rush. Cornerback Ronde Barber seems intent on proving he's one of the more complete corners in the game. He's rarely out of position. Baltimore Ravens: Chris Redman was totally ineffective and looked confused by Tampa Bay's defensive schemes. Tampa continually put eight men in the box and Redman still could not find the open receiver Baltimore continued to run the ball, even while down 18-0 late in the fourth quarter. Brian Billick has shown no confidence in the passing game. The Ravens could not stop the short passing game. Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott caught dump passes all day long and earned significant chunks of yardage. Pass-catching running backs will continue to do well against the Ravens defense. Ray Lewis recorded 17 total tackles, and the Buccaneer offensive line could not hold him down. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brad Johnson completed his first nine passes, although they were mostly short and over the middle. He missed a TD when he overthrew a wide open Keenan McCardell. Johnson was under pressure all afternoon. RB: Michael Pittman looks like the perfect fit for Jon Gruden's system. He wasn't too effective rushing the ball (13 for 37 yards), mainly due to poor run blocking. He did have 6 catches for 58 yards. Mike Alstott caught the ball well and was used as a receiver out of the backfield catching 5 passes for 25 yards. He made some of his vintage powerful short yardage gains rushing 11 times for 23 yards. WR: Keyshawn Johnson only caught 3 passes all day, but for over 40 yards total. Brad Johnson did not have time to get rid of the ball in time into Johnson's hands. Keenan McCardell would have scored a 43 yard touchdown catch, but Brad Johnson overthrew him when he was wide open. McCardell was noticeably still hobbling from his injury but toughed it out catching 4 receptions for 38 yards. TE: Ken Dilger left the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury, and did not return. The injury does not appear to be serious, but more will be known when the injury report comes out. Pass Defense: The Buccaneer's secondary and linebackers dropped four Chris Redman passes that all should have been interceptions. The Raven receivers were overmatched all game long. Rush Defense: Tampa Bay stacked the line all day intent on stopping the running game of Baltimore. Jamal Lewis did not have room to run. ST: The punt return by Karl Williams was basically all him, as he made some nice moves. Gramatica still is kicking well. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Baltimore Ravens QB: Chris Redman continues to look ineffective at quarterback. The Buccaneers stacked eight men in the box and Redman still could not find the open receiver. RB: Jamal Lewis ran for 53 yards, but as the only offensive threat, Tampa Bay's defense keyed on him. Lewis left the game for a few minutes with a minor rib injury. The fact that Coach Brian Billick continued to run the ball late in the game is a good sign for Lewis. The bad news is that Redman has to do something to soften the rush defense. WR: Brandon Stokely showed surprising speed and was Redman's favorite target for the day. He caught several balls over the middle of the field, and made a fantastic catch on third down. Travis Taylor was overmatched by the Tampa Bay secondary and does not appear to be able to handle the number one receiving role in Baltimore TE: Todd Heap was not used much as Baltimore continually played in multiple tight end sets. Pass Defense: Baltimore gave up a lot of yards on short passes and underneath routes, but Tampa Bay was unable to connect on the long ball. Brad Johnson overthrew Keenan McCardell on what would have been a 43 yard touchdown catch. Rush Defense: Tampa Bay did not run effectively, and often had trouble picking up Ray Lewis. The offensive line for Tampa Bay is having trouble blocking the run and the pass.