There were two noticeable improvements in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense on Sunday. Despite the loss at New York, the Bucs' offense racked up 34 points thanks to the newfound battery of third year quarterback Josh Freeman and receiver Vincent Jackson.
Jackson had 5 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown (three of which were for 20-plus yards, establishing himself as a deep play threat. Freeman finished a very respectable 15 of 28 for 244 and 2 TDs, minus 2 momentum-killing INTs. SB Nation Bucs blog Bucs Nation points to the debut of the Freeman-to-Jackson connection as the silver lining of a tough loss in the Meadowlands:
It's clear why the Bucs decided to add the big receiver to their roster this offseason: he brings a big-play-element to the offense that was missing last season. Mike Williams is a nice receiver who can excel on jump balls, and he had his own 41-yard touchdown last Sunday, but he won't consistently run by defenders and catch a deep ball. That's exactly what Jackson did, however. The receiver is fast, big and talented and can threaten defenses deep in a way we haven't seen in Tampa since Joey Galloway.
Check out the entire breakdown of the newly explosive Tampa offense here.
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