Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Bucs aim to start fast, avoid turnovers against Browns

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium Friday night at 8 p.m. ET in their third preseason exhibition game, a game in which starters are expected to play until the third quarter. It will provide the closest thing to a regular-season game this preseason and will serve as a test run. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Start fast on offense and avoid turnovers

In the Bucs' first and second preseason games, the offense did not score until the third possession. In fact, last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Jameis Winston went 0-for-6 in the first quarter and failed to complete a pass. "I'm supposed to be the leader of this team, so I've got to start fast," Winston said. "It starts with me."

To make matters worse, he turned the ball over on the second offensive possession in both games, and both set up scoring drives. In the first exhibition game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Winston was sacked by Fletcher Cox, who knocked the ball loose and recovered it before finally being brought down at the Tampa Bay 9-yard line. Against Jacksonville, Winston was picked off by Dwayne Gratz on a pass intended for Cameron Brate. "You can't have turnovers," Winston said. "I have to own that and bounce back and start fast."

Handling a 3-4 defense 

Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton operates a 3-4 defense, which the Bucs will see eight times this year. That includes the team's Week 2 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. Horton was their defensive coordinator from 2011-12. The last time Winston faced a Ray Horton defense was in Week 1 last year, when Horton was the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. Winston was picked off on the opening possession.

A lot has changed since then for Winston, but so much falls on the quarterback when facing Horton's 3-4 scheme. He could see three defensive linemen with their hands in the dirt, four or even five, as Horton will switch up odd and even fronts, even in the middle of a drive. He could bring pressure with six, blitzing with defensive backs and inside linebackers, or just three, dropping eight into coverage. Identifying where the pressure is coming from is paramount, and the offense line must discern who they're blocking for each play.

Offensive line

The Bucs have been without starting left guard J.R. Sweezy all offseason and all of training camp as he's still recovering from a back procedure. They were hit extra hard this week when starting right guard Ali Marpet showed up to practice in a walking boot. Rookie Caleb Benenoch just returned from an ankle injury after being in a cast and out for nearly a month.

Thankfully the Bucs have multiple players on the team who can play various positions, so they'll continue to rely on Kevin Pamphile at left guard, and center Evan Smith will likely slide over to right guard while Joe Hawley starts at center.

Handling a zone-read offense

"We need to see zone-read for down the road when we play teams like San Francisco and Seattle and Carolina," said Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter. The Browns do incorporate some zone-read concepts into their offense under Hue Jackson, and they must account for quarterback Robert Griffin III as a runner.

Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald said playing teams that utilize zone-read forces the defense to adjust their assignments, especially in how the defensive line rushes the quarterback. "We still want to go hard, we still want to strike and we still want to attack, but for the most part our assignment is going to change just a little bit as opposed to a quarterback that sits in the pocket, doesn’t have a running threat about him."

He added, "We’ve got [Carolina Panthers quarterback] Cam Newton coming over, who’s pretty much going to run the same type of offense. It’s great to get a lot of work in early on what you’re going to see during the season, especially if somebody’s in your conference who’s been running the conference. So we’re trying to get it down pat so we can go ahead and take their place.”

The Bucs have not beaten the Panthers since the 2012 season. Newton produced 478 yards of offense and six touchdowns against the Bucs last year while producing his second-highest passer rating (121.6).

Bucs CBs vs Browns WRs

Rookie Vernon Hargreaves III might make his first start on the outside after getting two picks last week. Does he replace Alterraun Verner or Brent Grimes? In practice Thursday, Hargreaves was lining up opposite Verner on the left side and in nickel, but Grimes, a four-time Pro Bowler, could have simply been given a few reps off.

Regardless of who starts and lines up where, the Browns have a strong group of wide receivers, including Josh Gordon, who is expected to play for the first time since 2014 and looked strong in joint practices this week. They also have first-round pick Corey Coleman, who is expected to make his NFL debut after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury. The ever-shifty Andrew Hawkins will also play for the first time this preseason after also rehabbing from a hamstring injury. And then there's former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who had a 50-yard touchdown catch last week.

Considering the well-documented struggles of the Bucs' secondary last year, the amount invested in signing Grimes and drafting Hargreaves and the plethora of pass-catchers they'll face this year, this is a final chance for the Bucs corners to show the impact of these changes.

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