A Deep Problem

They gave it their best shot, chasing after the likes of Andre Davis, D.J. Hackett and Devery Henderson in free agency and spending a second-round pick on Dexter Jackson on draft day.

In the end, though, the Bucs failed in their attempt to find a speed receiver who could lessen their dependence on the aging Joey Galloway. Now they're paying for it.

Through five games, including the three-plus that Galloway has missed while nursing a right foot sprain, the Bucs have completed only five passes of 20 yards or more.

Only Baltimore and Cleveland have completed fewer long passes this year, and while the trend has yet to dramatically affect the Bucs' bottom line, it is becoming a bit of a problem.

Without a true deep threat to stretch defenses and create room for receivers running shorter routes, the Bucs have suddenly found it even harder than usual to move the ball and score points.

Last week against Denver, for example, the Bucs racked up just 181 passing yards on 36 passing attempts (a 5.0 per pass average) while scoring a season-low 13 points; this against the second-worst pass defense in the league.

Those figures dropped the Bucs' pass per attempt average to 5.45, which is just .15 yards per attempt better than they're getting from their running game and nearly 2 yards less than they averaged per pass a year ago.

The absence of Galloway, who caught 13 passes of 20 yards or more last year, is certainly part of the problem. There's more to it than that, though, and that Denver game was proof.

In what could be used as a template for success for future Bucs opponents, the Broncos not only took away the Bucs ability to throw deep, but also they limited their ability to make yards via their usual short-passing game.

They did it by taking the Bucs' often-copied Cover 2 defense and tweaking it a bit, adding an eighth pass defender to a scheme that all but dared the Bucs to run the ball by often utilizing just three down linemen.

"We had been seeing a lot of man-to-man coverage but they put two safeties back deep against us and gave us a lot more zone coverage than we were expecting," veteran receiver Ike Hilliard said.

"What that means is that we as receivers have to do a better job of finding those little holes and breaking a tackle or two to advance the ball from where we are. It's really on us, the receivers."

It is to a degree. Some of it may be on Coach Jon Gruden, too. He is the play caller, after all, and it seems he has dialed up fewer deep passes, especially since Galloway left the lineup.

The Bucs usually look to take about four or five deep "looks" per game, but since Galloway left the lineup Gruden has been more hesitant to take chances downfield.

"We haven't taken as many shots downfield as in the past, that's pretty obvious," wideout Michael Clayton said. "At the same time, we have utilized everybody and we've kept the chains moving for the most part.

"But the deep pass is a vital part of our offense and a big part of winning football and so we have to learn to do our best to spring our receivers down the field."

Making a few more yards after the catch is what Clayton is referring to, but with defenses crowding the shorter zones, many Bucs pass catchers have found making extra yards difficult.

Another difficulty stems from the need for some receivers to play out of position. Many of the Bucs wideouts are best suited to play flanker, which usually requires more toughness than speed.

Those players don't have Galloway-like speed, so the Bucs' ability to go deep is compromised when a player such as Antonio Bryant is forced to play Galloway's split end position.

"Joey was our deep guy all last year," said Jeff Garcia, the quarterback who will replace an injured Brian Griese today against Carolina. "Not having him in the lineup is a big factor."

As big a factor as it is, it shouldn't change the Bucs approach. Players say whether Galloway is in the lineup or not, the Bucs still need to take their usual share of shots downfield, no matter the defense that's thrown at them.

"You have to be smart and take what the defense gives you," Griese said. "But you also have to be balanced, so the deep ball is a part of our offense that we need to find and continue to get better at."

Gruden says he's willing to take more looks downfield, but it seems he won't really start going deep again until he's got Galloway to loosen up those defenses a bit.

He said he still plans to use Jackson mostly, if not exclusively, as a return man and that defenses will continue to dictate the way he attacks through the air.

"I don't care who you get in here to throw deep against the kind of defense that Denver and Green Bay played, you're probably not going to get many down-the-field options," he said. "That's just the way it is.

"But I would like to see us have more big plays, sure. I'd like every play to be a big play. I'm just one of those kinds of guys. I'm a thrill-seeker, you know."