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TAMPA, Fla. -- Once again, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano has found himself defending his approach to victory formations by other teams at the end of games.

Some members of the Arizona Cardinals griped after the Bucs continued to play hard as the clock was running down Sunday. This tactic has been a hot topic before. Last season, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was highly critical of the move.

Schiano said he would stop the tactic if his players asked, but said that request has not been made.

“I do leave it up to the players,’’ Schiano said. “I’m not naïve that that’s a controversial thing. But, if our players feel we have a chance to win, they want to win. Last time I checked, that’s what we’re getting paid to do, go win. We’ll play 60 minutes. It’s an organized play. People know it’s coming.’’

A weekly examination of the Buccaneers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 31 | ESPN.com Power Rankings since 2002

The latest Power Rankings are out and the good news is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't drop even after handing Sunday's game to the Arizona Cardinals.

The bad news is the Bucs really couldn’t go any lower. They’re at No. 31 for the second straight week and the only reason they’re not No. 32 is because the Jacksonville Jaguars have been even more dismal.

But the Buccaneers could have a shot at No. 32 next week. The Bucs have a bye this week, while Jacksonville faces the St. Louis Rams, who have been less than stellar.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Lavonte David is only a second-year player, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be wise to take some advice from the linebacker.

David said Monday that the bye week is coming at a good time for a team that has gotten off to an 0-4 start.

“I think it gives us a chance to go clear everything out; all the negative things that have been going around that people have been saying," David said. “It gives us a little bit of time to clear our heads and regroup, comeback. We have a 12-game stretch after this. Come back, regroup and be ready for that 12-game stretch.”

As I said yesterday, the Bucs need to resolve the situation with quarterback Josh Freeman because it’s causing too many distractions. This team has had nothing but distractions, starting with MRSA staph infections and continuing with reports that players aren’t fond of coach Greg Schiano’s ways.

If the Bucs are going to rescue this season, the need to use the bye week to start fresh and focus squarely on football.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Greg Schiano isn’t a good dancer, so someone please stop the music.

The coach of the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a good chunk of his Monday doing his best not to directly answer questions about the status of former starting quarterback Josh Freeman.

"I’m not going to be naïve," Schiano said. "There are a lot of factors involved. This is not high school football. It’s professional football. There are salaries and there are contracts and there are those things involved. What I do is I focus on the things that are going to help us win games."

What’s going on around One Buccaneer Place is a soap opera, and it has more of a high school than professional feel. Schiano and Freeman are involved in a standoff that needs to end now because it’s not doing the rest of the team any good.

The Bucs have plenty of other problems to work on as they go through a bye week. They need the couple that already has divorced internally to go ahead and officially separate.

No matter which side you came down on in the original benching of Freeman, it’s pretty clear he can’t be around this team anymore. Intentionally or not, he has become a distraction and the situation has become a circus.

The latest example came Monday afternoon when the locker room was open to the media. Mike Glennon and Dan Orlovsky, the team’s other two quarterbacks, appeared to come out of a meeting. Each of them went to their locker, grabbed some things and left.

A few minutes later, a team employee was seen gathering up a few items at Freeman’s locker. The employee walked into a hallway by the equipment room and handed the stuff to Freeman, who never entered the locker room.

If there’s any logic in the building, Freeman should never enter the locker room again. In an exclusive interview with ESPN last week, Freeman said he would like to be traded.

So trade the guy -- if you can. Minnesota and Tennessee look desperate for quarterback help, but are they desperate enough to take a shot on Freeman after watching what has happened the past few weeks? Is anybody going to get more desperate in the days before the Oct. 29 trade deadline?

Maybe and maybe not. If the Bucs want to wait to see if someone pushes the panic button and gives them a draft pick for Freeman, they should do what former coach Jon Gruden did to former receiver Keyshawn Johnson back in the day. They should send Freeman home, pay him to stay away and keep his rights.

Or there’s another option. The Bucs could go ahead and just release Freeman now. It would mean giving up on a former first-round draft pick and that never looks good.

But the Bucs already have given up on Freeman and the whole thing has been ugly. There’s no sense dragging this out any longer.

The Bucs need to stop the music.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Safety Dashon Goldson will not be suspended for his hit on Jaron Brown in Tampa Bay’s 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

An NFL spokesperson said Monday that NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks already has determined the hit doesn’t warrant a suspension. But the league said Goldson could be fined for the hit, which came in the fourth quarter and drew a personal foul.

Goldson initially was supposed to be suspended for Week 3 for a hit on New Orleans’ Darren Sproles. But Goldson appealed that and got his penalty reduced to a $100,000 fine. Goldson also was fined $30,000 for a hit in the season opener. Since 2009, Goldson has been flagged with a league-high 16 personal fouls.

TAMPA, Fla. -- An examination of four hot issues from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

There are no quick fixes. Rookie Mike Glennon was thrust into the starting quarterback job after the Bucs benched Josh Freeman. He played reasonably well for the first 56 minutes, but he threw two late interceptions that in part cost the Bucs the game. Glennon is going to be the quarterback the rest of the season, so get ready for some growing pains.

The defense is better than the offense. Tampa Bay’s defense played a very solid game, and the Bucs would have won if they had gotten just a bit more out of their offense. The offense has been a problem all season. You have to wonder at what point the defense is going to start pointing fingers at the offense.

Trade him from your fantasy team. If you have Doug Martin, unload him now. Martin carried 27 times for 45 yards (that’s 1.7 yards per carry) against the Cardinals. Martin is a talent and the Bucs have a good offensive line, but this is likely a sign of things to come. With a rookie quarterback, every defense is going to devote most of its attention to stopping Martin, so there won’t be much room to run.

The Schiano Watch. Coach Greg Schiano has lost nine out of 10 games dating back to last season. Ownership, which fired Raheem Morris for losing 10 straight, backed Schiano after he benched Freeman, and the coach has three years remaining on his contract. But now that he has “his guy’’ at quarterback, it’s time to see some improvement. If it doesn’t come soon, Schiano could be on the hot seat.

TAMPA, Fla. -- When Dashon Goldson had his one-game suspension overturned in Week 3, it didn’t take the Tampa Bay safety off the NFL’s radar.

If anything, Goldson, who got off with a $100,000 fine, likely was being monitored even more closely by the NFL office. That’s not a good thing because Goldson might have crossed the line.

Goldson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit in Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It’s a safe bet that league officials will be reviewing that play very shortly.

Since 2009, Goldson has been flagged for a league-high 16 personal fouls. The league is well aware of Goldson’s history and, this time, his punishment could be more than a fine.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Finally, there was some consistency out of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback.

“I’m not commenting at this time," Josh Freeman said.

Then he said the same thing again and again. I heard Freeman give the same answer at least nine times after Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

This is what it has come to: Freeman, who once was considered the franchise quarterback, was the first player out of the locker room. He was chased through a tunnel by a large group of media members and, after at least the 10^th “I’m not commenting at this time," Freeman put in ear buds to get away from the noise.

Freeman, who was benched in favor of rookie Mike Glennon, didn’t even play in the game. But he’s still a huge part of the story of what quickly has become one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional franchises. He previously told ESPN he wanted a trade. He didn’t even get to spend the game on the sidelines with his teammates.

According to coach Greg Schiano it was a “mutual decision" to have Freeman sit in a suite with the other inactive players. That sounds to me like “We don’t want this guy anywhere near the team. We’re going to get rid of him one way or the other during our bye week."

Schiano made his point with his power play on Freeman. He started Glennon to prove a point. Schiano has coveted Glennon ever since he unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to Rutgers. When the move was made, Schiano said it was because Glennon gave the Bucs the best chance to win.

The irony here is that it really didn’t matter who the quarterback was. The Bucs, who controlled the game most of the way, were destined to lose this game no matter what.

The problems run much deeper than the quarterback.

“It starts with me," Schiano said. “It’s everyone. It’s our coaching and our playing. The quarterback’s part of that, but there’s a bunch."

Yeah, there’s a bunch of something, and it’s not good. The Bucs sent a pretty strong signal that they were ready to win this year when they signed safety Dashon Goldson and traded for cornerback Darrelle Revis.

But, one month into the season, the Bucs are 0-4 and there are signs of disarray that go way beyond the rift between Freeman and Schiano.

“I know this team will stay together," Schiano said. “These first four don’t count any more than the next 12. We’ll take them one at a time. We’ve got good football players, a good team. We’re just not playing very well right now."

The Bucs head into the bye week with the prospect of Glennon as the starter for the rest of the season, and it sure feels like Freeman will be traded or released.

Does it really matter that the Bucs now have a Schiano “guy" playing quarterback?

I don’t think it does. This is a very flawed football team. The Bucs made some late mistakes to lose the opener to the New York Jets. They made more the following week in a similar loss to New Orleans.

These guys know how to lose the close ones. But this one was particularly painful because it started with some promise. Glennon played well (not great, but not bad) for the first 56 minutes. Led by a defense that played well all day, the Bucs held a 10-3 lead.

With 3:12 remaining, Glennon had a pass intended for Vincent Jackson intercepted by Patrick Peterson. That set up a quick Arizona touchdown to tie the game. With 56 seconds left Glennon, again throwing for Jackson, was intercepted by Peterson to seal the loss.

“Mike stepped in there like he was supposed to step in there,’’ left tackle Donald Penn said. "I thought he handled it very well. He took control of the huddle, took control of the offense, and we have to help him out more. We have to make more plays, we have to finish our drive better and make it easier. We need to help this defense out. They’re playing their butts off, and we have to pick it up."

First it was Freeman vs. Schiano. Next, it could be defense vs. offense. The Bucs head into their bye week with a slew of problems.

“I am concerned because we’re not doing it, so we have to find a way to get the tide turned and get to playing the way we’re capable of,’’ Schiano said. “That all starts with me. As the head coach, I’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything that we can within our power to perform better."

Schiano is right in saying it starts with him. If nothing else, Sunday showed it doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback for the Bucs. The issues start at the top, and are running in a lot of different directions.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Observed in the locker room after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

• 

  McCoy
  Coach Greg Schiano defended the two play calls on which rookie quarterback Mike Glennon threw fourth-quarter interceptions by saying the Bucs had to throw the ball because the running game wasn’t working. It’s true that Doug Martin was bottled up almost all day. But putting the ball into the hands of a guy making his first start with the game on the line isn’t a great idea.
• Schiano said it was a “mutual decision” to have former starting quarterback Josh Freeman sit in a suite instead of being on the sideline. I think the translation there is the Bucs didn’t want to have Freeman as a possible distraction. With the bye week coming up, I think Freeman will be traded or released before the Bucs play another game.
• Schiano gave his usual spiel about the team sticking together through tough times. But we might have seen the first crack. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who had an outstanding day, said he didn’t want to talk about the offense. I'm not saying the defense is pointing fingers at the offense, but that would be justified.

A few thoughts on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 13-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

What it means: You can change quarterbacks, but not results. Rookie Mike Glennon started in place of Josh Freeman and looked adequate for most of the game. But Glennon was intercepted with 3:12 remaining to set up Arizona’s tying touchdown. The Bucs, who controlled the game most of the way before squandering a 10-0 lead, are 0-4, and it’s pretty clear their problems go well beyond the quarterback. Coach Greg Schiano is officially on the hot seat.

So much for the defense: The Tampa Bay defense was outstanding much of the day. But two fourth-quarter turnovers gave the Cardinals prime field position, and the defense couldn’t hold up.

Suspension time? Safety Dashon Goldson appealed a previous one-game suspension and won. But he probably won’t be as lucky this time around. Goldson was called for a personal foul that set up the winning field goal. He probably will get a suspension, because he is very much on the NFL’s radar.

Stock watch: Rising -- Kicker Rian Lindell entered the game on the hot seat after missing a field goal attempt in each of the previous two games. He put himself back on good footing with a 50-yard field goal.

Stock watch: Falling -- The one thing the Cardinals did well was bottle up Doug Martin. They put a lot of defensive focus on Martin, and he wasn’t able to do much. Martin also lost a fourth-quarter fumble that led to an Arizona field goal.

Demps’ debut: Recently signed running back Jeff Demps got his first playing time of the season. Demps had a 14-yard run in the first quarter, three kickoff returns and a catch out of the backfield for 8 yards.

What’s next: The Buccaneers have a bye week. They’ll return to action Oct. 13 at home against Philadelphia.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts as they break down the Arizona Cardinals' visit to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET. And, be sure to visit our NFL Nation Blitz page for commentary from every game, as well as fan photos and the latest buzz from Twitter. See you there.

Three things to watch for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Mike Glennon. The rookie quarterback will be making his first start after the Bucs benched Josh Freeman. Glennon didn’t exactly light it up in the preseason and the coaching staff is taking a leap of faith that he’s ready to play in the NFL. Glennon’s strength is that he has a big arm, so look for the Bucs to try to take some deep shots.

Doug Martin. The Bucs already are a run-first team, but they’re likely to move even more in that direction in Glennon’s first start. Look for Martin to get a bunch of carries as the Bucs try to keep the pressure off Glennon.

Larry Fitzgerald against Darrelle Revis. If the Bucs put Revis on Fitzgerald in man coverage, this could be a very entertaining matchup with one of the league’s best receivers going against one of the league’s best cornerbacks.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon might not have his full stable of receivers when he makes his NFL debut Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Greg Schiano said that tight end Tom Crabtree has been ruled out. Schiano said Crabtree had a setback with the ankle injury that has kept him out since the preseason. The Bucs had been hoping Crabtree could play this week and take over the starting role. Previous starter Luke Stocker is on injured reserve. With Crabtree out, Nate Byham is likely to get the start.

Starting wide receivers Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson returned to practice on a limited basis Friday and will be listed as questionable. Williams said Thursday he expected to play Sunday. Kevin Ogletree, Eric Page and Russell Shepard are Tampa Bay's backups at wide receiver.

TAMPA, Fla. -- After announcing that rookie Mike Glennon will start at quarterback Sunday, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said that Josh Freeman will take over the No. 2 role.

I’m not sure that’s really a good idea. For all intents and purposes, Freeman’s time in Tampa Bay is over. If they can find a taker, the Bucs gladly will trade Freeman for just about anything. No deal has happened yet and that’s why I think it would make more sense to make veteran Dan Orlovsky the No. 2 quarterback for the moment.

If Glennon gets injured, Orlovsky can take over. That makes more sense than handing things back to Freeman. The danger there is that Freeman could get hurt.

If Freeman gets injured, his trade value becomes zero.

TAMPA, Fla. -- In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Josina Anderson, benched Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman said a trade is “going to be probably the best option’’.

Really, a trade is the only option. It would be best for the Buccaneers and best for Freeman. And, the sooner it comes, the better.

When the Bucs made the decision to go with rookie Mike Glennon as their starter this week, it essentially ended Freeman’s time in Tampa Bay.

Sticking around for the remainder of the season isn’t what’s best for Freeman. He needs a fresh start, and it’s not in the Bucs’ best interest to have Freeman around much longer.

His presence is a reminder of what could have been. Freeman is a popular figure with some of his teammates and, if Glennon struggles, there could be a divide among players. Freeman’s not the kind of guy that would start trouble, but his lingering presence isn’t healthy for the Bucs.

They might have to wait a week or two until an injury or ineffective play makes another team desperate to give up a decent draft pick for Freeman. But, as soon as the Bucs get anything close to a reasonable offer for Freeman, they should take it.