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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.’’

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. -- 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.

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.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t the only NFL team practicing in the Tampa Bay area this week.

The Arizona Cardinals are practicing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as they get ready for Sunday’s game.

Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss and Buccaneers reporter Pat Yasinskas talk about Sunday’s game.

Yasinskas: Josh, I know IMG has great facilities. The Buccaneers used them during the lockout, and the Carolina Panthers worked out there last year to avoid the congestion from the Democratic National Convention before playing the Bucs. But why did the Cardinals elect to come east early?

Weinfuss: Having just adjusted to the two-hour time difference in New Orleans, Bruce Arians didn’t want his players’ bodies to get totally out of whack going back to Pacific time (technically, Arizona is on Mountain time, but the state doesn’t change its clocks when the rest of the country does) and then five days later fly cross-country to the East Coast, another three hours ahead. I’m tired from thinking about it. This way, the Cardinals can adjust their body clocks to playing what would be a 10 a.m. home game in Arizona. We’ll see whether it works. There’s a pretty significant contingent inside the locker room that's not a fan of this, but those players might be after they realize what their bodies would have gone through. And then there’s playing in the Florida humidity, which takes more than a day or two to adapt to. In Arizona, it’s a dry heat (yeah, I know, everyone doubts it, but it really is), and the Cards neither practice nor play outside, so the added time in the elements could help.

Speaking of elements, is the Bucs' locker room in as much disarray right now as the perception makes people believe?

Yasinskas: It might be in even more disarray than people realize. Wednesday's news that the Bucs are benching quarterback Josh Freeman in favor of rookie Mike Glennon was just more evidence of how much dysfunction is going on with this team. Freeman and coach Greg Schiano never were firmly on the same page, and Freeman's fate was sealed the moment Schiano used a third-round draft pick on Glennon in April. But the fact that Schiano now is going with "his guy" isn't going to instantly solve all the problems. Freeman is a popular figure in the locker room, and some teammates might not agree with his benching. There also have been multiple reports about players not liking Schiano's militaristic style. The Bucs have denied those reports, but I think there's something to them. I believe that where there's smoke, there's fire.

Speaking of coaching styles, it’s early in the Arians era, but what is his persona and how has he been received by the players?

Weinfuss: He’s a no-nonsense type of guy, and the players love it. Well, maybe they loved it. Having a lackluster offense and starting 1-2 wasn’t what this team projected out of Arians. There haven’t been any signs of the players losing faith in their coach. They all raved about him during organized team activities, minicamp and training camp. The players appreciated his candidness with them. If they ever want to know where they stand, he’ll tell them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Whether they like it or not.

He has been there for only three games, but is the Darrelle Revis acquisition working out and how has he changed the Bucs' defense?

Yasinskas: Revis has been everything the Bucs hoped for. They brought him in to fix a defense that led the league in passing yards allowed last season, and the early results have been good. Revis is the kind of player who makes those around him better, and his arrival really has helped strong safety Mark Barron. I’d imagine the Bucs will put Revis on Larry Fitzgerald for most -- or all -- of this game.

If Revis can neutralize Fitzgerald, do the Cardinals have enough other offensive weapons to win?

Weinfuss: That’s the $10,000 question. The short answer is yes, they do. The long answer is only if the other weapons -- most notably receivers Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts -- are not double-teamed. If they are and Revis can shut down Fitzgerald, it could be a long day for Arizona’s offense. But Arians is a smart enough offensive mind, so I’m sure he has accounted for this. Expect tight end Rob Housler to play an integral role Sunday, and look for the Cardinals’ stable of running backs -- Rashard Mendenhall, Alfonso Smith, Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor -- to come out of the backfield for passes and to create mismatches.

Aside from Revis, how has the rest of Tampa Bay’s defense looked?

Yasinskas: The defense has been a bright spot for Tampa Bay. In addition to the secondary, linebackers Mason Foster and Lavonte David, defensive end Adrian Clayborn, and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy are off to very good starts. But the Patriots were able to run the ball against the Bucs, and Tampa Bay had trouble with the tight ends against the Jets and the Saints. The Bucs could be susceptible if Arizona can get some production from the running game or its tight ends.

TAMPA, Fla. – Maybe losing his job as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the best thing that could happen to Josh Freeman.

With Wednesday’s news that rookie Mike Glennon will take over as the starter, it’s fair to say Freeman’s tenure in Tampa Bay is just about over. He’ll either be traded this season or be allowed to walk away as a free agent afterward.

While those might not sound like great options, the history of the Buccaneers suggests otherwise.

Doug Williams, Steve Young and Trent Dilfer all went on to win Super Bowls after departing the Bucs. Vinny Testaverde went on to have a long and productive career. Can Freeman be as successful as those former Tampa Bay quarterbacks?

I think the talent is there. But Freeman is going to have to land in the right place. After what he has been through with Greg Schiano, Freeman needs a different style of coach. Freeman’s laid-back ways and Schiano’s militaristic style didn’t work well together.

There are plenty of people around the league who believe Freeman has what it takes to be a successful quarterback. Someone will give him a shot at a starting job.

Maybe Schiano ruined Freeman forever. Or maybe Freeman can do what Williams, Young and Dilfer did once they got a change of scenery.

TAMPA, Fla.. – After last season, Greg Schiano said he didn’t believe any NFL coaches and players were wed to each other. As it turns out, the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was right.

And wrong.

Schiano showed he wasn't wed to Josh Freeman when he confirmed Wednesday that he was benching the fifth-year quarterback. Now Schiano has tied his entire future to Mike Glennon.

That’s the rookie who will replace Freeman in the starting lineup Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

"I think Mike Glennon is Mike Glennon," Schiano said shortly after pointing to the success of rookie quarterbacks last season. "He’s going to help us win Sunday, and he’s going to help us win a lot of games."

Let’s face reality. Freeman remains on the roster for now, but it’s likely he’ll be elsewhere before the trade deadline in late October. This divorce between Freeman and Schiano was in the works for a long time.

Freeman was never Schiano’s "guy." Glennon is.

Schiano’s been infatuated with Glennon for years. He tried to recruit Glennon to Rutgers when he was coaching the Scarlet Knights. Glennon elected to go to North Carolina State, but Schiano didn’t want the quarterback to get away again and took him with a third-round draft pick in April.

At that moment, Freeman’s fate was pretty much sealed. The Bucs lost five of their final six games last season and Freeman struggled down the stretch. After the season, the Bucs looked at quarterbacks such as veteran Carson Palmer before ultimately deciding to draft Glennon.

The Bucs gave Freeman a chance to hold onto the job, but the deck was stacked against him. He failed to complete more than 50 percent of his passes in any of the first three regular-season games, and the offense never seemed to get into any rhythm.

“We’ve lost eight of nine games and we haven’t played particularly well on offense in the last nine games," Schiano said. “Although it’s not completely the quarterback’s fault, that position touches the ball every play."

The Bucs have a bye after the Arizona game, and could have waited to make a quarterback switch.

“It is beneficial I think that Mike will get to play a game and then have a bye week to really decipher through it and learn from the experience before he has to play his next game," Schiano said. “That’s a side benefit of the decision. But it wasn’t by any means the reason it was made now. We felt that it was time that Mike Glennon gave us the best chance to win and that’s why we did it."

So, just like that, the Bucs cast aside Freeman, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2009. Freeman was drafted by former coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik. Morris is long gone, but Dominik, the one with ties to Freeman, is still around. If there’s a fall guy for Freeman’s failure, it could be Dominik.

But Dominik and Schiano spent a lot of time together before the decision was made to go with Glennon. Then, they got the blessing of ownership. Now, they’re ready to move on.

There’s almost no chance Freeman can win the job back.

“Mike’s our starting quarterback from this point forward," Schiano said. “We’re moving forward and Mike’s our quarterback. That’s the plan and that’s how we’re going."

Isn’t going with a rookie quarterback sending a message to the veterans that this team is starting over?

“Not this rookie quarterback," Schiano said. “Not in my opinion. I think he gives us the best chance to win Sunday. That’s why we’re doing it."

Glennon had better win quickly. The Bucs are 0-3, and Wednesday marked a big day in franchise history. It was the day Freeman got pushed out of a job. That takes a big layer of insulation away from Schiano. The coach now is wed to his quarterback, and he'd better be right about this one.

If Schiano’s wrong about Glennon, this decision could cost him his job.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Even before they drafted Mike Glennon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking for a potential replacement for quarterback Josh Freeman.

Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer confirmed that the Bucs made a play for him in the spring.

“My agent had said that Tampa had been contacting him a lot,’’ Palmer said in a conference call with the Tampa Bay media Wednesday morning. “I would have been very excited to be there. But I’m excited and happy to be where I am and I’m excited about our future.’’

The Bucs’ interest in Palmer is just further evidence of how deeply rooted the rift was between Freeman and coach Greg Schiano. The Bucs decided after last season that they needed an alternative to Freeman and they made a play for Palmer.

Freeman has been benched and Glennon will start against Palmer and the Cardinals on Sunday.

An examination of four hot issues from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 23-3 loss to the New England Patriots:

Freeman’s future: After the season-opening loss to the New York Jets, I laid out a hypothetical scenario for quarterback Josh Freeman to be replaced by rookie Mike Glennon coming out of the bye week. Well, that scenario seems to be becoming more plausible. If the Bucs lose to Arizona on Sunday, they’ll be 0-4 heading into their bye week. As long as the Bucs stay winless, coach Greg Schiano is going to have to start thinking about saving his own job. His best bet to buy another season might be inserting Glennon and hoping the rookie shows some promise.

Schiano’s future: During our in-game chat Sunday, a lot of fans were very vocal in saying Schiano should be fired after (and some were saying during) this season if things don’t change dramatically. The thing to keep in mind is that Schiano has three more years on his contract. Unless things continue to go really badly, ownership likely will be hesitant to fire him.

A kicking dilemma: The Bucs basically are on their third kicker and they soon could be on their fourth. Rian Lindell has missed a field goal attempt in each of the last two games and both have hurt the Bucs badly. Connor Barth was supposed to be Tampa Bay’s kicker, but he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in an offseason charity basketball game. The Bucs replaced him with Lawrence Tynes, who came down with a staph infection and will miss the season. Lindell is a veteran who has made some big kicks in his career. But there are other experienced kickers available and the Bucs have to decide if they’re going to stick with Lindell.

Nothing from the tight ends: The Bucs got two catches for 9 yards from their tight ends against the Patriots. They need more production out of that position because it would take some of the defensive attention from Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. But there might be some reason for hope. Schiano said Tom Crabtree, who probably is Tampa Bay’s best pass-catching tight end, is progressing well from his ankle injury. Crabtree isn’t going to fix all that ails the offense, but he can make it a little more diversified.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Under ordinary circumstances, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is the most gregarious person in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' locker room.

But circumstances were far from ordinary after Tampa Bay’s 23-3 loss to the New England Patriots. The Bucs fell to 0-3 and they’ve already endured reports that some players don’t buy into coach Greg Schiano’s disciplined style.

That’s why it’s only natural that reporters were asking questions about the Bucs perhaps falling apart. It’s happened in plenty of other places through the years when teams have started badly.

“It’s not happening here,’’ McCoy said. “We’re not everybody. It may happen, but it’s not happening here.’’

The tone of McCoy’s voice was harsh. That’s the kind of attitude you want from a team captain.

“Losing, that’s not going to affect us at all,’’ McCoy said. “It’s going to make us closer. There’s something missing that we have to figure out. If you separate and start pointing fingers, it’s not going to get any better.’’

McCoy wasn’t the only prominent player saying the Bucs can’t fall apart. The offense hasn’t been very good all season, while the defense has played well. That’s a formula that has divided locker rooms in the past.

“Right now, we’ve all got to stick together,’’ cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “I’m not on offense. I don’t know what the game plan is. All I know is they’re my teammates, so I’ve got to stick beside them whatever the outcome is.’’

McCoy and Revis were saying all the right things. Besides, you wouldn’t expect them to say their team has big problems.

But it’s fair to wonder if the Bucs really will stick together.

“It’s definitely a choice,’’ Schiano said. “It’s their choice. I have great confidence this team will stick together and this team will win. I believe they believe that.’’

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- This time, it was not some last-second loss. This time, the bulk of the blame cannot fall on Josh Freeman.

This time, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply played a horrible game and showed that, contrary to popular belief, Freeman isn’t the root of all their troubles.

Sunday’s 23-3 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium showed the 0-3 Bucs have major problems in many areas. Their season already has been a soap opera with reports that Freeman and coach Greg Schiano don’t get along and that some prominent players don’t like Schiano’s militaristic approach.

Now, there’s material for many more episodes of the soap opera.

Start with kicker Rian Lindell, who set the tone for the day by missing a 38-yard field goal on Tampa Bay’s first drive. Lindell also missed a field goal in last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints and you have to wonder if his shakiness was why Schiano decided not to go for it, rather than attempt a long field goal, twice in the first half.

Don’t be surprised if the Bucs have a new kicker next week. Some new receivers also might be a good idea. There receivers failed to catch four very catchable balls. The biggest drop came on Tampa Bay’s second drive -- when Freeman had the team moving better than it has all season -- as a pass in the end zone went off tight end Tim Wright's hands and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal.

“The plays you have control over, you have to make," Schiano said. “When you have a situation that you’re in control of and you don’t make it, then you’re living on borrowed time.’’

Tampa Bay’s time to win the game disappeared in the second quarter. That’s when Tom Brady and his young receivers started clicking and that’s when Tampa Bay’s defense showed some holes.

“You can’t pinpoint any one thing,’’ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “The defense, we gave up 23 points. If we hold them to zero, we win, 3-0. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do.’’

Holding the Patriots to zero points would be a major accomplishment for any defense. You cannot pin this one on the defense, just like you cannot pin it all on Freeman, who completed 19-of-41 passes for 236 yards.

Freeman is not completely blameless. He did throw an interception to former Buccaneer Aqib Talib late in the second quarter to set up a field goal that helped the Patriots to a 17-3 halftime lead.

Throw in an offensive game plan, some play calling that was questionable, and a rib injury that kept top receiver Vincent Jackson out of the game for most of the second half and the Bucs seem to have all the elements of disarray.

“We’ve got to get better,’’ Schiano said. “There’s no magic pill."

It’s hard to look at the Bucs and see this season suddenly turning around. The first two losses were close. This one wasn’t and it looks like things are only getting worse for the Buccaneers.