What we learned ...
Troy Williamson is motivated: The Jaguars opened the game with a 74-yard touchdown pass from QB David Garrard to Williamson, who used his speed to burn past the Buccaneers' secondary. He finished the game with three receptions for 147 yards. Coming off a 74-yard performance against the Dolphins in the Jaguars' preseason opener, Williamson continues to make a case for a starting role opposite Torry Holt.
Re-air on NFL Network:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at
Sunday, 7 a.m. ET;
Wednesday, 7 a.m. ET
Byron Leftwich is still the front-runner for the Bucs' QB job: Last week, new Bucs coach Raheem Morris said he was close to naming his regular-season starter, leaving many to assume it was Leftwich's job to lose. The seventh-year veteran did nothing spectacular against the Jaguars -- a third-and-16 conversion in the first quarter was his best play against his former team -- but he didn't make any critical mistakes either. Leftwich completed 6 of 12 passes for 63 yards, which should be enough for Morris to hand him the keys to the offense.
Derrick Ward can be physical: The Bucs' new running back is a finesse player compared to former Giants running mate Brandon Jacobs, but against the Jaguars, he showed that he can play between the tackles, too. Ward finished with 40 yards on five carries, including a couple up-the-middle runs on which he bounced off tacklers for extra yards. Ward also went back to what he does best -- getting into the open field and making defenders miss -- on a 27-yard run to the outside in the first quarter.
