TAMPA — Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has a multitude of weapons at his disposal, from 6-foot-6 rookie QB Cam Newton to 5-foot-9 veteran WR Steve Smith.

But sizing up what Chudzinski has in store is tough for any defense because he’s not afraid to reach deep into his bag of trick plays.

In the Bucs’ 38-19 home loss to Carolina on Dec. 4, Chudzinski had WR Legedu Naanee — who went to Boise State to play quarterback — throw a pass back to Newton for 27 yards to set up a touchdown.

On one play last week against the Texans, Newton took the snap and rolled to his right. But what the Texans didn’t see was Newton stick the ball between the legs of FB Richie Brockel, who ran for a 7-yard touchdown.

The hidden-ball trick was loosely based on a play called “the annexation of Puerto Rico” from the 1994 movie the Little Giants.

“The last time they played us, they got a little trick, throwback play,” Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. “They got out there and lined up quick and we got one guy lined up on the wrong side, and that’s all you need, is one guy on the wrong side to make a big play happen.

“We saw the chicanery … there. Last week we got to see it. And then also, Cam Newton creates that kind of dynamic on the goal line as well because of some of the things he’s able to do. It’s not often you see LeBron James get the ball on the snap and jump over the whole offensive line and score a touchdown with your quarterback and not worry about him getting hurt. … Chud has done a great job done there, just like he’s done everywhere. He’s dynamic, and he’s good for this league.”

PRO BOWL BUCS? Last season, when the Bucs went 10-6, they were snubbed by the Pro Bowl when the teams originally were announced. Eventually, LT Donald Penn, who was an alternate, was added to the roster and was the only Tampa Bay player at the NFL all-star game in Hawaii.

This season, the Bucs expect to be shut out again. However, Morris believes a few players are deserving of consideration — P Michael Koenen, G Davin Joseph and CB Ronde Barber. Koenen is 18th in the NFL with a 44.7-yard average and has 30 kickoffs for touchbacks. Barber, 36, is third on the team in tackles 72 and leads the club with three INTs.

“Our punter has done a great job all year,” Morris said. “He certainly deserves that type of accolade. Davin Joseph has been exactly what we wanted him to be when we signed him.

“Ronde Barber is always in consideration just because of who Ronde Barber is and the dynamics he has and his ability to go out there and make plays at his age. He’s the ageless wonder.”

INJURY UPDATE: The defense is struggling on the injury front. DE Michael Bennett (toe), DT Brian Price (ankle), DT Albert Haynesworth (knee) and LB Geno Hayes (knee) did not practice Wednesday, but Morris hopes they will be available for Saturday’s game. WR Arrelious Benn, who missed last week’s game against Dallas with a concussion, practiced for the second straight day. LB Adam Hayward (foot), WR Sammie Stroughter (knee), DT Roy Miller (back) and QB Josh Freeman (shoulder) had full participation.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey reaches Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman on Sunday. The Bucs committed seven turnovers in their loss.
	[DANIEL WALLACE | Times]

TAMPA — No matter how many times Bucs left tackle Donald Penn knocks down pass rushers, he is only noticed when he has to help quarterback Josh Freeman get back on his feet.

Penn, named to the Pro Bowl last year, routinely stifles the league’s best sack masters. But Saturday he faces his toughest assignment — blocking out his uncharacteristically poor performance Sunday against the Jaguars.

Penn allowed a first-half sack that resulted in a Freeman fumble recovered for a Jaguars touchdown in a 41-14 loss Sunday. Freeman was harassed all day, sacked three times, pulled down by his facemask for a personal foul and hit on two other occasions. He threw two interceptions.

Bucs coach Raheem Morris called it Penn’s worst game of the year. Penn doesn’t disagree.

“I’m not happy with the way I played,” Penn said Tuesday. “We’ll see how this week goes. I’m not happy with myself, I need to play better. I can’t let up. I always talk about it. I did, I’ll be the first one to stand here and tell you. I wish I could have three or four plays back. It would’ve helped us. But I’ve got to do better. I hold myself to high standards and that wasn’t good enough on my part. What perfect way to get better than this weekend.”

Pass protection will be paramount for Penn when he faces Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who is tied for second in the NFL with 15 sacks and has 94 for his career.

Ware can flip to either side, which means right tackle Jeremy Trueblood will be also be tested. But it’s Penn’s job to keep Freeman clean on his blindside and Ware has made some long days for left tackles this season.

“He’s having a great year this year,” Penn said. “Man, it’s going to be tough. He’s going to come at me. We’re going to have a good battle and he’s a good player. I’m going to have to really recoup. I put some bad things on film last week, I’ve got to make sure I switch it up and change it up so he doesn’t take advantage of what I did. But that wasn’t me.”

The Bucs (4-9) have lost seven games in a row and eight of their past nine. Playing the Cowboys in primetime on the NFL Network is rife with potential for ridicule or redemption.

“We’re grinding through it,” Penn said. “We’re still playing hard, we’re still holding each other to a high standard and we’re going to get through it. It’s a learning stage, too. We’re growing while we’re learning.”

At Jacksonville, seven turnovers led to 41 unanswered points, including 28 in 7 ½ minutes in the second quarter.

“It happened so fast, you’ve got to … take a deep breath and get back to playing one play at a time,” Penn said. “I wish we would’ve done some different things. We’ve got to get better and stop making so many mistakes.”

Behind Penn, the Bucs have done an extraordinary job protection Freeman. Despite yielding three sacks last week, they’re tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks allowed with 24.

“I don’t know whether you want to consider DeMarcus a d-lineman? A linebacker?” Morris said. “Whatever you want to call him, just call him a good football player and you’ve just got to be ready to deal with him on Saturday.”

Like always, Penn says he’ll have Freeman’s back.

“I don’t want to make it bigger than it is,” Penn said. “I’m going to take care of it. I’m fully aware of what I did and I’m going to get better. I’m one of the first guys to tell these other guys, “I need more.’ So it’s time for them to tell me they need more from me. The roles are reversed. I have to come out and produce.”

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By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Tuesday, December 13, 2011

TAMPA — Bucs Pro Bowl LT Donald Penn has a considerable challenge this week. He has the privilege of lining up against Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Ware in Saturday night’s home game, a task that comes on the heels of arguably Penn’s worst game of the season.

Penn, for instance, missed a block against Jacksonville LB Daryl Smith on Sunday that led to a sack of QB Josh Freeman and a subsequent fumble that was recovered for a Jaguars touchdown.

“They didn’t play great on the left side of our offensive line,” coach Raheem Morris said Monday. “There’s no sugarcoating that fact. Donald Penn didn’t have as great as game as he usually has for us. It’s the first time this season that we’re actually talking about Donald Penn, so that alone tells you he didn’t play as well as he would like to. He’s aware of that. We’re aware of that.”

Saturday, Penn will face Ware, who is tied for the second in the NFL with Eagles DE Jason Babin with 15 sacks. Ware has just one sack in his past three games, but has had games like Oct. 30 against the Eagles, when he registered four quarterback takedowns. Even when Ware doesn’t get a sack, he is a constant presence in opponents’ backfields.

Penn’s task of preventing a repeat of Sunday’s performance begins in the film room this week, Morris said.

“We’ve moved on to the Dallas game because of the short week, so we won’t have the extensive film study and be able to go back and evaluate with Donald from a one-on-one standpoint, but I’m sure Donald will be in here today and he’ll evaluate himself and he’ll come see his coaches and he’ll get that fixed and get that corrected,” Morris said.

“He struggled (Sunday) with the rusher he had against him and those guys did a nice job of taking advantage and getting our quarterback.”

A SECOND CHANCE: Morris insisted we’ve not seen the last of WR Preston Parker, whose two fumbles on special teams in Jacksonville were critical.

Parker, who has had a flurry of fumbles this season that were recovered by the Bucs, has been the team’s primary return man and third-down slot receiver for most of the season.

“I’m not going to give up on anybody,” Morris said. “Preston Parker is a dynamic guy and because he fumbled a punt that led to a (touchdown) by the Jacksonville Jaguars, I’m not going to turn my back on him. I gave (DT) Brian Price a second chance and I kicked him out of a game. It’s about us growing as a team.”

INJURY UPDATE: There is a key injury to monitor. Starting WR Arrelious Benn suffered what Morris described as “a little concussion.” He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Benn wasn’t available for comment and it’s unclear what his prospects are for playing against the Cowboys.

Elsewhere, the Bucs lost two players to season-ending injuries Sunday. Reserve DT John McCargo suffered a triceps injury and LB Jacob Cutrera, a special-teams contributor, suffered an unspecified head injury.

To replace McCargo, DT Frank Okam was promoted from the practice squad. The Bucs have not yet filled Cutrera’s open roster. The Bucs also will look to fill three practice squad spots this week.

QB Josh Freeman, who entered the game with a right shoulder injury and missed last week’s game against Carolina, was sore afterward but the Bucs expect him to start against Dallas.

Freeman’s injury was described as a deep tissue bruise and not a structural issue.

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By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Monday, November 28, 2011

Titans running back Chris Johnson leaves Bucs defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth behind to gain some of his season-high 190 yards.
	[DANIEL WALLACE | Times]

NASHVILLE — Buccaneers players and coaches left LP Field on Sunday still screaming for a measurement, but you don’t need to stretch the yardsticks to know why they came up short.

In a game played on a cold and rainy day under a bruised sky, the Bucs committed five turnovers — fumbling five times and losing four — to fall 23-17 to the Titans.

Appropriately, the game ended with quarterback Josh Freeman dropping yet another wet football on the soggy turf. Facing fourth and inches, he fumbled the snap and was stopped short of the first down.

The Bucs’ fifth consecutive loss and sixth in seven games dropped them to 4-7.

The Titans’ Chris Johnson rushed for a season-high 190 yards (144 more than his season average going in). His 34-yard run helped set up Damian Williams’ 2-yard winning touchdown catch on fourth down with 3:01 left. The Titans’ only other touchdown came on an 84-yard kickoff return by Tommie Campbell, who took a handoff from Marc Mariani on a reverse at the 16.

“It’s a shame,” said Freeman, who also threw an interception. “What did we have, five turnovers? It makes it hard to win.

“We feel like we’re a better team than our record portrays. We’ve got to stop doing things that have been killing us all year. There’s nobody in that locker room that doesn’t feel sick every time we lose.”

What sickened the Bucs on Sunday was how their final drive played out.

With 1:08 left, no timeouts, and facing third and 10 from the Titans 34, Freeman hit running back Kregg Lumpkin with a pass. Freeman, believing Lumpkin had gained enough for the first down, ran to the line of scrimmage intending to spike the ball and stop the clock.

But referee Bill Leavy signaled fourth down. Instead, Freeman, trying a sneak, dropped the snap, picked up the ball and tried to hand it to receiver Arrelious Benn.

“I thought it was a first down,” Freeman said. “I looked over, and the officials appeared to be on the other side of the first-down marker. So I’m yelling, ‘Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!’ to save some time. Then it was, ‘Okay, it’s fourth and inches.’ So I’m like, ‘Shouldn’t they be measuring this?’

“I turn and look, and (Bucs center Jeff Faine) is trying to get a measurement. The ref was like, ‘Play it.’ I tried to call a sneak. Enough time had already run off the clock just trying to get a first down, and they didn’t have a chance to dry the ball off or anything. So it was just a mess.”

Officials are not required to measure for a first down if asked.

Faine said he knew immediately Freeman did not get the snap.

“I felt the ball hit the ground,” he said. “I’m kind of standing up because I know it’s below me somewhere. You know when it’s not right, and I felt the ball hit my foot. I was trying to locate the ball. It wasn’t a situation we handled right.”

Neither team did a good job handling the weather conditions. The Titans fumbled three times, losing two. And Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted twice, including one Aqib Talib returned 27 yards for a score to give the Bucs a 17-10 lead 2:56 into the third quarter.

In fact, the Bucs’ only offensive touchdown — a 3-yard pass from Freeman to Mike Williams with 13 seconds left in the first half — was set up when cornerback Ronde Barber punched the ball from running back Javon Ringer and safety Tanard Jackson returned the fumble to the Titans 29.

The Bucs’ LeGarrette Blount rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries and had 56 yards receiving, but he also lost two fumbles.

“Obviously, it was slippery,” Blount said. “There was nothing anybody could do except hold onto the ball tighter.”

Freeman had two chances over the final three minutes to bring the Bucs back. Trailing by a field goal with all three timeouts remaining, he tried to force a pass to tight end Kellen Winslow that was intercepted by rookie linebacker Colin McCarthy. The former Miami and Clearwater Central Catholic standout started for injured former Buc Barrett Ruud.

The Bucs forced the Titans to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Rob Bironas with 1:44 remaining. But they burned all of their timeouts in the process.

Freeman completed two 23-yard passes to Williams to get to the Titans 34 with 1:14 remaining then spiked the ball.

After an incompletion to Benn, he connected with Lumpkin for what he believed was a first down. Then the chaos ensued.

“It seems like we don’t ever get a call to go our way,” Bucs left tackle Donald Penn said. “I hope (commissioner Roger Goodell) sends us a letter explaining why we didn’t get that measurement down there at the end. You know that is the story of our season so far, penalties, turnovers. And you don’t blame it on the refs, but they have a big part.”

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The struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers relish the challenge of having to beat the NFL’s hottest team to get their season back on track.

The Bucs (4-5) have played progressively worse in dropping three straight games, yet insist they have not lost confidence in themselves.

Tampa Bay travels to Green Bay this weekend to face the unbeaten Packers (9-0) and feels it not only is capable of playing the Super Bowl champions tough — but winning.

“We know they’re not going to take it easy, but you kind of hope they underestimate you a little bit and maybe we can sneak up on them,” offensive tackle Donald Penn said Wednesday.

Tampa Bay is coming off an embarrassing 37-9 loss that prompted coach Raheem Morris to question the effort of some players. The defense yielded 420 yards to the Texans to tumble to 31st in the NFL rankings, and the Bucs’ sputtering offense failed to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter for the second week in a row.

Green Bay, meanwhile, has won 15 straight dating to last season, the longest winning streak in franchise history.

“It’s a long season. We need to get a run going, fix the little things that we can control — effort, dumb penalties, things like that,” Penn said. “We do that and I think we’ll be back to where we need to be. … One thing we do is fight back. It’s a perfect test.”

The Bucs entered the season with heightened expectations after going 10-6 and narrowly missing the playoffs a year ago. They’ve lost four of five following a 3-1 start, and Morris is fielding questions about whether the league’s youngest team has regressed or simply is going through a tough stretch.

Third-year quarterback Josh Freeman is at the center of the struggles. After throwing for 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2010, he has nine TD passes vs. 13 interceptions through nine games this season.

Freeman reiterated Wednesday that he doesn’t feel he’s taken a step back and that he’s actually a lot better player today than he was a year ago, even if his statistics don’t support the contention he initially made after being sacked four times and throwing three interceptions during last Sunday’s loss to the Texans.

He’s played two games and part of a third with a sprained thumb on his throwing hand, however Freeman insisted the injury didn’t hinder him that much during losses to Chicago, New Orleans and Houston.

“Being out there, you have to play well enough to win. … It’s near 100 percent right now, so it’s not something I’m concerned about,” Freeman said.

Morris also played down the severity of the injury, as well as how much it has affected Freeman’s play.

“In my eyes, I don’t see it as a factor. My young quarterback has to go out there and deliver the football with precision and timing,” the coach said. “This young man played with a broken finger for the first four games of last season. We won’t make excuses for a sprained thumb. And we won’t blame our losing streak on it.”

Despite the poor stretch, Freeman said he and his teammates remain confident. He agreed with Morris that effort was a problem against Houston, but expects the team to rebound against Green Bay.

“You have to go out and play with 100 percent effort,” Freeman said. “This league’s so competitive, if you don’t go out and give it the best you have, you’re not going to have a chance.”