PLAYER NOTES

--QB Matthew Stafford did something Sunday that only Bobby Layne had done in Lions history; he threw for more than 300 yards. More impressive, against a defense that was set up to stop the pass, Stafford gained 9.2 yards per completion. He had a 118.9 rating.

--RB Jahvid Best did not have a great day. He had 72 yards in a career high 21 carries. And again, that was against a team that was dropping eight into coverage most of the game. He had a hard time getting to the edge against the Cover-2 defense. He didn't look very explosive on the chew up grass at Tampa.

--TE Brandon Pettigrew had four catches for 57 yards, but he was kicking himself for dropping a sure touchdown pass in the second quarter. Pettigrew has fought drops throughout his first three seasons. In his defense, this one was tipped slightly.

--TE Tony Scheffler is essentially the third wide receiver in the Lions' one-back sets. Technically, rookie Titus Young is, but Scheffler is getting all the work in that role. His one catch Sunday was an 11-yard touchdown.

--WR Calvin Johnson didn't do much on Sunday -- just six catches, 88 yards, two touchdowns, secured an onside kick and was on the field in the team's prevent defense on the last play of the game. As coach Jim Schwartz said, "Other than offensive and defensive tackle, he could play anywhere."

--WR Nate Burleson was having a huge day until leg cramps bit him. He had five catches for 60 yards and gained 20 yards on a reverse. He was getting the best of his matchup with CB Ronde Barber, but he had to miss most of the second half with leg cramps.

--DE Kyle Vanden Bosch had three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble on Sunday in what was for him, limited action. Coming off neck surgery and approaching his 34th birthday, the Lions are being cautious with him. He will not practice on Wednesdays during the week and he took less than half of the defensive snaps Sunday. Part of that could have been the oppressive heat in Tampa, but the goal is to get a full season out him.

--CB Aaron Berry had a rough day. He played corner in the nickel packages (with starting RCB Eric Wright moving into the slot) and wound up getting beat on two long third-down plays, plus, he was beaten by WR Mike Williams for a 5-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3.

--CB Alphonso Smith, who missed all of camp with a broken foot, is expected to be active next week. In all probability, Smith will play right corner in the nickel, with Wright staying in the slot.

--SS Amari Spievey continues to be a big part of the Lions' run defense. He had a team-high seven solo tackles. The jury is still out on his coverage skills, especially in the deep zones, but he is an attacking force in the box.

--FS Louis Delmas suffered a hip pointer on the last play of the game. He said on Monday that he was fine and didn't expect to miss any time this week.

--WR Maurice Stovall (hand) took treatment on Monday. Coach Jim Schwartz said he didn't think the injury was serious, but tests were still being taken.

--RB Keiland Williams was a somewhat surprising healthy scratch on Sunday. Explained coach Jim Schwartz, "The decision was we get to dress 46 and you can only have so many running backs and so many wide receivers."

--PK Jason Hanson's nine points Sunday put him at 1,899 for his career. With his next point he will become the seventh player in NFL history to score 1,900.

REPORT CARD VS. BUCCANEERS

PASSING OFFENSE
B-plus -- Against a Tampa defense that was geared to stopping the pass, QB Matthew Stafford completed 24 for 33 for 305 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't sacked or even hit the entire game. The Bucs played mostly Cover-2 defense and bracketed WR Calvin Johnson throughout the game, yet he still caught six passes for 88 yards and two scores. Eight different players caught passes.

RUSHING OFFENSE
C -- Coach Jim Schwartz said it wasn't great statistically (35 carries, 126 yards, 3.6) but it was effective. Jahvid Best had 72 yards in 21 carries, which is far from game-breaker status. When the Lions went to the run to kill the clock in the second half, they couldn't move the chains. The offense came to a complete halt. Most of the yards were gained to the left side, running behind LG Rob Sims and LT Jeff Backus. There was no room to run on the right side.

PASS DEFENSE
B -- There was steady pressure on QB Josh Freeman throughout the game. MLB Stephen Tulloch, assigned to spy on him, had two hits and a sack on him. DE Kyle Vanden Bosch had a sack and DT Ndamukong Suh hit him once. Freeman was 28 for 43 with most of the 257 yards coming in the last two desperate drives, when they were playing hurry-up against the Lions' nickel and dime packages.

RUSH DEFENSE
B -- What a difference a competent linebacker crew makes. The Bucs didn't move the ball on the ground at all -- 56 yards. RB LeGarrette Blount, who busted the Lions for 110 yards last season, had just 15 on five carries. Tulloch and OLBs Justin Durant and DeAndre Levy combined for 11 tackles. SS Amari Spievey had seven.

SPECIAL TEAMS C -- The kickoff team yielded a 76-yard return to Sammie Stroughter that set up a field goal. After that, Schwartz had Jason Hanson kick the ball out of the end zone the rest of the game. The punt coverage was better. Rookie P Ryan Donahue had a net of 44.6 yards. Hanson, though, was perfect again, hitting field goals of 23 and 28 yards.

COACHING
B-plus -- Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan made a brilliant call on a fourth-and-3 from the Bucs' 36 in the second quarter. Taking advantage of CB Aqib Talib's aggressiveness on Calvin Johnson, he called for a double move to the corner of the end zone. Talib bit just enough to allow Johnson free for a touchdown. The Bucs tormented the Lions with screens last year; this year they rendered the screen ineffective. Having Tulloch spy on the quarterback was effective, as well. Even using Johnson on the hands team helped secure an onside kick late in the game.

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