By Joe’s count, Byron Leftwich was hit just once in the first half and four in the second. He didn’t take any sacks.

Leftwich also cranked out a 25-for-41 effort for 275 yards and a touchdown.

Yes, Leftwich should have thrown the ball away with about 45 seconds left in the first half, rather than go out of bounds and stop the clock. The poor clock management set up the Cowboys score before the halftime whislte. And on the previous series, Leftwich overthrow Derrick Ward wide open on third down.

But those gaffes aside, nobody is perfect, and Joe is quite certain this is the best of Byron Leftwich. And it wasn’t enough to win.

It’s going to be a long year with this Bucs defense.

Kudos to the offensive line for its pass blocking and consistent blitz pickups by the Bucs’ backfield. Joe never missed Arron Sears.

And kudos to Greg Olson for having the Bucs offense ready to play and the execution to keep Leftwich upright.