After an impressive preseason debut victory over Miami, the Buccaneers finally looked like a team that went 4-12 a season ago, taking a 30-7 loss to Tennessee at Raymond James Stadium on Friday night.

In almost every way, this was a step back after last week’s success. Tampa Bay’s offense, which looked strong in scoring touchdowns on its first two drives against the Dolphins, was held to a mere 81 yards by the Titans. LeGarrette Blount, the current starter at running back, went down with a groin injury in the second quarter and did not return, though Blount told the Tampa Bay Times it was "not a serious injury."

Quarterbacks Josh Freeman and Dan Orlovsky were harassed throughout the night, as Tennessee sifted through the Bucs’ rebuilt offensive line with relative ease. Turnovers resulted, and the Titans took advantage. Two of Tennessee’s six scoring drives covered less than 15 yards each, as the Titans offense was gifted a short field by the Tampa Bay offense.

In short, the performance was a letdown, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. And while the preseason game doesn't actually count against the Bucs, the blowout loss still stings and shows coach Greg Schiano's team still has plenty of work to do in critical areas heading into the season, according to the Times' Gary Shelton. 

But Bucs fans should not get too down-in-the-mouth about a preseason game, Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune noted on Twitter that the last time the team took a beating this bad in a preseason game, the franchise's greatest season ever resulted:

  • At least the first-team defense looked better: At least one positive item for the Bucs after the loss. It was the team’s starting defense, which finished last season ranked last in the NFL in points allowed per, rushing yards allowed and several other key statistics, put together a second-straight impressive performance, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The Tampa Bay defense created three and outs on four of Tennessee’s first five possessions, and an Ahmad Black interception return set up the team’s only touchdown of the night.
  • Quarterback play, on both sides, problematic: The loss showed that Tampa Bay’s season will depend on results in two critical areas -- the play of quarterback Josh Freeman and the defense’s ability to rush opposing passers. Unfortunately for the Bucs, neither area looked particularly strong in the loss to the Tians, according to Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune.
  • Blount’s injury gives rookie Martin a chance at RB: The neck-and-neck battle between LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin for the starting running back spot took a brief break on Friday night, as Blount’s injury opened up a bit more playing time for Martin, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Martin, a rookie, finished with 23 yards on seven carries and had a 16-yard rush called back for a hold, Smith notes. Depending on how healthy Blount is, Schiano indicated the competition will continue for the duration of the preseason.
  • Investment in offensive line didn’t pay off Friday: Tampa Bay spent much time and money making moves to improve the offensive line this offseason, signing Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks out of free agency. But the offensive line was a weak spot against the Titans, as Freeman and Orlovsky faced pressure all night and there were precious few holes for running backs, writes Stephen F. Holder of the Tampa Bay Times. Starting left tackle Donald Penn should be returning to action soon though, Holder notes, as a calf injury held him out of camp.
  • Bucs take a loss off the field as well: As if the results of the game against the Titans weren’t bad enough, Tampa Bay also lost out on the services of Florida alum and Olympic silver medalist Jeff Demps, who agreed to a deal with the New England Patriots instead. 

For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsNFLTB on Twitter.