The Sports Xchange

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found their identity on offense, and it does not center around quarterback Jameis Winston.

Coach Lovie Smith said the Bucs’ 38-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday should serve as the template for the offense going forward.

The Bucs want to run the football. Specifically, they want to run the football with Doug Martin and occasionally counterpunch with Charles Sims.

On Sunday, Tampa Bay gained 183 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 40 attempts.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that it is (our identity),” Smith said Monday. “Once you have that run going, and, to me, when I say ‘run going,’ there are some trick ’em runs, and then … we were in two-back a lot of the time, they had eight men in the box. We’re running it, they know it, and then you can still run it.

“Yes, that just sets up everything else. Of course, the running game is a quarterback’s best friend. That and the check-down is a quarterback’s best friend, and we were able to get all that going (Sunday).”

Winston also looked comfortable thanks to a game plan that included shorter passing looks. He went 9-for-9 with a touchdown while throwing to his backs and tight ends.

Credit a patchwork offensive line that was missing guard Logan Mankins. In fact, the Bucs operated with three players who weren’t counted on as starters when training camp began — center Joe Hawley, tackle Gosder Cherilus and Kevin Pamphile, a second-year tackle who had not taken any meaningful reps at guard until Wednesday.

“I think it says that he is growing,” Smith said of Winston’s success. “Experience teaches you everything. You can talk, talk, talk about it, but you have to get in that situation. Again, I talked last week about sticking your hand in the fire a little bit and seeing what it does to you. When you’re as smart of a quarterback as Jameis is and our football team is, when you’re part of turnovers, you see how much it hurts a ballclub. You have to take note.”