As if opening the preseason in a nationally televised game against the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t enough to get Bucs fans clamoring, the Bucs plan to keep their starters in a little longer. Per Roy Cummings of the Tribune, the Bucs will try to get their young starters some extra PT to off-set the lack of off-season work.

For example, instead of playing starting quarterback Josh Freeman for just a series or two, head coach Raheem Morris plans to play Freeman for as many as 20 plays during the Bucs’ preseason opener at Kansas City this Friday. “I want to try to get him 20 plays or so, about a quarter, maybe a quarter and a half,” Morris said of Freeman. “A little bit more than you normally would.”

While some of the Bucs that are still returning from injuries may be used sparingly, you can expect to see at least a solid quarter-to-a-half of Bucs football before it turns into your usual preseason barrage of back-ups and practice squad players. I look for guys like Arrelious Benn and Brian Price to likely sit out altogether as a precaution, but look for other youngsters like De’Quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn to play into the second half.