Start remains stumbling block for Testaverde Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988 Vinny Testaverde did nothing Sunday to soil his reputation as a fast finisher, but in the first quarter this season he and the Buccaneers' offense have looked more like a plowhorse than Secretariat. Testaverde threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on the Bucs' first three possessions against the Phoenix Cardinals Sunday, adding to the frustration that comes with having been outscored 44-0 in the first quarter this season. “We started off slow and finished strong,” Testaverde said in the gloomy aftermath of the Bucs' 30-24 loss to Phoenix. “I'd rather do that than the other way around. We need to start strong and finish strong. The reason why we struggle early is that we're a young team. As the season goes on, we'll get better and better. You know, we were moving the ball. We've just got to get the ball in the end zone.” Testaverde recovered from the shaky start to complete 16 of 28 passes for 211 yards (142 in the second half) and a touchdown, but that's not big news anymore. What matters is that little of that offense has shown up before halftime this season. The Bucs moved the ball well on the ground to start the game, but their early marches were never on firm footing. Testaverde killed the first drive on third-and-2 from the 50-yard line by flipping the ball to well-covered wideout Bruce Hill. Cardinals defensive back Lonnie Young stepped up to make the interception and Phoenix converted the turnover into an Al Del Greco field goal. The Cardinals were backpedaling on Tampa Bay's second possession, but Testaverde was chased out of the pocket and forced a pass deep to Stephen Starring that was picked off by Carl Carter. Result: Phoenix then drove 93 yards for a touchdown. The wheels came completely off on the next try when Testaverde fumbled a handoff to Lars Tate and the Cardinals used the bobble to extend their lead to 13-0. “On the first interception, I kind of put the ball low so Bruce would have a chance to catch it,” Testaverde said. “But the defensive back just made a great play. On the second one, my receiver was supposed to go deep on a scramble, but I held the ball a little longer than I should have. It was a bad play on my part. When I came back out on the field after the second interception, the fans were booing me. All the guys were staring at me like, `Hey, they're booing you.' I said, `They love me here,' and I think it kind of broke the ice by saying that.” Testaverde thawed the hearts of Bucs fans in the third quarter when he found Hill on a post pattern for a 23-yard touchdown. He also engineered scoring drives of 70 and 56 yards in the final period, giving Tampa Bay a 24-23 lead with seven minutes left. Unfortunately, the Bucs' little comeback was wasted. On their final two possessions, the Bucs ran six plays total, lost 12 yards and punted twice. The Bucs' defense allowed the winning touchdown, then couldn't stop the Cardinals from running out the clock. “Somebody needs to come out and make a big play,” Tate said. “We need more leadership on this team.” “We've just got to get tougher in the first half,” Testaverde said. “We've played with everybody in the second half. If you took away the first half, we would win a lot of ballgames. In most of the games we lose, we just spot them too many points.”