Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.

TAMPA, Fla. – Josh Gordon has barely practiced this summer. And Friday night was his first competitive game since Dec. 21, 2014.

Yet Gordon provided the only highlights for the Browns in an eye-gouging 30-13 exhibition loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It says a lot about Gordon to step on the field after a 20-month layoff and make receptions of 44 yards (on a double move) and 43 yards for a touchdown (swatting cornerback Brent Grimes at the goal line) on his only two targets.

It may say more about the 89 other Browns who have been working all along that they didn’t show up.

And Gordon’s the one the Browns are willing to trade? They better rethink that.

The Browns concluded what had been a good week of practice with a lousy performance in their real season dress rehearsal. They left steamy, bug-infested Florida dehydrated with the realization that much, much work has to be done before the Sept. 11 season opener in Philadelphia.

“I think we all understand playing the game is what’s important,” Jackson said. “The practice part of it was that. The game is still about winning and losing in the game. We’ve got to get this better, and we will.

“We have to get better in a hurry. I’m not discouraged. I’m not. We just have to understand how hard it is and how accountable you have to be to each other on every play."

The first-team defense continued to be non-competitive.

In the first half, Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston racked up 259 yards passing and two touchdowns, and 305 total offensive yards in rolling to a 27-10 halftime lead.

One touchdown came on a 73-yard punt return by Adam Humphries on which punter Andy Lee incurred Jackson’s wrath for not attempting to obstruct him over the last 20 yards.

But the biggest surprise of the night was the Browns’ offense, and Robert Griffin III’s inability to exploit the trio of receivers that figure to be the strength of the entire team.

Aside from Gordon’s two catches, Griffin was 6 of 12 for 32 yards. He was sacked five times – four of them coming after Jackson pulled left tackle Joe Thomas after the first quarter.

Griffin has connected with the long ball five times in three preseason games – all losses – but surely he didn’t make decisions quickly enough to distribute the ball properly to Gordon accessories Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor, and tight end Gary Barnidge.

“We can’t just live by the long ball. We’ve got to have other elements of our offense show up,” Jackson said.

Griffin followed the script and took the blame for that that went awry on offense – the sacks, the lack of distribution of the ball to his playmakers.

Four times in his post-game comments, Griffin said, “It starts with me.”

“I just have to make sure when the intermediate throws are there, I make them. When the long balls are there, I make them. When the quick game throws are there, I make them. So, it all starts with me and I’ll make sure that gets cleaned up,” he said.

In his NFL preseason debut, Coleman didn’t record a catch in two official targets. He made one catch that was erased by a Pryor pass interference penalty. He lost a shoe twice while running routes. He accepted two punts for returns of 10 and zero yards.

“He finally played in a game and saw what it was like,” Jackson said. “He’s got to get back to where he was. He needs to play in a game to get a feel for it.”

Cornerback Joe Haden played only the first quarter in his first preseason action. Receiver Andrew Hawkins had one catch for two yards in his first preseason game. Meanwhile, Taylor Gabriel had a good second half with Josh McCown at quarterback and caught six of nine targets for 60 yards.

Jackson would not commit to playing regulars for even a series or two in the preseason finale Thursday in FirstEnergy Stadium against the Chicago Bears. He said he would decide which, if any, regulars play at later date.

“By no means are we going to put our heads in the sand. We’re going to fix this, I promise you,” he said.