Oh Cadillac, Thank God Your Coming Back Two weeks ago we won a shoot-out based on our passing game, the outcome of which many Bucs fans could barely believe, and yet this week we win another score-fest though this time courtesy of our running game – what next I wonder, a kick-off return TD to clinch it against Da Bears? This season now has seven ticks in our win column and has taken at least the same number of years off my life, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun than 2003 and 2004 that’s for sure. If you looked at the stat sheet from last week there appears no way in the world how we could possibly have won that game, but so it came to be. They don’t measure intangibles on a stat sheet so the temporary injury to Mike Vick and subsequent sack on Schaub will disappear over time, along with Chris Simms escaping a near sack and completing the Cadillac for the first down on our drive for the tie at 27, late in the 4th quarter. On such small margins do games turn. A few things I think 1. I think the Czar of the End Zone was at it again last week as his resurgence continued. More of the same please Mike, especially as you’ve just been added to The Clap’s roster. 2. I think Steve Young should either stick to X’s and O’s or keep his trap shut if he can’t make a more sensible observation than to comment on a persons upbringing. That’s way too personal Steve and I’m not surprised Phil Simms jumped to his family’s defense on this issue – as a father I’d have done the very same thing. 3. Where the bloody hell was Joey Galloway last Sunday? 0 catches – are you having a laugh Mr Hackett. As his FFL owner I demand this to be rectified immediately. 4. I think we need one or both of messrs Jackson and Allen back at the safety spots in the worst possible way. To say we look vulnerable back there on Sunday, would be as obvious an observation as pointing out Wayne Rooney is a bit of a granny magnet. 5. I think I wonder where Edell Shepherd disappears to for the other 51 weeks of the year. 6. I’ve said it before, I will say it again – if God appeared on Stars in their eye’s he’d come on and announce “Tonight Cat, I’m going to be Derrick Brooks” 7. I think I’m amazed it’s week 12 already this season. Is it me or do the season’s go by so much faster if your winning, than if your stinking it up the joint like we did in 2004? 8. I think as enjoyable offensive shoot-out wins are, we need a decent defensive performance at The Ray Jay this Sunday. Lets hope Gene and Scott calls us home to a more Bucs-ball type victory……a 13-3 scoreline should do it as things are starting to get a little strange around here! Once the game had been tied, 99% of America probably expected Vick to lead the Falcons down the field for the tie when all of a sudden Derrick Brooks donned his cape one more time, and created a chance for victory that Matt Bryant gratefully snaffled (I like that word) from long distance. I think Matt Bryant is one of my favourite Bucaneer players simply because he isn’t FUAT, and helps to fade his memory still further away with every made Field Goal. The key point of this affair for me was Cadillac’s return as a premier threat out of the backfield; buoyed by his early 30 yard scamper he looked a different player to the one who trotted out these past three weeks. If we can run the ball like that we can compete with anybody in the NFC, and so establishing a base for Cadillac to do his thing must be the primary goal for our youthful offensive line. They’ve taken some stick in recent weeks, so kudos to them for the platform they have created for the skill players to perform against The Skins and The Falcons. The major area of concern is our defense’s inability to get a stop on third down. We have constantly had both the Skins and Falcons in third down and five yards plus situations, but have still allowed a ridiculous conversion rate, especially in the second half. The two major reasons I can cite for this is the lack of experience at the two safety spots with both Will Allen and Dexter Jackson both going down at the same time, and the collective ages of some of our key players finally catching up with them as the game goes into the later stages. This again highlights where Cadillac and the running game can be so important, not only in chewing up the yards, but also giving the D a break and keeping them off the field for longer than they have been this month. This week we face up to the resurgent Bears, who very much like our Bucs find themselves surprisingly at 7-3 and right in the thick of things. If this game were in the wind and cold of Soldier Field I wouldn’t hold out much hope but thankfully it’s not. Winning your home games and holding your serve is an essential if we are to make the play-offs (I pinched myself when I just said that) this year – we have three of them left so victories here would likely be enough. It’s a reachable goal and The Bears, despite their undoubted strengths, are a beatable team. If we can establish the run and not turn the ball over then we can be successful – I think we will to the tune of 20-16 this week. The Bears represent a real test but one I think we are very much up to passing, though quite how we might put up the 20 points I’ve predicted is anybody’s guess at present. Nod of Acknowledgement to The Chicago Bears themselves for exposing the Twits for what they are last week, garbage. Thanks guys, I hope you left your best effort on the field last Sunday. Get in the Real World prize p***k Greg Gall. He’s the brainbox who ran onto the field and took the ball out of Brett Favre’s hands in Cincinnati a few weeks back. Amazingly he escaped a prison term, but the real shock is his age – his actions were those of a drunken adolescent, not a 31 year old bloke who should know a hell of a lot better. Quite why an example was not made of this tosser I just don’t know. Community Service? Words fail me.