And so it continues… For all the talk and criticism directed at the Bucs the last few years, one thing has remained constant – we’ve constantly found it a struggle to beat teams we are on a similar level too, or (aside from last year when it was nigh on impossible to find one… Cleveland) those that are worse than us. Well, this year is different. Sure, we lost to Indy (Who doesn’t?) and Seattle (Opening day in Qwest Field) but we’re undefeated at home, grinding out the wins when necessary (Sunday), and not actually that bad a team; in fact the only ways I see an improvement can be made are for the running game to step it up with the improved play of the O-Line, and more turnovers by the defense. The defense is playing fantastically well, in fact the most disappointing area is the D-Line, who themselves are hardly average. The Safeties this year have really stepped it up – thank you Jon Gruden for the first time picking a player with a (unfair?) questionable personality who turns out to not only be a model citizen, but a pretty special player at that – Tanard Jackson, we salute you! NFL Watch I really really hate New England. They still bore me – they neutralised Randy Moss’ excitement factor, their Head Coach is a jackass, and they just make me hate them. I think they’ve overtaken the ‘Skins as my #1 team to hate, particularly since they’ve not given Maroney (when fit) the ball on a permanent basis. Who the heck is Sammy Morris anyway?! Kevin Everett is walking – fantastic news. The NFL QB situation is messed up. A list of season starting starters, who are not now, through injury or performance: Arizona: Was Matt Leinart, Then Kurt Warner, Now Tim Rattattattay Atlanta: Was Joey Harrington, Now Byron Leftwich Baltimore: Was Steve McNair, Now Kyle Boller Buffalo: Was JP Losman, Now Trent Edwards Carolina: Was Jake Delhomme, Then David Carr, Now 43-Year Old Vinny Testaverde Chicago: Was Interceptasaurus Rex, Now Brian Griese You get the picture. Half of all NFL Teams have made a forced or otherwise switch at QB this season, and thankfully (touch wood) the Bucs aren’t one of them. In the list of replacements, four former Bucs have found starting gigs; Griese, Rattay, Testaverde and Dilfer. That’s frightening. Has anyone else forgotten the 4-2 Giants started 0-2? The AFC East has 8 wins between the 4 teams. New England has 6 of these. Miami are truly from first to worst. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of 16-0, they’re going 0-16 – Nice Job! Speaking of teams with 0-6 records, The Malicious Penguins… Finally, in regards the Bucpower FFL, myself and Lee go at it this weekend, both with run-down rosters (his by choice, mine are just crap) – ladies and gents, make your pick… Cornerbacks have been impressive, especially with Kelly out for the last few weeks – Ronde was mightily unlucky not to pick up at least two INTs this last week. Mr Bromfield – I don’t think you can say that the fact he couldn’t hold on to the ball on these two occasions shows why he’s a Corner and Tiki was a halfback – how many times did Tiki suffer fumblitis? I think it’s in the genes… blame their parents... Philip Buchanon continues to impress – perhaps we have the best CB grouping in the NFL? Barrett Ruud continues to be a machine – I urge everyone who’s reading this from the over the Atlantic to vote for him in Pro Bowl balloting. It might be a joke game, but the recognition itself is real. The Bucs rise to 4-2, matching their wins from last year, and one away from two years ago. My 9-7 prediction is looking potentially accurate now, seeing as it requires our boys to play .500 ball for the remainder of the season, which will continue with a 24-17 win at Ford Field this Sunday. The Titans game saw two teams who in this writer’s opinion were closely matched – however our offense puts them to shame, and our defenses are closely matched, with them having a stronger running D. It came down to a final drive field goal to win; sure, the Titans held the ball longer, but if you can’t capitalise on the time of possession, chances are the other team will. The Titans built their game on long, ball hugging possessions, but rarely got within our 40. This week the Bucs traded away two 2nd day picks for Michael Bennett of Kansas City – the fact that they were willing to do that and bring The Priest back after only a couple of practices in two years potentially speaks volumes – that said, Bennett is fast, he has the acceleration, he has the Pro Bowl season in the book – ladies and gentlemen if he comes close to that form we may have just found a steal to tick us over into the post-season. Richard Lowe, 20 October 2007