It’s the home opener and the NFC South opener for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and the injuries that swept over the team during the loss to Seattle last weekend have diminished or progressed to varying degrees.
Cadillac Williams’ ribs have been less and less sore with each passing day this week. He is officially listed as questionable but seems optimistic he’ll play. I am willing to bet he really does feel pretty good right now. That’s because no one has attempted to tackle him since Sunday. The more pertinent question is how much soreness will he experience on Sunday when he begins to get hit again.
Brian Kelly is doubtful with a groin injury that will almost certainly keep him out even past this week, and Chris Hovan is questionable.
Meanwhile, the Saints, who were everybody’s pick in the NFC South, looked as bad if not worse than the Bucs in losing 41-10 to the Colts in Indianapolis last Thursday. Having ten days to prepare rather than seven will help them, and the Buccaneer offense is obviously not capable of exploiting the same things that the Colts offense did with New Orleans. Nevertheless, there are questions around this Saints team now that weren’t there before last Thursday. They have to have this game and should play that way.
A Buccaneer loss this weekend puts the team at 0-2 for the second straight season, and don’t think for one second that Jon Gruden will come directly under fire because of that fact if it comes true. This is a game of subtle desperation for this team and this regime.
Sunday. 1:00. RJS. Get ready.
Posted by Bobby Fenton
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