3-1 record does not prove Bucs are better

By Chris Cluff  |   Monday, October 01, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back?

A three-game winning streak would seem to say yes, but pardon us if we're a little skeptical because Tampa Bay was shut down by Seattle in the opener, 20-6, and the three teams the Bucs have beaten are a combined 2-9. Neither New Orleans nor St. Louis has won a game, and the Carolina Panthers were without quarterback Jake Delhomme when the Bucs beat them 20-7 on Sunday.

So just how good are the Bucs?

Well, they are certainly much better at quarterback, where Jeff Garcia entered Week 4 as the league's fifth-rated passer (right behind Delhomme). Garcia is the savvy veteran the team has not had since Brad Johnson led the Bucs to a Super Bowl in Jon Gruden's first year as coach. Garcia also provides the kind of mobility the Buccaneers need at the quarterback position, which has been protected about as well as certain Third World presidents over the past few years. Garcia has not thrown for many yards - averaging fewer than 200 through four games - and he has only two touchdown passes. But he also has not thrown an interception, and his elusiveness has enabled the Bucs to control the ball effectively.

The running game has been just good enough, with Carnell Williams scoring three touchdowns in the past two games. But Williams suffered a serious knee injury at Carolina on Sunday and could be lost for the year. If he is, Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham will carry the way. Pittman ran for 90 yards against Carolina, and Graham added 48 yards and a touchdown - his third score in the past two games.

The Bucs also might have lost left tackle Luke Petitgout, but Gruden said the team would persevere.

"To lose, potentially, those two men is not a good thing for us," Gruden told reporters after the game. "But we will show a resolve, as we did today, and we will compete the season with authority. I can assure you that."

The Bucs have won the past three weeks thanks mainly to Garcia's efficient play and a defense that has shut down ailing offenses in New Orleans, St. Louis and Carolina. But even Gruden knows the defense, which has five new starters and several aging vets, will have to do better.

After beating St. Louis 24-3 in Week 3, Gruden told reporters, "Obviously giving up three points is a tremendous feat in pro football, but we're expecting a lot more from them. Nothing's good enough yet on defense, and we're going to hold the standards where they belong here."

With games against Indianapolis (4-0) and Tennessee (2-1) coming up, the Bucs soon will find out if they are good enough to win the NFC South and get back to the postseason, as they did in 2005.

Until they beat better teams than they have so far, we're not ready to say the Bucs are back.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding,...
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