Though Jason Snelling and the Falcons gashed the Bucs defense in the first half, Cody Grimm and the Bucs did a solid job defensively in the second half.

On the Bucs radio network after the game, Bucs defensive end Stylez White came “this close” to calling out his fellow defensive teammates for the Bucs loss today.

In Joe’s eyes, the defense kept the Bucs in the game. Yup, that’s right. Keep reading.

Stylez admitted the Bucs were “this close” to a win but believed the Bucs defense could have done more.

“We had the chance. We have to get off the field ealier and give our offense a chance with better field position. We need to get off our blocks. When we got off our blocks, we made tackles. That’s what we were doing in the second half,” White said.

“Next time, maybe we make it a little easier on ourselves.”

Let’s look at that defense. Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw two ugly interceptions, both giving Atlanta short fields, and still Atlanta could only muster 10 points the entire second half.

In Joe’s eyes, that’s strong defensive play.

Yes, the defense was its typical smelly first-half self. But the defense played pretty damned strong in the second half. In the NFL if you give up two turnovers in the enemy’s territory in one half and still only get dinged 10 points, that’s not too shabby.

No, the loss can’t be pinned on the defense today.

So the Bucs are parked at 5-3 in third place in the best division in the NFC.

Today’s game no doubt cranked out big TV ratings locally, as does every Bucs game. But this one surely logged a huge number with the hype of the Bucs and Falcons entering the game at 5-2. Now legions of local football fans and casual Bucs fans should be jumping on board the Bucs bandwagon.

Surely not all those fringe fans will. But there should be some significant numbers.

Yes, the Bucs have a ways to go, but they have explosive weapons. They’re an above average team on the rise. The national media is on board. And Tampa Bay is going to be a huge favorite to clobber struggling Carolina at home on Sunday.

Looking at the Bucs’ schedule, there could very well be another five wins on their schedule.

Oakland and Detroit, two cities facing hard economic times that rival those in Tampa (worse in Detroit, a little better in Oakland), managed sellouts today. Fans there rallied behind their improved teams. There will be something wrong around these parts if the Bucs can’t manage 15,000 unsold seats on Sunday against Carolina, versus the nearly 25,000 for the last home game.

Josh Freeman should have plunged up the middle on the critical fourth-and-inches call the Bucs failed to convert late.

OK, it’s fourth down. Inches to go on the Dixie Chicks-2. Late in the game. A first down sets up first-and-goal inside the one. A good push and the Bucs tie the game up and maybe take the lead, pending the extra point.

There are all sorts of plays to call there. Part of the reason Arrelious Benn was drafted was his physical ability to fight defenders in the end zone. Mike Williams has already made great catches in traffic in short distances. Kellen Winslow has done the same thing.

The Bucs have a huge quarterback who is the size of an offensive lineman. Already earlier in the game he was used on just such a play.

Of all things that could have been called. A draw play, a pass play, a quarterback draw, a roll out… Greg Olson calls, no, wait… a ca… ca… ca…. counter.

A counter???

With all the weapons to use, with all the plays to call, a counter is called? Really? Joe can understand Blount up the middle, but a counter?

Run your quarterback up Jeremy Zuttah’s arse! Freeman’s a monster, let him go for it.

Yeah, Joe understands this is nitpicking. But Joe heard all about Williams and Benn since the day they were drafted in large part because of their ability to battle defenders in the end zone in the red zone. Joe has seen Winslow pull off these plays. Joe has watched Freeman pick up short yards when needed.

Use them!

And Olson calls a counter play???

Despite the big-yardage, power-running by LeGarrette Blount, Joe expects to see plenty more of Cadillac Williams.

Josh Freeman was nailed in the back and sent face down to the turf sacked eight plays into the Bucs’ first possession of today’s painful 27-21 loss in Atlanta.

LeGarrette Blount was in the backfield seemingly oblivous to the blitzer.

As the Bucs continue to open up the offense, Joe expects to see plenty more of Cadillac. The Bucs are going to be more concerned through the season about keeping Freeman healthy, no matter how much Blount’s presence might enhance the offense. 

As Joe wrote this morning, Cadillac is going to get every chance to be the man.

No surprise that Cadillac got his early shot to get off on the ground in Atlanta, but he gained just three yards on three carries on the first series. Later, he did get a big seven yards for a first down in the fourth quarter and the the Bucs fed him the ball.

Caddy finished with eight carries for 13 yards.

Half a season done, and Cadillac has become a blocking icon. (At least he’s a lot more lovable than the last one on the Bucs’ roster). FOX color analyst Brian Billick couldn’t stop raving about Caddy’s blitz-pickup ability.

Joe knows the Bucs will keep Blount’s crash course on the offense going. But it’s probably next year until they’ll get the most out of him.

Joe wants to issue a hearty welcome back to the Bucs’ kick return team.

Run Micheal, Run!!!

Maurice Stovall screwed up and bobbled a late third quarter kickoff in front of Micheal Spurlock, who picked it up and broke five tackles en route to the house. It was an 89-yard TD and the second of his career. Nothing gets Joe off the couch like a big return.

“I think the kicker mis-hit it and somehow it got back to me. Had a chance to change the game,” Spurlock said on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game. ” I think I had a chance earlier to take it to the house.  I was not going to run out of bounds. We practice that play. No way I was going to step out of bounds.”

Earlier in today’s game, Spurlock fired one back 66 yards to set up the Bucs’ first TD.

Makes Joe wonder why Preston Parker was given a shot at a return in between those great plays. Yeah, Joe gets that they don’t want to burn out Spurlock so he can be 100 percent in the offense, but the Bucs can’t afford to be sitting down Spurlock in a game like this.

Spurlock responded late with a big 43-yard, over-the-shoulder catch on third down at the Bucs’ 1 yard line.

Joe hopes this was a true breakout game for the Bucs’ special teams. The unit had a massive impact for the Bucs in their crappy season last year. It finally happened again.

Joe has to give it up to the young Bucs for proving they can truly compete on the road against a very good team.

That said, what a painful loss for Joe. A late fourth-quarter lead was right there for the freakin’ taking. Perhaps just a big ol’ Josh Freeman quarterback sneak away.

The Bucs figured out how to slow down the Falcons for much of the second half, and Freeman proved he is a big time performer under pressure in the fourth quarter yet again. Joe’s a bit bummed out the Bucs took the ball out of his hands on fourth-and-inches.

It is what it is. You can argue the call all night long.

Defensively, the Bucs still have poor numbers, but at least it looked a little better today against the run.

Stats are for losers, though, and the Bucs are now 5-3.

Week 9
Bucs at Falcons
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13 locally. DirecTV Channel 709.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 158.
Weather: The game will be played in a soulless dome. For those tailgating in downtown Atlanta, per Accuweather.com, it’s going to be a bit chilly with temperatures in the lower 50s, rising only slightly higher by the end of the game.
Odds: Per Bodog.com, Falcons -8.5.
Outlook: Could the season turn on this game? Well, that’s a bit much even for Joe. But if the Bucs are actually contenders for the NFC South and not pretenders, at least a good showing today if not a win is a necessity. Bucs fans are becoming impatient because pundits keep asking, ‘Who the Bucs have beaten?”‘ The pelts on the Falcons walls aren’t much better with the exception of a win over the Saints. You remember the Saints, right? Super Bowl champions who seal-clubbed the Bucs at home in October? Joe just isn’t comfortable with the Bucs defense. If it’s not getting gashed by the run, it’s giving up 305 yards to the likes of Max Hall and Derek Anderson. That’s why Joe’s of the opinion to win this game the Bucs must win a shootout. The Bucs proved last week they can be effective when they open up the offense. Now that LeGarrette Blount is loose, this really loosens up the offense. Let ‘er rip.
Video: The NFL Films crew previews the Bucs-Falcons game. … LeGarrette Blount does an interview for NFL Network. … Is Matt Ryan unbeatable? … The St. Petersburg Times previews today’s game.
Inactives: Per Evan Silva of ProFootballTalk.com, the Bucs’ inactives are Sammie Stroughter, Earnest Graham, Jeremy Trueblood, Jeff Faine, Ryan Sims, Myron Lewis and Alex Magee.

Bob Holtzman reports that Raheem Morris’ “Best in the NFC” comment recently has the Dixie Chicks unnerved in this BSPN pregame report from the Georgia Dome.

Joe is late to the table with this so he apologizes upfront. Joe has other duties as well outside this site and sometimes things get piled up.

After the Bucs beat the Rams, Joe had a chance to talk to Bucs offensive guard Davin Joseph. Joe thought this was really interesting perspective on how Joseph is something of a perfectionist; striving to be his best.

JoeBucsFan: Nice comeback.

Davin Joseph: It was one of those games we really struggled in the fist half with a bunch of penalties but when it counted, we found a way to win. It wasn’t pretty. [Laughs]. It’s a W. It makes us feel a little bit better. We have a lot of areas to improve in. We need the veterans to step up — me included — to help the young guys. And we will do a better job this week to get better for the next game.

[Joe’s editorial note: And look what that offense did against Arizona.]

Joe: Is this a sign of a good, team that, as you said, didn’t play well at all in the first half but you found a way to win and found a way to get the job done when you needed to?

Joseph: Yeah, you could comprise it like that. We messed up in areas where we shouldn’t have messed up. Procedure penalties and holding. Those are things where we are hurting ourselves, much more than scheme. But we found a way to win and that’s a positive. But there are areas where we messed up that we shouldn’t have faltered.

Joe: Is that partly because you have so many new people playing and guys playing other positions on the line?

Joseph: Nah, we have the same expectations. We have the same standards. We can try to make excuses but that’s not going to get us anywhere. That’s not going to get us where we are trying to go.

Joe’s quite certain the Bucs are going to try and get Cadillac Williams going today — again. 

The offensive line loves the guy. The coaches love the guy. And there’s still a lot of that Caddy’s-on-the-verge-of-breaking-out around One Buc Palace.  You hear it nearly every time an offensive lineman decides to chat.

Joe expects Cadillac again to be the guy on the Bucs’ opening series or two. And if he does well, who knows?

Tom Balog, beat writer for the Sarasota Herald Tribune penned a column today stating he’s quite certain that LeGarrette Blount will be the main man and Cadillac is a starter in name only.

Blount will be the one getting the call for the hard yards, with Williams getting a sprinkling of carries now and again.  There’s no way that offensive coordinator Greg Olson is not giving most of the carries to Blount. … … 

Somebody else might lose the game today for the Buccaneers. But Olson is going make sure it’s not him, by feeding carries to his best back, which is Blount.

Joe’s all in favor of giving the rock to Blount. He’s changed the offense. Let the kid loose.

But Joe’s not going to be one bit surprised if Cadillac gets half the carries and a majority of the work on third down.

The lovely Tiffany Simons seems to be enamoured with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman in this NBCSports.com video. Joe is enamoured with the lovely Tiffany Simons.

Yeah, sure, Joe knows the Bucs got run over by the Steelers like a scared German infantry division in from George Patton’s tanks, and then played the part of Georgia in a reenactment of Billy Sherman’s march to the sea against the Saints.

But those horrible memories of being pistol-whipped at home can vanish with a win in Atlanta Sunday.

eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune can just feel it. He believes if the Bucs pull off a win in the Georgia Dome, the Bucs will be the toast of the NFL, as he Twittered on the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.

If the Bucs upset the Falcons at the Georgia Dome, their cloak of anonymity will be gone and the national media will be jumping aboard.

So for all those Bucs fans that feel empty because that drip Chris Berman can’t yell stupid, scripted nicknames in his decades old and tired schtick, and those sad because Stuart Scott can’t babble even more unintelligible gibberish about the Bucs and Trey Wingo can’t launch more slurs at the Bucs head coach, your wishes can come true with a Bucs win Sunday.

You’ve all read THE PESSIMIST, who spews his Bucs-related anger like no other. But Joe also wants you to know THE OPTIMIST. 

THE OPTIMIST is Nick Houllis, a Bucs fan and an accomplished writer whose steadfast allegiance to the team goes back to the 1970s. Houllis is the founder, creator and guru of BucStop.com, a place Joe goes to get lost in time via Houllis’ stunning video collection.

THE OPTIMIST will shine that positive light in your eyes. Some will love it. Some won’t.

The Bucs coach though he was getting a bad rap from the local press. The local press liked the coach, but was wondering when he was going to get the Bucs to actually win. In his third season, Sam Wyche had the team with the Orange pants at 2-9.

The Buzzards were circling not only the Coach, but also the team, the stadium, everything. The Culverhouse trust demanded the team be sold to the highest bidder, no matter if keeping the team in Tampa was its priority or not!

Buzzards weren’t the only things twirling in the air…fingers of fans were doing the same; an obvious mock of Coach Wyche’s formation call — a finger in the air with a twirling motion.

At the Minnesota game, Tampa Stadium patrons sick of their team’s performance while losing to the Vikings 36-13 (a week after losing to San Francisco 41-16, which was a week after a 34-13 loss to Atlanta) started to throw stuff at the coach. I don’t mean cups, either. A pair of binoculars just missed Wyche’s head.

Suddenly, the Bucs got it. They closed out the 1994 season with four straight wins before losing to the Packers in the season finale. The Bucs used their high draft picks to take Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. They won their 1995 opener at Philadelphia 21-6 over the Eagles, which had new boy genius offensive coordinator Jon Gruden. They Beat the Skins by a point. Sam was getting confident. They beat his old team by a FG, and he got louder. They beat the Vikings at home, a year after the near miss by the binos!

Then Sam decided to tell everyone the heck off.

“We are Five dash Two. “

In a few weeks, the press pointed out to Sam they were 5 dash 5. They finished 7 dash 9.

Fast Forward 15 years, and the Bucs are once again 5-2. But is there a dash?

Some would say we are just like that ’95 team, that the wins are just as close, that it’s just smoke and mirrors.

Still, there is something different about this Buccaneers team that makes you think a 5 dash 2 is not something that is going to happen this year. The head coach is not a retread living off the laurels of a SuperBowl apperance. That difference is Raheem Morris is a second year coach who learned under the tutelage of Monte Kiffin and Mike Tomlin as well as Jon Gruden.

To be honest though, the stats (which are for losers as were told) show 2010’s record is actually closer than the ’95 team’s wins. That team went 5-2 by beating teams with an eventual 39-41 record. Our Bucs? The five teams we’ve beaten are a combined 12-24! That’s a .333 winning percentage compared to a .487 mark for Sam I am.

The victories are a lot closer today than they were back then, too! That’s even more disturbing.

Still, that team had veterans spread out all over the place. Lonnie Marts and Hardy Nickerson were the linebackers joined by rookie Derrick Brooks. The secondary had Martin Mayhew and Charles Dimry and there were WRs Alvin Harper and Horrace Copeland, all had been in the league for years. 

Our Bucs have two rookie WRs and a second-year wideout. We have a rookie running back, rookie linemen on both sides of the ball, third-year linebackers and youth in the secondary.

This 2010 Bucs team may be beating the weak teams they are supposed to, but they are also telling us that they probably are going to keep beating the teams they are supposed to, and continue to grow as a team.

So just remember when your telling your friends what the Bucs record is today.

Its 5 AND 2, Thank You.

With a dash of first place.

You like it. Joe likes it. It’s called “smashmouth football.” You know, where an offense physically beats up a defense and, as Ray Lewis is known for saying, ‘taking your will.’ This is what Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net believes the Bucs will do to the Falcons.

Now Joe is sure all his readers fly to Vegas to wager legally, versus placing bets with the guy whose cell number changes every week. 

Regardless of how or why you wager, Joe knows there are many aspiring handicappers reading. So to please the gambling crowd, Joe has turned to superpicker Bob Fox. A writer for various sports publications over the years, Fox flashed his stellar picking skills back in 2008 on JoeBucsFan.com, when Joe had a contest here among sports media members.

Fox will be here to give you a few games every week. On the season, Fox is an impressive 20-12.

By BOB FOX
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

TCU Horned Frogs 35, Utah Utes 31
 
This game is definitely the game of the week in college football, as the No.4 TCU Horned Frogs will be face the No. 6 Utah Utes in Salt Lake City in a Mountain West Conference battle (only the game of the week because they’re ranked so high).  A loss will drop the loser out of the BCS top 10 for sure. Here is what we know:TCU thrashed Utah in Fort Worth last year 55-28.  Both teams can score a bunch, but TCU has more weapons, in my opinion. The Horned Frogs love to run the rock, as evidenced by RB Ed Wesley, who has  938 yards rushing and 10 TDs. TCU can also pass though, as QB Andy Dalton has 16 TD passes., as he has led the Frogs to a 40.8 points per game average. The Utes are led by their QB combination of Jordan Wynn (13 TD passes, 6 INTs) and Terrance Cain (6 TD passes, O INT). Utah also averages 45.3 points a game. I see a much closer game than last year, but I still see the Horned Frogs being on top again.  
 
Atlanta Falcons 27, Tampa Bay Bucs 20
 
Before I begin my observations about this game, I want to let it be known that I am 0-4 picking Bucs games this year. I have predicted two wins and two losses, and I was wrong in every case. I also want to say that the NFC South is the best division in the NFC, as all teams are good, except for the woeful Carolina Panthers, who the Bucs should clobber again next week. That being said, I just don’t like the matchups in this game for the Bucs.  Yes, I know the Bucs lead the NFL in interceptions, and have won at least two games because of their secondary, but the Bucs are also 30th in the NFL in rushing defense. The Falcons run the rock real well, behind Michael Turner and company. The Dirty Birds are No. 5 in the NFL in rushing as a matter of fact, and are 6th overall in total offense behind QB Matt Ryan. I just don’t see Ryan making the mistakes that Max Hall, Derek Anderson, Carson Palmer and Jake Delhomme have made vs. the Bucs. I do see QB Josh Freeman continuing his climb as one of the best young QBs in the NFL, but he has to be careful, as the Falcons are fourth in the NFL in picks. The Bucs are a team on the rise and play very well on the road (undefeated), but the Falcons are also undefeated at home, and I see Atlanta getting the victory Sunday.
 
Baltimore Ravens 24, Miami Dolphins 20
 
There will be some pad popping and helmet smashing in this game. I think there could also be some money collected as well after the game in the suddenly fine-happy NFL. When did Gary Bettman become commissioner of the NFL?  Anyway, the Dolphins come into this game having never lost on the road so far in 2010. However, the Ravens are also undefeated at home, similar to the quandary in the Bucs-Falcons game. The Ravens lead the AFC Central along with Pittsburgh, and once again defense is part of the reason why. The Ravens are 10th in the NFL in defense right now, and have improved on offense as well, as QB Joe Flacco has some nice weapons at WR, plus RB Ray Rice behind him. The Fins are ranked 13th in offense, as QB Chad Henne has a solid run game and stretches the field with WRs Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess. Miami is also ranked 8th in total defense led by OLB Cameron Wake. The game will be physical, but ILB Ray Lewis and company will get the last laugh. 
 
Oakland Raiders 30, Kansas City Chiefs 20
 
It’s hard to believe that I have ranked this game as one of the best in the NFL this week. Believe it or not, the Chiefs lead the AFC West with a 5-2 record, while the Raiders (or Raidas if you are Al Davis) are 4-4 and have been blowing up their competition as of late. This game almost has an early 1970’s feel, with Len Dawson squaring off against Daryle Lamonica. The Chiefs lead the NFL in rushing behind RBs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. The Chiefs are less than awesome however in the passing game, as they are ranked 31st behind QB Matt Cassel. The 14th ranked Kansas City defense better come ready to play against the eighth-ranked offense of the Raiders, led by RB Darrell McFadden.  Oakland is also the 9th ranked defense in the NFL, but they may have some issues with the Chiefs run game, as the Raiders are only ranked 25th vs. the run.  It also looks like the Raiders could be without CB Nnamdi Asomugha. Still, the Raiders have outscored their opponents the last two weeks by a 92-17 margin, so I see the Raiders making Al happy once again.

Yesterday, Joe gave you Jeff Faine’s take on the demotion of Jeremy Zuttah and the release of Keydrick Vincent. Interesting stuff, for sure.

But Faine had much more to say on The Jeff Faine Show yesterday evening on 1010 AM.

On his health: Faine said it “looks like next week” for his return. “We’re going to hold off one more week. …It’s going along real well. We hit the sleds this week. Ran on the treadmill [Friday]. …Coming back this week would have been three weeks early.

On media predictions: “Peter King is a fantastic journalist. At the end of the day you can’t take stuff personal. Personalities make predictions. It’s like shopping a business plan to someone and they don’t buy, you don’t take it personal.”

On Raheem calling the Bucs the “best in the NFC:”  Faine said he learned of the bold comment via text from a former teammate. He didn’t say the guy played for the Saints, but that was the strong implication.  It was clear Faine is certain the comment ruffled players around the NFL. 

“I think it’s a great play for us to believe we can be in the conversation, believe we can be the best in the NFC. Really, a lot of guys on this team don’t know any better. …For him to put himself out there is very courageous, and guys are buying in. It’s definitely helped the orgainization. Put a spotlight on it.

On the heels of blackouts, him saying that re-energized the team. Especially some of these younger guys that might be hitting their rookie walls.

On what evidence there is of a “rookie wall”: “I was talking to Mike Williams in the training room [Friday]. He was saying, ‘Man, we’ve got nine games left.’ Like it’s an eternity (laughing). Versus me saying we only got nine games left.

Trey Wingo, taking a break from hurling insults, joins Mark Schlereth and Herm Edwards to break down the Bucs-Falcons game in this BSPN video.

Bucs beat writer Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune appeared on the Fabulous Sports Babe Show yesterday, heard locally on WHBO-AM 1040.  Richardson was adamant Bucs coach Raheem Morris is his choice for NFL Coach of the Year. He discussed many other subjects as well. including Aqib Talib “boycotting” the media and the Bucs not ready yet for “varsity” football.

Fabulous Sports Babe: The Bucs are so banged up at defensive line it appears Alex Magee will play.

Anwar Richardson: Yeah, it’s looking like he will play with Ryan Sims being banged up and Brian Price being banged up and out for the year. They are running out of people, running out of players on the defensive front. They have Roy Miller and they want to rotate three defensive tackles. It has been evident this season that maybe you sign someone of the street. But a week or two later, you may be off the street but you will play. LeGarratte Blount was pulled off the street and now he is playing. You should expect to see Magee more because of injuries.

You don’t hear a lot about the guys on the line, but they are still one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run and getting to the passer to get sacks. They are tied for 30th in the league for sacks. What can you say? Young guys still learning and guys like Kyle Moore and Stylez White not showing enough to get excited about. They are playing impact positions but not getting impact play. The Bucs have been able to get away with it for in the long term, they know better. That’s why they tried to get Shawne Merriman. They need a pass rush. They are playing well below expectations.

Babe: Is Brian Price going to need surgery?

Richardson: I definitely think there is something to the [rumors]. When I asked Raheem about it, he felt he would need surgery. The Bucs have been kind of cryptic, it’s a mysterious injury. No one knows how it occurred, didn’t know how serious it was. Though they had said it was week to week, now he’s on injured reserve. I think they know definitely it is something serious but they don’t want to come out and say it.

It seems like he will require surgery. He’s a dancer, and maybe he was talking about his dancing skills and maybe he was trying out with Dancing With The Stars and bumped into Sapp or something?

Babe: Is Blount the guy who can run the ball or is he just a guy that we all saw punch someone on TV?

Richardson: The thing I will say is, he has not shied away from that question and I’ve talked to him a lot. I give him credit. At no point — when you hit someone with a sensitive question and they don’t want to talk about it… Aqib Talib has boycotted the media, which is a violation of his contract, because he was outed for being in the stadium when he was suspended. Blount did something that was very recent and kind of a heinous act and he will still talk about it. I have to give him credit. But it comes down to, do you care about what he will do [off the field] or do you care about what he will do on a Sunday? Most NFL teams, that’s all they care about is what he can do on a Sunday, just as long as the player keeps his nose clean enough to play on Sundays.

Blount has been productive and he will get the majority of touches but the Bucs won’t let him start before Caddy because of the emotional attachment with Caddy. If Blount is productive and consistent, he will be the running back of the future.

Babe: With Caddy, they need to stop it, the emotional ties. He can’t run more than two yards a carry. Let them give it to Blount.

Richardson: They are beginning to realize that. Maybe Caddy can do something here or there. Last week when you saw them give it to Blount in the second half, they realized they had to give him the ball and get the ball into his hands. Caddy has been great. So far as a good guy coming back after two knee surgeries, he’s been great in that respect. No one ever calls [the Tampa Tribune] and says, “Hey, I saw Caddy in the mall and he was a prick to us.”

The NFL is all about production and Caddy is not getting it done and LeGarratte is. Are you going to be emotionally tied to someone and not get production or are you going to give it to someone and win games? That’s what the NFL is all about.

Babe: Are the Bucs ready to stop Matt Ryan?

Richardson: I’ve been saying this all week: They are stepping up to play the varsity. When they play the JV teams, they can beat them. When they have played against the varsity, you saw what happened. They played two varsity teams and lost by a combined 69-19. With Atlanta, we expect a playoff caliber type team. Yes, this is a measuring stick. Can they compete? I don’t say they have to win but they need to show improvement and how they can be competitive.

The Steelers game was out of control in the first quarter. The New Orleans game was worse, it was out of control before you could blink. If its 17-0 after the first quarter and 24-0 at the half, that shows they are just not ready to compete at that level. It shows Raheem’s “best team in the NFC” is just talk in the locker room. I want to see progress.

Babe: Are they putting too much pressure on Josh Freeman with all of this “best in the NFC” talk?

Richardson: With Rah, it’s always been an “us vs. them” mentality. Last year he was telling his players, “all we have is each other.” Now it is permeating. They are getting swag and confident. It’s not the first time Raheem has said something like this. In training camp he said it’s a race to 10. Now they are 5-2. If they keep progressing and get better, it may come true. Maybe not this year. No matter what Raheem said or what you say about him, I challenge anyone to say someone else is doing a better job than Raheem Morris.

Look at this roster. Look at this roster position by position. Who is a top five player? Is Kellen Winslow top five? I don’t know. Is Talib top five? I don’t think so. Max Hall? Look at what he did. No matter what anyone says about Raheem, he is doing a great job as a coach. You can say he is over his head but he is 5-2. You think Brad Childress isn’t over his head? Wade Phillips? Look at the talent level. They got Blount off the street. I mean you have Ted Larsen starting and they are racking up offensive points.

With all the stale free agents, with all the guys they have had to release, Stevens and Keydrick Vincent, Raheem’s doing a great job.

Babe: Is the offensive line getting better?

Richardson: It defies logic. You need continuity on the offensive line and they have not had that. You don’t see Josh Freeman getting slaughtered or guys coming in clean. Give credit to Pete Mangurian and Greg Olson. The offensive lineman say Josh Freeman is not holding onto the ball too long and that he is getting rid of it quicker.

Babe: What do you think about Falcons game this week in Atlanta?

Richardson: I don’t think they are ready for the varsity level. Maybe later in the year but not now.

Put your beers down on this chilly Florida Friday night and put your eyes on the screen to watch Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WDAE-AM 620 give his weekly fantasy football sage advice.