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Bucs: 5 Things To Watch

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2008

Nick At Night
Rookie Aqib Talib has pretty much sewn up the third, or nickel, cornerback spot. He would have to either get hurt or mess up badly in tonight's exhibition finale to lose the job. That said, Talib still faces some strong competition. Elbert Mack has had a tremendous training camp and preseason, and the Bucs could still believe strongly in Eugene Wilson. Wilson has an experience edge over Talib, but Talib appears to have an athletic edge over his rivals. Talib has been solid on special teams, as well as in regular defensive situations. He should get a lot of work tonight, so if he fares well he can finally lay claim to a job that will put him on the field for nearly half the defensive plays.

Quarterback Carousel
It's hard to imagine Jeff Garcia getting a lot of work tonight. He may, in fact, get no work at all against the Texans. After watching him play so poorly last Saturday, though, you get the feeling the Bucs feel a need to get Garcia back out there, even if it's just for a series. If that's the case, don't miss that series. Garcia looked like he was a long way from being ready in his preseason debut, so if he looks a little sharper tonight, it will be a sign he's going to be OK come the season opener. If he looks shaky again, it could spark a mild controversy over who will start the opener. It's hard to imagine Garcia not getting the nod against New Orleans, but it's not like the Bucs have shown a lot of faith in him this offseason. If Garcia plays and struggles again, watch Brian Griese and Luke McCown closely. The better of that duo could get regular-season playing time sooner than anyone expected.

Line Dance
Jeremy Zuttah didn't have a bad debut as the Bucs' starting right guard. He didn't have a real good one, either. He simply held his own against the Jaguars, which is fine. What's not fine is the fact that the Bucs got a similar effort from most everyone else on the line. After two dominating outings, the play of the line slipped a little against Jacksonville. It might have just been an off night. It also might have been a sign the Bucs really miss Davin Joseph, the guard Zuttah replaced. The bad news is that Joseph isn't coming back real soon because of a broken foot, so the Bucs are going to have to make do without him for a while. If they continue the way they played against Jacksonville, the Bucs are in for a rough road. So, keep an eye on the line tonight. If that unit can get back to playing the way it did against Miami and New England, it will be a sign everything is all right up front, after all.

Maurice And The Zodiacs
We still don't have a clear-cut winner in the battle for the starting flanker job. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The competition there has brought out some of the best in players, such as Maurice Stovall, right, and Antonio Bryant, and Michael Clayton has had a lot of moments where he has looked like Michael Clayton, circa 2004. None of these guys can afford to slip up, because they might be the wideouts the Bucs depend on the most this year. Keep an eye on all of them tonight. What you want to see from Stovall is a continuation of the solid play he has provided so far. What you want to see from Bryant — if his sore knee allows him to play — is the explosiveness he showed against New England two weeks ago. What you want to see from Clayton is consistency. He has had two bad drops in the first three preseason games. If he can eliminate those, he will get plenty of playing time in the regular season, and he probably will make plenty of plays, too.

The New Mr. August
It's only preseason, but that midseason trade last year for Michael Bennett is really starting to look good. He is averaging nearly 5 yards per carry and shares the team lead in receptions with seven. Granted, a lot of that has come against second-unit defenses, but Bennett has a home-run quality about him that makes him different than all the other healthy Bucs backs. You get the feeling that if he turns in one more game like the three he has had already, he's going to get a lot of playing time once the regular season rolls around. Bennett still ranks behind Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn on the depth chart, but he is putting together the kind of preseason that shouldn't be discounted or ignored.

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