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Next 3 Games Should Reveal Whether Bucs Are For Real

Tribune photo JAY CONNER

Receiver Antonio Bryant is playing at a Pro Bowl level, but he isn't getting much help.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2008

TAMPA - You can quibble with how they got here, but there's one thing I think we all basically agree on.

The next three weeks will go a long way to determining the Bucs' season.

Starting Sunday, the Bucs have three consecutive games against division opponents. They'll play the Saints at home, and then it's on to Carolina and Atlanta in a six-day stretch of two huge road games.

They can become a contender to turn the Super Bowl into a home game, or they could be outside looking in, depending how those three games go.

Win two of the three, and they look solid for the playoffs.

Win all three – admittedly a huge hill – and the No. 2 spot behind the New York Giants in the NFC could be theirs.

Fail to do either of the above, though … well, you know.

I do believe the Bucs are a "soft" 8-3. The combined record of the last four teams they have beaten – Seattle, Kansas City, Minnesota, and Detroit – is 9-35. Throw out the Vikings, and the record of the other three combines to 3-30.

If you're suspicious of how good these Bucs really are, you have company. We know they lost Earnest Graham for the season. Warrick Dunn's rushing total looked good Sunday, but 40 of his 90 yards came on one play. Cadillac Williams was predictably rusty but did get 16 carries – mostly in the latter part of the game – and proved he can take a hit.

Receiver Antonio Bryant is playing at a Pro Bowl level but isn't getting much help. Joey Galloway has one catch in the last three weeks.

Erratic? Absolutely.

There is a definite pluckiness to this team though. If the Bucs are up to it over the next three weeks, that pluckiness could translate to something more substantial.

The Bucs may drive you crazy by falling behind as they did Sunday, trailing the winless Lions by 17 before turning it into a 38-20 rout. The fact is, though, they did turn it into a rout.

They did this with only 255 yards of total offense, but that was possible because Clifton Smith ran a punt back 70 yards for a score and Ronde Barber returned an interception 65 yards for six more points.

Smith also fumbled a kickoff (the Bucs recovered). Jeff Garcia fumbled when colliding with Cadillac Williams, resulting in a Lions' touchdown.

See what I mean about driving you crazy?

But they have beaten Atlanta and Carolina, their two closest rivals in the NFC South, and they are 5-0 at home. They'll play their last two games of the regular season at home against San Diego and Oakland – two games you figure the Bucs should win.

That brings us back to the next three games.

This is the time of year when the good teams take over.

They win on the road. They beat division opponents.

The Bucs are capable of doing those things.

The NFC is basically waiting for a challenger to the Giants to emerge, and it could be the Bucs. Check back in three weeks, and we'll know for sure.

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