Cadillac Williams finally will get his chance

Coach Raheem Morris' decision to hold Cadillac Williams out of the first two preseason games didn't sit too well with the veteran running back. Williams might find his debut was worth waiting for.

Not only does Morris intend to start Williams in the Bucs' preseason home opener Thursday, but plans are for the Bucs' offense to be introduced during the pregame ceremony and for Williams to be the last player out of the tunnel.

"Cadillac's coming out of the tunnel last, because I want to hear the stadium explode," Morris said Tuesday. "I'm really excited, just ecstatic, to see this young man get his first live action."

No more excited than Williams. The game will mark the second time he has attempted a comeback from a serious knee injury, a torn patellar tendon, and he has been ready to start that comeback for weeks.

"The way I see it, from Thursday to two weeks ago wouldn't have made a difference," Williams said. "That was my point, but they wanted to be cautious. Either way, it's here now and I am definitely ready to go."

On that point, Williams and Morris agree. Morris compared tape of Williams during his 2005 breakout rookie season and his most recent practice Monday and didn't detect a notable difference.

"He looks like the old Cadillac," Morris said. "I saw the cuts, the angry running back, the aggressive running back that we've talked about. Then I saw a clip of him from (Monday's) practice and I saw the cut he made on one of the zone scheme plays we have and ... it was impressive."

New offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski has seen nothing to indicate Williams was ever slowed by knee injuries.

"If you hadn't told me he'd had two, I never would have thought anything was wrong with him," Jagodzinski said. "He's looked great. He's really stood out and he's been very explosive."

Williams isn't nervous about his debut. Though he has been hurt in some form every year he has been in the league, he said problems with his knees or another injury are the furthest things from his mind.

"I've taken shots in practice, been banged around and participated in all the things the other guys have done," he said. "Trust me, when Thursday gets here, it's going to be the last thing on my mind. I'm just excited to be on the field again and to run through the tunnel and see the fans and play football."

Sneak peek: Thursday's game will give fans a little peek at how Morris hopes to work his running backs during the regular season.

The starter - in this case Williams - will get two series as the lead back. The next back in the rotation - Derrick Ward or Earnest Graham - also will get two series as the lead back and the third will get one.

"If it works, that's what I would like to do," Morris said. "Everything can change, but I want to go into it like that, just because they're all so explosive."

Morris reiterated he doesn't care who starts the games because all will get a chance to earn more work as the game progresses.

"It can be the guy who was hot the other day or hot the last game," he said. "I just think it's an exciting backfield, and I want to keep them fresh and healthy throughout the season."

Teaching tough: Morris has been preaching not only physical toughness but mental toughness. He saw signs of both in the first two preseason games.

Both were on display after Jacksonville scored on a 74-yard pass from David Garrard to Troy Williamson on the first play from scrimmage Saturday.

"You see a big hit like that on the first play of the game, even on the first drive of the game, and in the past it's always been, 'Oh man, it's going to be a long day, because we can't score on offense,'" Morris said. "But we came back after that and nobody blinked. We got the lead back before halftime, and to me that was big-time mental toughness. That was all positive stuff."