Talking NFL

During the summer, every NFL writer takes a shot at picking a dark horse team that they feel is poised for a comeback year. A team that was simply awful the previous season, but has just enough of the right elements in place to make a rush for the playoffs. My pick(s) in the off-season were Detroit (lookin’ good!), and San Francisco (lookin’ not so good!). Others picked the Packers, Texans, and Falcons.

But I can’t think of a soul that had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on top of the NFC South after Week 4.

After Sunday’s 20-7 beat-down of the Panthers in Carolina, the Bucs advanced to 3-1 and are the only team with a winning record in the division. How’d that happen?

For starters, Jeff Garcia has been a stabilizing force at QB. True, he’s hasn’t been spectacular, but he hasn’t thrown an INT yet this year. Chuckie likes that.

In addition, the defense has toughened up. Tampa leads the NFC in total yards per game allowed (292) and points per game allowed (11). And yes, playing against the likes of New Orleans, St. Louis and Carolina will do that for your stats.

But most important of all, the rest of the NFC South has been simply Gawd-awful. As NFL.com’s Adam Schefter reports, injuries and off-season drama have destroyed the Bucs opponents thus far.

So everything looks awesome for the boys in Tampa, right? Well…perhaps not so much.

Sunday’s win came at a heavy price, as the Bucs lost both offensive lineman Luke Petitgout and running back Carnell Williams for the year (the injury to Cadillac is at the one-minute mark of this NFL highlight clip, and I don’t recommend watching it before lunch. Knees were not meant to bend that way…).

In addition, I think it’s safe to say that tight end (and upstanding citizen) Jerramy Stevens won’t be helping the club anytime soon. Stay away from those nursing homes there, Jerramy. Old people won’t leave the couch if the Golden Girls are on; even if they’re about to get hit by a car…

Finally, their schedule is about to get much tougher, beginning this weekend in Indianapolis (a place where people like to get drunk and play Santa Claus, apparently). As much as I’d love to see the Bucs (and former Colt Cato June) pull off the upset, it’s painfully clear that they are not in the same class as Manning, Addai and crew. I write this piece now, for I fear after this weekend, the Bucs will be in even bigger pieces (insert Nelson laugh here).

PREDICTION: Colts 73, Bucs -2

What’s that? Disrespect? Why…yes, I guess you COULD say I am DISRESPECTING the Bucs! Yeah, I’m disrespecting the hell out of them! You hear me, Chuckie?! (Hope so…)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFC South, comeback team, Jeff Garcia, Indianapolis Colts