The Buccaneers have been using Earnest Graham at fullback this season which is quite a insult to a player like him.  He has played in 8 games for the Bucs this season and he has carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards (5.1 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 46 yards (5.8 avg) this year.  In his six years with the Bucs, Graham has played in 74 games in which he has carried the ball 417 times for 1,732 yards (4.2 ypc) with 14 TD runs.  He has also caught 81 passes for 548 yards (6.8 avg) in his time with the Bucs.  Graham has been a good soldier for the Bucs often keeping his mouth shut and doing what the team wants but he is getting stiffed by the team.  He has played well whenever called upon and he would likely do a much better job than either Cadillac Williams or Derrick Ward if they just gave him the rock.  Cadillac Williams has carried the ball 117 times for 450 yards (3.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs this season and he has caught 18 passes for 121 yards (6.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Derrick Ward has carried the ball 66 times for 243 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 13 passes for 114 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  If the Bucs don’t start giving Graham the rock soon they should do him a favor and either release him or trade him over the off season because it’s just not right how they have treated him over the years.

28-year old DT/DE Jimmy Wilkerson is really stepping up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so far this season.  He has played in 8 games for the Bucs this season and he has 33 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and he has defensed 1 pass.  The Buccaneers need Wilkerson to keep up the good work rushing the passer because opposing QBs have been having a lot of fun playing against the Bucs this year.

Kellen Winslow is without a doubt the best player on the Buccaneers’ offense right now.  He leads them in receptions (26), receiving yards (257) and TD catches (4).  Winslow has the best hands on the team and he can get deep because of his speed.  The Bucs have not been able to take advantage of his speed yet because the QBs have not had the time to get the ball down the field.  Winslow is proving to be worth every cent the Bucs are paying him right now.

Due to the awful defense the Bucs have kickoff returner Clifton Smith is getting a lot of work.  He has returned 10 kickoffs for 268 yards (26.8 avg) so far this season.  Smith is a gamebreaker who right now is one of the most important players on the team.   He has also returned 7 punts for 73 yards (10.4 avg) this season for the Bucs.  The Bucs don’t use him much on offense as they don’t want to burn him out.  He has carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards this year and he has also caught 2 passes for 4 yards.  So overall Smith has touched the ball 20 times this season for 349 yards (17.5 yards every time he touches the football). 

The defense of the Bucs has been pathetic overall this season.  They have allowed 187.3 yards rushing (5.2 ypc) and 245.0 yards passing per game (113.6 QB Rating).  Those are incredible numbers to digest as there is no way to sugarcoat it…..they have sucked on defense so far this season.  Linebacker Barrett Ruud is still the best player on defense for the Bucs and he is still playing hard.  He leads the team with 32 tackles this season but he isn’t getting much help.  The most incredible thing about Ruud’s tackles total is that opposing offensive linemen are getting to him on the second level because of the pathetic play of the D-Line.

The Bucs weren’t counting on Cadillac Williams this season due to all of the massive injuries he has had in his young career.  But the 27-year old came back with a vengeance against the Cowboys last Sunday carrying the ball 13 times for 97 yards (7.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Bucs will likely continue to limit Williams’ carries in an attempt to keep him healthy.  Williams has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 645 times for 2,514 yards (3.9 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  He has also caught 60 passes for 337 yards (5.6 avg) in his NFL career.  This is a great development for the Bucs as they weren’t counting on Williams to do anything.