The rough patch is only temporary

Enough is enough. Anyone who has given up on the Bucs after three losses, feel free to jump ship. But don't expect us to hold your place on the bandwagon when you want to come back. Win or lose, the Bucs are still our champs, still the ones we filled the streets to welcome home. The trophy has not been awarded yet this season. Dallas doesn't get to take it home because it is 5-1 in October.

Relax, the season is young, and we are overloaded with injuries. They will right the ship. Be patient. We waited decades for a championship. We can wait a week or two now.

Warren Sapp and Keyshawn Johnson are overgrown boys who should talk less and start acting like real men. I have heard enough about flashlights and how poorly top receiver Marvin Harrison plays, or how, incredibly, Sapp is saying that a $50,000 fine is taking "food off my table." I guess that's a lot of money, but so is $6-million. Their mouths are way ahead of their brains, so please stop quoting them and fill the space with better material.

Almost halfway through the season, one thing is certain about the Bucs: Their second- string players are significantly inferior to their 22 starters. This should not be surprising; Jon Gruden is a great coach, but unfortunately, the cost to obtain him - a first- and a second-round draft pick in 2002, along with a first-round draft pick in 2003 (three potential quality backup players) - is starting to take its toll.

If Warren Sapp could redirect his energy, from kicking end zone pylons and bumping unsuspecting officials to smashing opposing linemen and running backs, then perhaps the Bucs defense could become respectable again.

Warren Sapp is a disgrace to the NFL and to Tampa Bay. Gruden apparently can't control him, but something has to be done about his childish antics. It's costing the Bucs games and making football look like a little kids' game. Men playing it have to be embarrassed.

As a season-ticket holder, I have seen Warren Sapp kick the pylon every game for years as part of his pregame ritual. Since the media seem to be spotlighting him all of a sudden, maybe you can show the pictures of him drawing two- and three-man coverage every play, which may have something to do with Simeon Rice getting all those sacks.

For a Super Bowl champion, (the Bucs) aren't real strong in any area, but what bothers me is the (special-teams) units. They don't play with the kind of aggressiveness that you would expect from this team. Maybe moving Ryan Nece has hurt them a little bit ... they're just not with it right now.

I once asked Jon Gruden about his philosophy for getting through tough times. I'll never forget his answer: "I live in my hopes, and not my fears."

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