Five topics suitable for inane debate on talk radio:
IT'S ONLY HOPELESS IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT: So you still have faith the Bucs can make another Super Bowl run? Better start preparing yourself for the worst. Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, two NFC teams have reached the Super Bowl with more than four losses. The Rams (9-7) did it in 1979 and the 49ers (10-6) pulled it off in 1988. But those teams won their divisions. For the Bucs, that option appeared to vanish Sunday.
DON'T DO IT, MALCOLM: Rich McKay denied a Fox report Sunday that said the Glazers were willing to let him out of his contract. That's good because Falcons owner Arthur Blank is set to hire a GM and there is talk he'll make another run at McKay. No one is irreplaceable in the NFL, but McKay comes close.
A KEEN VIEW: He's played in the shadow of big-name receivers for years. Now that recognition has found him, Keenan McCardell finds himself on a losing team.
JAKING IT: As a backup in New Orleans last season, Jake Delhomme came off the bench for a key third-down completion to beat the Bucs. As a starter in Carolina, he has led the Panthers to an overtime victory and a come-from-behind win. Sheesh, life was better when the Bucs faced stiffs like Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia.
TWO-MINUTE WARNING? THAT'S TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE DEFENSE IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE: The statistics said the Bucs defense was ranked No. 5 in the NFL. Apparently, numbers do lie.
A LIST OF FIVE
Five guarantees Simeon Rice should have made:
5. We'll make Ricky Proehl look like Randy Moss.
4. Warren Sapp will go deep.
3. Delhomme will find Tim Wansley.
2. Johnny Cash will win a CMA Award.
1. If it's close, we'll lose.
FIVE EXCUSES TO AVOID
1. The Bucs are beat up. Brian Kelly is gone. Mike Alstott and Joe Jurevicius are, too. How can a team excel when key players are hurt? (The Panthers did okay with Stephen Davis, the NFC's leading rusher, on the sideline with a bum ankle.)
2. The referees are terrible. A long Keyshawn Johnson reception was wiped out by a bad call, and the Bucs had to punt after the officials missed a Carolina defender holding McCardell. (And Carolina had two first downs wiped out by cheap penalties, not to mention a kickoff return for a TD.)
3. Continuity is a problem in the secondary and on the offensive line. Too many bodies shifting around to compensate for injuries. (Which explains Kenyatta Walker's infatuation with facemasks and 154 missed tackles?)
4. The Bucs are a marked team. Everyone plays just a little bit harder against the defending Super Bowl champions. (So opponents don't know they're playing the defending Super Bowl champions until there's two minutes left?)
5. The special teams stink. (Okay, you can use that one.)
FIVE SUPER PICKS
Checking out the best bets for Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston:
1. CHIEFS: The 1972 Dolphins are starting to drink heavily.
2. TITANS: Made Miami look worse than Kellen Winslow Jr.
3. PATRIOTS: Bill Belichick faces mentor Bill Parcells next week.
4. PANTHERS: Have outscored opponents by 15 points. And they're 7-2?
10. BUCS: At 4-5, they're one game better than Detroit.
