"Cause no one says it quite like Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice.
"We've still got an opportunity, but you've got to make good on it. Opportunities come and go. Every week they get smaller and smaller and keep twinkling away."
OLD PRO
Receiver Michael Clayton, who likely will eclipse the 1,000-yard mark today, has an asterisk next to his name in the NFL statistical report denoting a rookie. He has 70 catches for 988 yards, both Bucs rookie records, and needs one touchdown to tie Kevin House's mark of five in 1980. But the first-round draft choice from LSU never let his rookie status get in the way of his goals.
"To be honest, I never did feel like a rookie," Clayton said. "I've got the title, but my mentality is, if you come in and feel like a rookie, you'll play like a rookie. It's only a mind-set. People talk about a brick wall and stuff like that, but if you put that in the back of your head there is no wall."
NOT IN OUR HOUSE
After struggling at home last season, the Bucs have won four straight at Raymond James Stadium, outscoring opponents 115-41. Three of those four teams - Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta - scored seven or fewer points.
WARMING TRENDS
Bucs punter Josh Bidwell loves kicking in Florida, especially in December. Bidwell spent the past four seasons in Green Bay, where wintry conditions took the air out of his punting.
Literally.
At the risk of sounding like a physics class, cold temperatures cause inflatable balls to go flat. Though the difference might be imperceptible to the casual observer, Bidwell can always tell when a ball felt flat against his foot.
"Nobody wants to punt and kick a ball that's flat," said Bidwell, who ranks second in the NFC in net punting at 39.1 yards. "We all want to kick a ball that's really firm, hard, so the ball bounces more violently off your foot."
Bidwell said temperatures in the 50s start to have an effect on the air pressure of a football. Extremely cold temperatures, practically a given at Lambeau Field in December, make it worse. Conversely, Florida's typically warm temperatures, the forecast calls for a temperature of 62 at 4 p.m., make the ball more lively.
"I love kicking in Florida," he said.
SACK MASTERS
The Tampa Bay defense makes life hard on opposing quarterbacks. Not only do the Bucs lead the NFL in passing defense at 163.5 yards per game, but also in sacks per pass play. With 37 sacks in 315 pass attempts, the Bucs average nearly one sack every 10 attempts.
The numbers are even more impressive considering the Bucs' pass rush got off to a slow start this season with an average of one sack through the first five games. The defense has 31 sacks in the past eight games to go with 19 turnovers.
SMALL WORLD
Saints running back Aaron Stecker played his first four seasons with the Bucs, including the Super Bowl season. Stecker, who signed with New Orleans as a free agent during the offseason, is the team's second-leading rusher with 208 yards on 51 carries, a 4.1 average. He started three games early in the season for injured Deuce McAllister.
QUOTABLE
"We try to use the weather to our advantage and right now, being this cold, it is not to our advantage."
- linebacker Derrick Brooks on recent chilly temperatures
