Baby-waiting has Bidwell up in the air

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published December 23, 2005

TAMPA - Punter Josh Bidwell is on high alert these days.

His wife, Bethany, is due to give birth soon, and with the Bucs in the midst of a playoff push, Bidwell has a lot to handle. Bethany's due date is Jan. 1, but doctors have scheduled an inducement for Wednesday if she has not gone into labor by then.

The reason? The Bucs host the Saints in their regular-season finale Jan. 1. In the meantime, team trainer Todd Toriscelli's cell phone is on standby, just in case. That's the first phone call Bethany is supposed to make if she goes into labor while Bidwell is on the practice field.

"Todd Toriscelli is my cell phone right now," Bidwell said. "She has the speed dial to him, and he's always coming by me acting like he's answering the phone."

What if the call comes during a game? Toriscelli is under strict orders not to tell Bidwell until it's over.

CURING THE DROPS: Receiver Joey Galloway said it didn't take comments from coach Jon Gruden to get him focused on eliminating dropped balls. Galloway had two drops last week at New England, although one would have been a difficult catch.

"I know myself and the rest of the guys know that we have to catch the ball better," Galloway said. "Simple as that. I don't think that we need to listen to press conferences and that kind of thing to realize that. We know, when it happens, we have to make more plays on the field."

Gruden estimates the Bucs have had "13 or 14" outright drops this season.

SAME OL': With the regular season ending against two familiar division opponents - the Falcons and Saints - the Bucs don't expect much in the way of trickery or wholesale tactical changes from either.

"It will be (the same) for the most part," center John Wade said. "I would agree that it will probably be familiar on both sides, for us and them. But I'd say both sides will probably have a wrinkle or two thrown in the game plan to see how the other team adjusts."

INJURY UPDATE: The report remained unchanged, with defensive tackle Anthony McFarland (hamstring), tight end Anthony Becht (ankle) and linebacker Marquis Cooper (chest) still listed as questionable.

[Last modified December 23, 2005, 01:14:13]