A nice drive down memory lane

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published August 26, 2007

MIAMI - The hope was fleeting, but it was familiar.

Just a handful of seconds in an otherwise unremarkable evening.

Two plays is all it took. Two plays to remind you how Cadillac Williams once looked, and how the Buccaneers offense once depended upon him. Two plays that might otherwise have been lost if they weren't so ridiculously important.

"Thank God," Williams grinned, "for second chances."

He is too young to have already been forgotten, too talented to have already been written off. But last season's fall from grace smeared Williams as much as anyone else on Tampa Bay's roster.

He went from rookie of the year to nearly inconsequential in the time it took for autumn's leaves to fall. His production dropped more than 30 percent, and the Bucs went from a division title to the dregs of the NFC.

The preseason is supposed to be a chance to bury the past, but Williams is not willing to let it go. If last season was misery, then he is determined to find purpose in it.

"I don't mind if you bring up last year because I don't ever want to forget it," Williams said. "I want to carry a little piece of last season around to remind me that I don't ever want to go through that again."

And because Williams does not want to forget, the rest of us were finally able to remember.

It was nearing the end of the first quarter Saturday night when Williams found a seam on first down and zipped through the line like a man unaccustomed to daylight. He went 12 yards, and your memory felt the tiniest tickle of recognition.

Four plays later, Williams was handed the ball again and juked past a linebacker near the line of scrimmage. He went 14 yards down the field, and all the way back to 2005 in your recollection.

Just like that, it was possible once again to envision the Bucs with a running game. To imagine a game plan that has more versatility than desperation.

For all the anticipation of Jeff Garcia's arrival at quarterback, it is impossible to overstate Williams' importance to Tampa Bay's fortunes. He, more than anyone else, has been the barometer of success the past two seasons.

You may recall the mess that was Tampa Bay's running game in 2006. In half their games, the Bucs failed to gain more than 80 yards on the ground. As if on cue, they were 0-8 in those games.

"A lot of people want to put last season on injuries, but I was healthy for most of the year," Williams said. "I definitely don't want to use injuries as an excuse. I'm back now, and I'm ready to go."

So you watched him take the field in the first preseason game with the hope that he would look rejuvenated - and Williams finished with one carry for 4 yards. Then you tuned in for the second preseason game in anticipation of his revival - and Williams had three carries for minus-1 yard.

Whenever Garcia was on the field, the Bucs seemed fixated on the passing game. Almost as if Jon Gruden has decided the passing game will set up the run, instead of the other way around.

Even Saturday night, the Bucs came out throwing on eight of their first nine plays. On Williams' first carry, he ran into a wall of defenders and lost 5 yards. That meant, on his first five carries of the preseason, he had minus-2 yards.

And that is why those consecutive long gains loom so large this morning. They were the first indication that Williams has regained some of the flash that seemed missing from his game.

"When we started to run the football, and get Cadillac the ball, I thought some good things happened," Garcia said.

It's too soon to proclaim him all the way back but, for now, the tease is enough.

Williams has been planning this for some time. In early July, when a lot of other players were squeezing in the last weeks of vacation, Williams and Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown went to Arizona to train together.

For nearly three weeks, the former Auburn teammates ran in the heat and lifted weights until they were ready to drop. They began with two-a-days and then gradually tapered off. It was a chance to get in shape before training camp, but it was also an opportunity to get serious about the season to come.

"We went out there because we wanted to focus," Williams said. "I wanted to be ready when training camp began."

Maybe this is premature. Even if you believe Williams has rediscovered some momentum in his career, you must also have faith a rebuilt offensive line will give him the opportunity to shine. Frankly, that requires a mountain of optimism.

So it is too soon to be giddy, too early to be cocky.

But, thanks to Cadillac, the time is right for hope.

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified August 26, 2007, 01:54:18]