Gimme 5
By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published September 24, 2007
Talk of the town
Five topics suitable for inane debate on talk radio.
1. Tickling the memory: The formula for victory looks awfully familiar. Take a smothering defense, add a cerebral quarterback, and you have a chance to win every week. This team may not be filled to the brim with talent, but it is playing a winning style of football. Give Jon Gruden credit for rediscovering the formula.
2. Much appreciated: Defensive game balls go to Jermaine Phillips, Barrett Ruud and Scott Linehan. Seriously, the Rams coach did as much to limit his offense as anyone in a Bucs uniform. Let's see, you have a Pro Bowl quarterback, two Pro Bowl receivers, and you decide throwing downfield is a silly idea? Good luck with that philosophy, Coach.
3. Handle with care: Joey Galloway was on the turf for several minutes with the wind knocked out of him. In related news, Gruden was on a couch for several minutes with the %#*@ scared out of him.
4. Growing up on Sundays: He will never make you forget John Lynch, but Phillips is beginning to make some memories of his own. In consecutive weeks, Phillips has delivered big hits and big plays. He has looked like the headhunter the Bucs defense has lacked in recent seasons.
5. Old guys running amok: Derrick Brooks is called for a late hit, Ronde Barber gets an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and Kevin Carter lines up in the neutral zone. It was like watching a police raid on a bingo game at the Sunshine Home.
A list of five
Five excuses offered by the Rams.
5. If it was Marty St. Louis, three points would be a lot.
4. In retrospect, a Saturday night movie would have been a better option than hookers.
3. Marc Bulger was lip-synching the snap count.
2. Swore they were playing that Gradkowski guy.
1. Scouting video provided by Largo High.
Five numbers to ponder
0 Interceptions Jeff Garcia has thrown in three games. At the same point last season, the Bucs had seven. Garcia's efficiency has been remarkable. The Bucs have virtually the same number of passing yards as last season 604-605 but 43 fewer passes.
1 Victory for the Bucs in their last 10 games away from Raymond James. Just in case you weren't already worried about the back-to-back trips to Carolina and Indianapolis.
35 Distance of Mark Jones' only punt return on Sunday. It was Tampa Bay's longest of this season. And last season. And the season before that. I guess that must mean the Bucs instead focus on blocking punts, huh? Except it has been even longer since they've pulled one of those off.
35.6 Marc Bulger's passer rating on Sunday. The last time they played, Bulger's rating was 97.1.
7,250,000 Dollars Simeon Rice was due to earn in Tampa Bay before being cut on the eve of training camp. The Broncos eventually signed Rice to a $3-million contract. He has two tackles and zero sacks through three games.
Five super picks
Checking out the best bets for Super Bowl XLII in Glendale.
1. Patriots: The only way to stop the Pats is if commissioner Roger Goodell takes away another draft pick. Say, the sixth-round pick in 2000 they used for Tom Brady.
2. Colts: Tony Dungy's 117th regular-season victory, moving him past Hall of Famer George Allen.
3. Steelers: Beginning to think this Cowher guy was overrated.
4. Packers: The NFL is a better league when Brett Favre and the Packers are relevant.
14. Bucs: Is it possible I was wrong about the Bucs? Nah.
Final five words
Holy crap. Pigs are flying.