Gimme 5

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published October 1, 2007

Talk of the town

Five topics suitable for inane debate on talk radio

1. Back on top: Through the season's first month, the Bucs are giving up 11 points per game, best in the league. The ghosts of Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice and John Lynch still linger, but they fade a little more with every passing week.

2. A word of caution: The Bucs did not have a great offensive line in 2002 when they won the Super Bowl. But what they did have was continuity. Those five offensive linemen made 90 of a possible 95 starts on the way to the Lombardi Trophy. My point? Better hope Donald Penn can do a mean Luke Petitgout impersonation.

3. Hey, nice arm: I am tempted to say David Carr throws like a girl, but I've seen the U.S. Olympic women's softball team and it would be an insult to them.

4. Caddy on blocks: You got an idea of the type of person Cadillac Williams is when you saw dozens of players cross a field to express their concern for his health. The trick now is to figure out how to replace him. Michael Pittman has averaging 5.7 yards per carry the past three seasons, so using him in tandem with Earnest Graham would seem the most logical decision.

5. Front-runners: Bill Muir's offensive line deserves credit for reviving the running game, but so does Monte Kiffin's defense. The Bucs trailed at halftime in 11 games last season, forcing them to shelve the running game. This season, the defense is not putting them in a hole.

A list of five

Five explanations for the Bucs being in first.

5. No longer have to worry about David Boston borrowing urine samples.

4. Jon Gruden is a genius. (Borrowed from a Gimme 5 in 2002.)

3. If a jury can fail to convict Phil Spector, I suppose anything is possible.

2. Fifty-two spleens, present and accounted for.

1. PETA.

Five mistakes I made

1. Underestimated the potential of this offensive line. The Bucs appear to have finally hit on a winning combination with Davin Joseph, Arron Sears and Jeremy Trueblood. Bucs averaged 95 rushing yards and 2.1 sacks per game last year - and 137 and 1.5 this season.

2. Figured the secondary was a twisted ankle away from a disaster. Instead, Jermaine Phillips has evolved into a strong presence at safety and signing Phillip Buchanon has turned out to be a steal.

3. Asked for John Denver's Greatest Hits for Christmas when I was 11. Didn't discover Bruce Springsteen until a year later.

4. Forgot what Brad Johnson accomplished in Jon Gruden's offense. Watching Jeff Garcia pick apart defenses by knowing when to gamble, and when not, makes you realize how much the Bucs missed a veteran presence at quarterback. And this one even has wheels.

5.Did not realize how bad the NFC South would look. Between them, the Falcons, Saints and Panthers are 3-8 and have been outscored 270-176.

Five super picks

Checking out the best bets for Super Bowl XLII in Glendale.

1. Patriots: I think it's wonderful Bill Belichick dresses down on the sideline. The NFL has never paid much attention to the homeless demographic.

2. Colts: Have now gotten off to a 4-0, a 9-0 and a 13-0 start to the past three seasons.

3. Packers: Bet Peyton Manning isn't this gray when he throws his 421st touchdown.

4. Cowboys: The Giants, Patriots and Jets averaged nine wins the year after Bill Parcells left.

10. Bucs: Not quite as high as USF, but they're coming along.

Final five words

Bring on the Colts. (Yikes!)

[Last modified October 1, 2007, 00:10:38]