Gimme 5

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published November 26, 2007

Talk of the town

Five topics suitable for inane debate on talk radio.

1. Premature calculation: This is not the best record the Bucs have had after 11 games, but it matches their biggest division lead. The last time Tampa Bay had a two-game lead after 11 games was 1979.

2. Winning made easy: The simplest way to measure Tampa Bay's turnaround from last season is by counting the turnovers. The Bucs have forced 24, topping last year's 20. The offense has turned the ball over 13 times, way below last year's 32.

3. Dreaming of Mark Rypien: I kept waiting for Joe Gibbs to throw a red flag and challenge his decision to put the season in Jason Campbell's hands.

4. The old man and the D: I cannot imagine too many players have ever looked as good in their 200th NFL start as Derrick Brooks did Sunday. He is 34 and may not be the premier linebacker anymore, but he's still close to the top. Brooks had 12 tackles, including a fourth-down stop near the goal line that was as clutch as any play you'll see.

5. Horror show flashback: How painful was Jeff Garcia's back injury? Hard to say, but seeing Garcia come out almost made Joey Galloway cry.

A list of five

Five reasons the Bucs are in first place.

5. Fresh out of money-grubbing egomaniacs now that Keenan McCardell is gone.

4. Cool new stadium on St. Petersburg's waterfront. (Sorry, that belonged on the Five Reasons the Rays are Freakin' Nuts list.)

3. Gave Carolina Vinny Testaverde's phone number.

2. Painkillers and Jeff Garcia.

1. To spite me.

Five decisions to ponder

1. The situation: Trailing 19-10 in the third quarter, the Redskins have fourth and inches on the Tampa Bay 4. The decision: An off-tackle run by Clinton Portis. The result: Hall of Fame considers impeachment proceedings for Joe Gibbs.

2. The situation: Jeff Garcia takes a shot in the back and has to leave the game. The decision: Jon Gruden turns to No. 2 quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. The result: No. 3 quarterback Luke McCown gets a promotion this week.

3. The situation: Beaver comes home with a black eye, and Ward is horrified to learn his son did not fight back. The decision: Ward teaches Beaver how to defend himself. The result: Ward discovers it was Violet Rutherford who punched Beaver, and hilarity ensues.

4. The situation: Clinging to a lead with 3:27 remaining and the Redskins out of timeouts, the Bucs have third and 4. The decision: Garcia throws deep to Joey Galloway and misses him badly. The result: Jason Campbell gets one more shot.

5. The situation: Trailing 19-13 with 25 seconds left and the ball on the Tampa Bay 16. The decision: Campbell throws to Santana Moss, who appears to be covered by 11 cornerbacks in the end zone. The result: Shockingly, the Redskins lose.

Five super picks

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

1. Patriots: Amazing how charming Randy Moss seems when put in the same room as Bill Belichick.

2. Cowboys: The best part about hiring Bill Parcells? The boost you get when he's gone.

3. Packers: Gosh, awfully nice of the league to put Thursday's game against Dallas on a network no one has.

4. Colts: Not exactly hitting the home stretch on fire.

12. Bucs: Win next week at New Orleans, and they'll virtually wrap up the division title.

Final five words

Please, no more Garcia scrambles.

[Last modified November 25, 2007, 22:49:37]