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Date Posted: 02:56:23 11/02/05 Wed
Author: Webmaster
Author Host/IP: 84.178.196.135
Subject: Re: Funny article (click here)
In reply to: Webmaster 's message, "Funny article" on 02:53:56 11/02/05 Wed

Will Cadillac Play Today? We'll See

By MARTIN FENNELLY

Published: Oct 30, 2005

So said Cadillac Williams this week on whether he'll play today in San Francisco. The guess is he will. And what happens if that happens matters much. He has been limping under the radar these past few weeks, as Brian Griese went down for the season. Now Chris Simms is quarterback. But Cadillac and the big Cadillac question are still there, looming.

His Left Foot.

It felt better at practice this week.

"He looked real good," Simms said.

Somewhere down there, between Caddy's ankle bone and his five little piggies, lies this Bucs season, at least the dreamy part of it, the part that says anything is possible.

At 5-1, and as well as this defense has played, Simms can get this team to the playoffs. But the nerve endings in all truly hopeful scenarios begin to tingle without the Caddy.

Make Do With Vanessa
It might not matter today. The Bucs can beat the 49ers without Cadillac Williams at running back. They can beat the 49ers with Vanessa Williams at running back.

But things will get increasingly dicey without the Caddy. No matter how good Joey Galloway has looked or how well Mike Pittman has filled in. The Bucs have weapons. It still comes back to Caddy.

Back to that nagging foot, which we know as much about now as we did when it first cropped up in the second game and lowered the boom two weeks later against Detroit. That was 25 days ago. It's still hurting, which says a lot. So does a talk-of-the-league 434 yards in the first three games and 13 yards in the last three.

"Realistically, something that he's got could be an eight- or a nine-week deal," Bucs running backs coach Art Valero said. "Right now, it's been four weeks."

It makes you wonder if that 37-carry game at Green Bay is the smoking gun.

"I don't regret getting the ball 37 times," Cadillac said.

Based on what the Bucs let us know about the foot -- nothing -- we were left to an assumption that gave the Bucs the benefit of the doubt, namely that no sane franchise would risk a prized back, a $31 million investment, 37 times just three games into his pro career, one game after an injury, if there was any -- any -- chance of it getting worse.

Guess Here Is He Plays
The guess here is he plays today. "We're listing him as questionable just because I think it's the thing to do," Jon Gruden said during the week.

The race is on between the Bucs and other playoff chasers. First one to 10 wins is an NFC postseason lock. But the meat of the schedule is ahead, division games, a three-week December road trip, all of it.

Gruden needs to know about Caddy. Now.

If it was me, he wouldn't run much today if at all. And if he showed any problems the day after, that would be it. Shut him down for another month -- or the rest of the season. Nothing is worth this kid's future.

But what if he looks great today? Let's remember that he's the one who first changed how we looked at this season. Suddenly, anything was possible. And maybe it still is. Do you like the Bucs' chances better the rest of the way with Cadillac or without? Take your time, we know it's a tough one.

How Chris Simms looks this afternoon matters.

How Cadillac looks matters more.

That is, if he plays.

We'll see.

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