Buccaneer Hopes Boil Down to Josh and Cadillac

If there is to be any offense whatsoever for the Buccaneers in Philadelphia on Sunday, it is most amazing that the Tampa Bay hopes now ride on two players who were an afterthought as summer camp opened.

There was so much talk of the fabulous free agent Derrick Ward, the former New York Giant, the free agent gun of Mark Dominik, the guy who was supposed to supercharge the backfield with Earnest Graham, and the speedy Clifton Smith.

In the background was the forgotten man, the man who suffered not one, but two severe knee injuries, a guy we wondered about. Yes, Cadillac Williams was in the background, a fellow the Bucs were not counting on.

Well, they can count on him now.

Then there was the guy who was more than an afterthought. Yeah, that fourth-stringer, the guy they might release because there was good ole Luke McCown, Byron Leftwich and the No. 1 pick, wonderboy Josh Freeman.

Two players standing in the preseason shadows who now step into the sunlight at Lincoln Financial Field, the hopes of a winless team riding on their efforts.

It was beyond anyone's expectation that the Williams/Johnson duo would be the focal point of the offense by the fifth game of the season.

There was supposed to be the two-headed monster of Ward and Graham, then Graham and Ward, running and running some more.  Hasn't happened, has it?

Then there's Williams, running hard, running his heart out, playing with passion and inspiration, despite the Bucs' dismal showings.

Word is they'll give Caddy more carries on Sunday. They need to. He wants them, he wants to get in a rhythm, he has his mojo back.

Then there's Johnson, fresh off a run-for-your-life showing against the Redskins. It's a tough task for him at best, going against this hearty Philadelphia defense that has had a week to rest, a week to prepare for a young guy making his second NFL start.

What's in store for them on Sunday?

That's anyone's guess.

The Bucs may be a two-touchdown underdog, but this Williams/Johnson duo totally understands what an underdog really is.

How can you not pull for them?