Buccaneers-Dolphins: Tampa Bay Gets a Mixed Bag in Rain-Soaked Loss

In between the rain, the lightning, the penalties, and a second half that could cure insomnia around the world, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a 10-6 yawner Thursday night in Tampa to the Miami Dolphins, but this third game of the preseason proved a mixed bag for this young, developing football team.

There was some great news amidst the 60 minutes of football.

Cadillac Williams came out of the garage and got his motor running, early and often.

Yes, there was the surgically "restored" Cadillac, looking like the rookie sensation he once was, churning around and through the Miami Dolphins defense. He put some life in the rain-soaked crowd and perhaps gave head coach Raheem Morris some reason to feel that his team may actually be able to run the football in the season opener against Dallas.

Cadillac, whose double-whammy knee injuries threatened to send him to the "cash for clunkers" program, ran with a vengeance. He finished with 54 yards, carried the ball eight times, and ripped off a 19-yarder in the process. You could envision him going for 150 if he played all night.

Earnest Graham broke through as well with 39 yards on five carries and broke one for 29 yards.

Those runs by Williams and Graham were sparked by the return of the offensive line intact. Tackle Jeremy Trueblood was back, as was center Jeff Faine.

The unit looked effective in creating the opportunities for the runners.

Which now leads us to the multimillion-dollar question:

What about that quarterback race?

The only thing that really helped that answer was Caddy and Earnest. If they can show what they showed Thursday night, then it might not matter who wins this never-ending quarterback contest.

"Slowfoot" Byron Leftwich was unexciting at best. Sure, he completed 9-of-17 for 100 yards, but he again proved he can move the ball between the 30s and stall as he gets close to the red zone.

Leftwich often overthrew open receivers but did manage to help Maurice Stovall move up the receivers ladder. Stovall hauled in a half-dozen catches from Leftwich for 73 yards and actually looked like a candidate for the third receiver slot.

But still, Leftwich was no ball of fire.

No touchdowns were proof enough.

Poor Luke McCown never had a prayer with his playing time. His 0-for-4 start sent him into an evening of mediocrity and perhaps pushed Leftwich toward the starter's job.

Although there was little comfort for Raheem from his quarterbacks, the defense gave him and the Tampa Bay faithful hope that this team can compete.

The defense totally dominated the early going. The Dolphin offense looked lousy at best. The Buc defenders found a pass rush, stopped the run, and made life miserable for Miami starter Chad Pennington, a frustrated quarterback.

The bad news was the great performances were interrupted by lightning, and after the 45-minute delay and then halftime, the second team Buc defense fell into a mire of mistakes and poor performances.

Josh Freeman got the mop-up duty, and by the fourth quarter he was getting mauled by the Dolphin defense and took multiple hits that surely made his head coach nervous.

He took one shot on his knees that could have been disastrous, but the big specimen of a quarterback showed his toughness and survived.

Yes, the Buccaneers survived all right, but showed the good and the bad.

There is still much to be resolved, but at least on that rainy night, a Cadillac rolled out and showed his "all weather" tires and restored transmission.