Bucs coach Jon Gruden has what some pundits are calling a crucial decision to make this week: Whether to take RB Cadillac Williams from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and put him on the active roster.
I don't see this as a tough decision at all:
Don't do it.
Williams blew out his knee against Carolina in the first half of last season. He's worked hard and made terrific progress. Even started practicing. He's probably itching to get a roster spot, get in shape and play this season.
Don't do it.
Resist the temptation and put Williams on injured reserve, shelve him for the entire season, thus ensuring that Gruden can't turn to the half-healed guy if the running back situation goes bad. It's not so good right now, actually, with Warrick Dunn hurt (but hopefully back for Sunday) and Michael Bennett yet to produce.
But turning to next year: With Earnest Graham entrenched, and Dunn likely to play at least one more season (health permitting), a finely tuned Cadillac could be a real asset to the Bucs. Look at the New York Giants, the best team in the NFL — they have a three-RB attack.
The key to get the best out of Williams is not overwork him, so I can see the temptation to give him some situational work during the remainder of this season.
Don't do it.
Let the man heal all the way.
Check out the NFL power rankings by Bill Simmons of ESPN.com, where he ranks every team in the league from the worst (Detroit) to the best (Tennessee), with copious and irreverent commentary for each.
Where do you figure he placed the Bucs?
Eighth. Ahead of New England, Indy, Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, Green Bay and Minnesota (Sunday's opponent).
I think Simmons is being generous. In fact, so does he:
He closes his blurb with:
"This is about five spots too high for the Buccaneers, but I couldn't figure out a way to rig it differently."
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2008.