Did someone not tell the Bucs it was 1pm kickoff?  Or perhaps Rod Marinelli had a cunning plan to lock some of the key players in their dressing rooms to enable the Lions to jump out to an early lead.

But just like all of Wile E.Coyote’s dastardly plans, Road Runner came good in the end and having spotted Detroit a 17-0 lead, the Bucs took the rest of the game 38-3 for another victory.  Yes there were mistakes, Clifton Smith’s customary fumble and a Jeremy Trueblood facemask, but it was a win, and a win is a win.

And Cadillac got a chance to come back.  Who cares that he gained less than two yards a carry?  The Bucs were just running clock and the Lions were playing 13 men in the box at the time.  He is back and it is a tribute to the incredible effort and hard work he has put in over the past 13 months that he was even out there.  It was a real game scrimmage and he will be the better for it.

And then you have the Lions, or “non-league Detroit” as one soccer fan put it over here in the UK.  They are the worst NFL team I have ever seen and I have 13 of Leeman Bennett’s 1986 Buccaneer games on DVD.  Daunte Culpepper’s pathetic attempt at a tackle on Ronde’s interception summed it up.  They really could go 0-16 when you look at the rest of the schedule.

For the Bucs, we could do with Atlanta probably beating Carolina in the late game and then a few Saints injuries on Monday night.  Not serious ones, just enough for them to miss the trip to Tampa next weekend.

This just in - update on the Lions’ schedule - they will now be playing The Citadel next weekend.