This is the last timeout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
   
The starting whistle blows for this new football season in no time—a month and a half from now.
   
Then there will begin a mystery season not a lot unlike the very first one here. No one, no one, knows what to expect, except those sadists who expect the worst all the time.
 
But, in truth, little or nothing much is forecast by most for the Tampa Bay football season ahead (8/15 at Tennessee) after this rest-of-July off then the go-for-it all beginning Aug. 1 with a public practice.
   
Those who engage in that sort of sizing up see the Buckos as likely the weakest of the lot in the National Football League’s Southern Division.
 
Carolina seems to have the most support to win it down here, with New Orleans, Atlanta and the Buckos trailing. Only some Florida-based writer could pick the Buckos to win the division. And that would be the writer figuring to win the lottery as well this year. Yet, the South Division’s stud seems to be Carolina, famous for injuries. 
 
The swamis note the Bucs have no heroes, no superstars, indeed star seekers have jumped on newly acquired Kellen Winslow, who ranks high in part because of his same-name dad. Last big shot tight end the Buc had was Jimmie Giles, a Buc fan now in Tampa, who played on a dandy team that went to the semi-finals of the NFL playoffs. Boy, was he good. I once wrote if quarterback Doug Williams could find Giles, get in the middle and run, they might not catch him until he reached old Malio’s, then on South Dale Mabry. And, that was a fact.  Linda and I now sit between Giles and Williams at the Bucs games of today. Naturally, we know what the next play will be.
 
Anyway, the Buckos-09 are figured by those in the know-alls of being also-rans without a star, with a brand new head coach in Raheem Morris, whose best known players are defensive back Ronde Barber, fifth quarterback Brian Griese who sadly is not likely to be here long and a well-named running back out of Auburn who never has made the stars as forecast, Cadillac Williams. And, if you study them, as you out there in Tribune Land surely do, they are pretty doggone envied. The division isn’t that tough, Tampa is such a terrific home base, the owning Malcolm Glazer Family so want win for the Tampa Bay. They loosen the money belt if convinced to do that.

I mean, they let Jon Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen go rather quickly after a rotten Buc finish last year of 0-4 failing to make the playoffs. They have the dough and the drive.
 
They have a township ready to explode with success, that has hosted four Super Bowls, including the last, magnificently.
 
And now, they, the ownership, surely appears to be attentive, thus the changes in GM and coaching (they did lose unfortunately fine defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to the University of Tennessee where his son became the head coach). The owners also did what many hereabouts wondered why they did not do before, they moved the Buc training camp from a risky drive up-and-back on I-4 to Orlando to the property they bought and made into the NFL’s best-of-all headquarters within sight of Raymond James Stadium. The new home is a fine, new, functional, comfortable place, no longer Number One Buc Place but Number One Buc Palace.

A nice fit, most say, for the home of champions, quite a difference from the Old Number One over by the Tampa International Airport the late Jim Walter let then-Buc owner, Hugh Culverhouse, have at the late Jimmy Kynes’ urging for a song, albeit a short one. One Buc now is about four or five city blocks big immediately south of Martin Luther King Boulevard, west of St. Joe’s Hospital Women’s big deal infirmary. If some one is hurt at a Buc practice, or a fan faints from seeing repeated good play, they can be rushed to St. Joe’s for revival in a matter of minutes.
 
So, Bucko fans, you and I can say the developing, managing, and coaching staffs and their players surely have to strap their shorts tight in that a working-practice area within walking distance of the stadium in which they will be playing their 09-season so very soon.
There is no fan guarantees this go-around. Check the economy. Check the season sales. Not enough to go just to see the pretty Buc cheerleaders cheer and watch them kick their heels up, or be shocked when the pirate ship fires cannons after good Buc deeds, but all the rest of the football cabaret, like winning quickly against a schedule said to be the seventh toughest in the NFL. Popular prediction for the Bucaroonies this season likely will be between 5-11and 7-9.
 
I mean, they Bucs start the season this regular season with Dallas in Tampa, then go to Buffalo, have the New York Giants here, then travel to Washington for the Redskins, to Philadelphia for the Eagles, and return to Tampa for three straight games here, Carolina, New England and Green Bay.
I can tell you a couple of things. Raheem Morris wouldn’t care if the Bucs were playing the Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh Steelers all 16 games.

Got yours strapped on tight, Raheem?