Rah said that the Bucs are the best team in the NFC. Sure, he had a smile on his face when he said it. And the actual numbers suggest that Atlanta holds that distinction by the slightest of margins. Still, the Bucs are 4-2. Hear me—your Bucs are 4-2!

How about that first half? First and goal at the six served up by our defense. In the blink of an eye, our offense had turned that into first and goal from Dale Mabry. Penalties? We may just have been the best in the NFC at stacking up the penalty yards in the first half yesterday.

The first half wasn’t all bad. At least we learned the new punter is consistent.

Then the second half—kudos to the coaching staff for adjustments at halftime. Kudos to LeGarrette Blount for giving the team some spark. Kudos to the defense for plugging some holes, and slowing down that pack mule Stephen Jackson.

Good, Bad and Ugly? You betcha. GOOD: Number 5. Josh Freeman is on his way to a very bright future. Buc lovers and haters alike have to see that. I’m thrilled that as a Bucs fan, I get to see this story unfold. Most telling to me was that he didn’t play well in the first half, and he turned it around. That’s something for the young man’s tank. BAD: Our defending the run. No surprise. We’re padding the stats of a lot of runningbacks this season. It reminds me of the days of Barry Saunders. Just about every Saunders highlight reel of him breaking tackles and running wild—you saw orange and white defenders. End of this year, how many other teams highlight reels will our guys have large supporting roles?  UGLY: 36K. That’s the crowd that showed up to see the best team in the NFC at home? Pitiful. I’m telling you, there IS more support for the Bucs on the road than at home. Good that we’re going to Arizona next weekend—probably more Bucs fans out there. A personal note from the preacher to those laying around the house in Tampa and St. Pete on Sunday afternoons—you’re missing the advent of one of the NFL’s next QB greats. And he’s in pewter, red and white. See ya tomorrow.