Bucs Are Close-Knit Bunch Who Show Their Support The Tampa Tribune, published 1 October 2007 Things suddenly got awfully quiet in Bank of America Stadium late in the first quarter Sunday afternoon. Cadillac Williams had been sprinting up the right sideline on his way to an 18-yard gain when he was knocked hard to the ground by Carolina strong safety Chris Harris. Caddy's right leg seemed to get twisted underneath him on the tackle. He lay still. The injury cart appeared. Things got quieter. This was bad. And then, from across the field, Caddy's teammates ran toward him and surrounded the cart. They said words of encouragement as medics loaded the injured running back onto the flatbed for the ride to the locker room. They did the same thing in the last exhibition game when receiver Paris Warren suffered a season-ending injury. It's something you don't see that often in the National Football League. 'It's real. We're all family here,' Bucs safety Jermaine Phillips said afterward. 'When your brother gets hurt, you feel that pain, too. Around here, that's what we are - we're brothers, we're one big family. We show our support in any way we can.' They showed it in multiple ways on this day. They showed it emotionally by surrounding Caddy with support. And they showed it on this scoreboard, whomping Carolina 20-7 - a team that had beaten the Bucs seven of the last eight times they played. That score Sunday doesn't begin to describe how one-sided this game was. They showed it when Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham came off the bench to fill Caddy's spot and combined for 138 yards on 32 carries. Pittman had 90 of those yards. Graham had 48 of them and a touchdown. They showed it with a defensive domination of Carolina. The Panthers had just 176 total yards through the first 57 minutes before driving 60 yards for a pity TD in the closing seconds. These Bucs are 3-1 and atop the NFC South. They are one of the positive surprises of the league and there are many, many good stories inside that locker room. But perhaps the best story is the all-for-one feeling and chemistry that manifests itself a little more each week. 'I think everybody likes each other,' linebacker Barrett Ruud said. 'I really can't think of a guy on this team I don't genuinely like being around. That helps out. You want to play hard for guys you care for.' Caddy's wasn't the only injury Sunday. Left tackle Luke Petitgout left the game, also with a knee injury. Cornerback Brian Kelly didn't dress because of a groin injury. That's three key guys out of an important divisional road game. That's bad news for a team that has to play at defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis next week. But the way they responded Sunday after the injuries also shows more than a little moxie in the locker room. You saw how Graham and Pittman stepped up at running back. Donald Penn was pushed into service at Petitgout's position and played well. Phillip Buchanon was all over the field in covering Kelly's absence. That depth was missing a year ago and they'll need every bit of it. Caddy was on crutches after the game, his right leg encased in a brace. They'll announce today how bad it is, but everyone seems to already know - including Caddy. 'All I know is, it's severe,' said Williams who reportedly suffered a torn patellar tendon and will be examined by noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., today. Receiver Ike Hilliard was even more succinct than Williams when asked about the injury. 'It sucks, man,' he said. Injuries are part of it, though, and the best teams overcome. Remember how the defense used to fall apart whenever Kelly was out? He is still an important player, but Buchanon is playing at a high level. And even with the starting left tackle out who protects his blind side, quarterback Jeff Garcia wasn't sacked. 'For three weeks in a row we've played pretty good,' Bucs coach Jon Gruden said, and the numbers back him up. Since the opening loss at Seattle, the Bucs have outscored three opponents - two of them divisional games - by a combined 75-24. They have allowed just one touchdown in the last two weeks. Granted, Carolina was playing with its backup quarterback, but the Bucs swarmed David Carr the way a good team should. The opening drive of the game - 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:17 - wound up with a touchdown. And Garcia threw for 17 yards to fullback B.J. Askew on the first play after Caddy got hurt, a metaphorical 'we're moving on' statement to both the crowd and the team. That drive, too, wound up with a touchdown. So what do you like in a team? Efficiency? Toughness? Balanced play? The Bucs have all that. They also have a level head. 'We are nothing but a 3-1 ballclub right now,' said Hilliard, who had seven receptions for 114 yards. They are a little more than that. You see the caring and you sense the chemistry and genuine feelings. You see how the backups step forward and perform when it's their time. They've got it going. 'It's a group effort,' center John Wade said. 'It's a close-knit group. Everybody buys into what we're doing now. Who cares what happened last year? These are the guys we're fighting with and it's working out so far.'