Pittman hints at a consistent rushing threat What to make of Michael Pittman? I’ve never quite warmed to the guy to be brutally honest, for a variety of reasons but after three 100-yard plus efforts in his last four games, it’s time I think to reflect on the effort he has given since serving his deserved sentence as punishment from the league for actions off the field. Pittman’s misdemeanours have been well discussed elsewhere and have hopefully been put behind him at last, and he is very much in the last chance saloon both with the Bucs and the NFL as a whole. Since missing the first three games of the season, all of which were lost with a pathetic offensive showing, he has bounced on to the scene and given us a spark in the backfield that I don’t think any of us anticipated. Five things I think 1. I think that in the “Must Win” games column, this weeks clash with the Panthers tops the list. Not only because they are a division rival, but also because I personally hate them intensely, a fact you may have already gathered if you read this rubbish every week. I hated them last year when they were winning, I hate them this year when they are losing – I do not discriminate. I just hate them. We have to win, if only for my own state of mind. I will get up half an hour earlier on Sunday so I can hate them for longer in the day. 2. I think the image of Joe Jurevicius in the end zone is a sight for sore eyes. Is it really 14 months since that game in Philadelphia? Now we finally have him back it’s important we make up for lost time and get the ball to him as often as possible. It appears at last our receiver corps actually carry a threat – even Galloway’s nearly fit (again) for god’s sake. 3. Ten games into the season and the kick-off return barren spell of 28 years and counting continues – coincidentally this is the same time span that has elapsed since Man City last won a trophy. As a fan of both teams I like to draw such bizarre comparisons as this as they both appear to be spookily entwined, and the Bucs and City seem just as far away as ever from reversing the curse. 4. Sorry to go off on an aside but is it me or are the Manning family possibly the dumbest looking group I’ve ever seen, and do for the south of America what Ron Artest does for public relations – “this here’s my paaaaa, this here’s my brother Payyyton and this here’s our Eliiiiiiii.” Great football players no doubt but they don’t exactly look like the sharpest tools in the box and wouldn’t have looked out of place playing alongside Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy. And considering Peyton earns $100million and Eli a paltry $50m, how come Paaaaa only gets an end zone seat 4 rows up for his son’s debut – was the seating plan too complex for them or has Paaa already gone into hiding in NY? 5. For Christ sake can we all stop mentioning the dreaded P word? The more it is referred to, the more likely we are to cock things up this week and put the subject to bed. Let’s kick the Panthers arrogant asses first and then see where we are in the standings. I refuse to mention the dreaded P word until we at least reach 500 for the season as it seems illogical to be in any sort of contention when our record is 4-6. It’s taken Michael Pittman three seasons but finally he appears to have cemented his place as a bona fide back in the eyes of the Tampa area. We’ve seen flashes of what he can do, notably in the Super Bowl, but then when our expectation level has been raised he’s slipped back again. In Pittman’s defense our porous offensive line and spotty offensive play has certainly not helped his cause, and last season he could point to having other things on his mind when like the Bucs, he played like he’d been kicked in the nuts just before the game. What Pittman has shown us this year more than others, is the ability to hit the whole at the right time and show a little more patience in waiting for his blockers to set up before bursting through the gap created. Maybe John Gruden has finally gotten into his ear, or maybe Pittman has matured to a significant degree, but whatever the cause the Bucs are certainly reaping the benefit as Pittman’s impact has set up the play action pass and kept defenses guessing, when previously they would have bet the house that a pass was coming on certain downs when the Bucs had the ball. Pittman’s impact has been a key factor in all of our four victories and if we are to raise ourselves back to respectability, then his will be a key role in this process. He man not be everybody’s idea of a fan favourite but we cannot deny his importance to us at present. The question remains that if we’d had Pittman in the backfield for the Skins, Seahawks and Raiders games, would we have dropped all three as pathetically as we did? When Pittman and the rest of the Bucs step onto the filed in that doghole in North Carolina this weekend they must be ready to meet the physical challenge that lies ahead. Like ourselves the Panthers have picked up some momentum recently and will be a much different proposition than earlier in the season. This will be a competitive match-up and will likely go down to the wire. I’d love to confidently tip the Bucs for this one but do have nagging doubts about our strength up front and ability to win in a hostile environment. It’s a game that’s harder to pick than a broken nose, and in such instances Special Teams comes to the fore. We’ve got FUAT at the kicker position so if we are reliant on him having to make a kick in the fourth quarter, then we are in the deep smelly. Another totally biased vote for the Bucs 21-20, with the proviso from that prediction that we are not going to be relying on a FUAT field goal.