BUCS COLUMN

Caddy Will Get The Ball, But ... Not Now

By JOE HENDERSON

Published: Aug 24, 2007

It no doubt would make everyone feel better if Cadillac Williams got the ball 20 times Saturday night at Miami and ripped 115 yards and a couple of touchdowns. We could all pretend it matters while we celebrate the "return" of Caddy to the land of dominant running backs.

But, of course, that won't happen because he'll be lucky to touch the ball more than a couple of times in the third of an interminable four-game exhibition season. At least that's what Jon Gruden says.

"He won't carry the ball a lot against Miami, he just won't," Gruden said.

If nothing else, you have to admire Gruden's consistency at not giving his star running back the ball in these faux games. He has gotten the call only four times in two games this summer (for 3 yards), but that's not unusual. That's the same total he had all of last preseason, and as a rookie he got the ball just 12 times in the practice games.

There are questions about him now though - about his durability, his health, his overall game. Cadillac's production was off by 380 yards last season and more than a half-yard per carry, although there were mitigating circumstances. He was often hurt and running behind a suspect line and a jittery rookie quarterback. He missed the last two games because of a sprained foot.

"We could have had Jim Brown or Gale Sayers in their prime and it wouldn't have been real good," Gruden said.

A lot of those questions could be answered simply by turning him loose Saturday, but what would it prove? And is it worth the risk?

Looks Good In Practice

If he ripped up a knee in a meaningless scrimmage - excuse me, preseason game - or took a physical beating because the Bucs were shuffling offensive linemen to get a look before cut-down day, the season could be lost before it even begins.

And besides, Gruden says, he already has seen enough.

"We like what we see out of him out here," Gruden said, as the practice field at the Bucs training facility baked in the background. "You can judge a back in 9-on-7 between the tackles. You can give him a lot of blitz pickup work. You can detail him in the passing game and work on his receiving skills."

It's not unusual for top running backs to get little work in the practice games, a development to which Earnest Graham and Kenneth Darby scream, "Thank you! Thank you!"

But seriously, San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't played a game in August since 2005. Seattle's Shaun Alexander has run five times in the Seahawks' two exhibition games for 7 yards. So it is with Caddy.

There are all sorts of stats that will prove his worth. A couple of the better ones: The Bucs are 7-1 when he rushes for 100 yards; they are 9-0 when he carries at least 21 times.

"The guy is a rookie of the year who set an NFL record exploding on the scene there," Gruden said. "If we can just give him 15 to 18 quality looks a week, he'll be just fine."

Have To Prove It

It's not as simple as just handing him the ball, though, as everyone discovered last year. Opposing defensive coordinators read those numbers, too, and they concentrated on stopping the run, stopping Caddy, deciding to take their chances with Bruce Gradkowski. The strategy worked.

"You don't have to be a genius on the other side of the ball. They're going to make you do something you don't want to do. We had an inexperienced right side, a left tackle that was struggling a bit, and a rookie quarterback. They're going to make you throw it," Gruden said.

"You can say, 'Be committed to the run,' but there are certain fronts where they have you outnumbered. They've got players over there, too. Those are looks, certainly, that Peyton Manning is not handing the ball to Joseph Addai [and running] into. If they get bump-and-run, single safety, and eight-man fronts, they're shredding you. They're throwing it."

That's where Jeff Garcia comes in. If he brings the Bucs' passing game back to the land of the living, it can only make Caddy more effective.

So goes the theory.

"We still have to prove that," Gruden said.

You could say you develop effectiveness in exhibition games, but Gruden counters that you can do that just as well in practice, too. And since he makes those decisions, consider it done.

By the way, Caddy isn't worried about it.

"I know it's a 16-game season," he said. "I know I'll get a lot of work."

Eventually. Just not now.