Last season, Smith ranked in the top eleven in kick return average (29.1) and punt return average (10.1). Unfortunately he was forced to miss the end of the season after a series of concussions, but with that behind him, let’s hope he can get right back to where he left off when the 2010 season gets underway.

                                Warrick Dunn – 186 CAR, 786 YDS, 2 TDS

                                Ernest Graham – 132 CAR, 563 YDS, 4 TDS

                                Cadillac Williams – 63 CAR, 233 YDS, 4 TDS

During game one of the season, it was obvious we would be employing a running back by committee approach, using mainly Warrick Dunn as the receiving/exterior running back and using Ernest Graham as the main smash mouth back and featured goal line back.  

Through the first 6 weeks of the season, sans the Chicago Bears game in Week 3, that tandem rushed for over 100 yards in every game.  Warrick Dunn rushed for over 100 yards once in Week 6 vs Carolina (115), and Ernest Graham rushed for over 100 yards twice, in Week 2 vs Atlanta (116) and in Week  4 vs Green Bay (111). 

I personally was quite excited how the combo was producing productive yards in just about every contest in the first half of the season.  Then Ernest Graham suffered a season ending injury in Week 11 and the dynamic of the running back situation drastically changed.  The irony was, the guy Ernest Graham originally replaced to receive his first real shot as an NFL running back, Cadillac Williams, was now back on the 53 man roster after his season ending injury in 2007. 

We got back to our 100 yard rushing status in Week 12 vs the awful Lions, with Warrick Dunn picking up 90 and Cadillac Williams getting his first real work of the season in garbage time of that game. 

After the Lions game, we didn’t rush for 100 yards as a team any more times throughout the season.  Warrick Dunn was experiencing an injury that was hindering him a bit, Ernest Graham was on the IR, even with Clifton Smith’s success returning the ball head coach Jon Gruden didn’t trust him because of a few of his fumbles on returns, and Cadillac was still rounding into game shape. 

In week 17 against the Raiders, a game that would have ultimately put the Bucs in the playoffs, Cadillac Williams was starting to show real signs of life, and the ability that made him a top 5 NFL draft pick.  At the end of a 27 yard run in the 4^th quarter, Cadillac Williams went down, and never got back up.  CBS was picking up the audio feed of what Caddy was saying, and it wasn’t pretty.  He had suffered a similar injury to his one in 2007, this time to his left knee as opposed to his right.  This injury killed the team, the crowd, and ultimately the game as we let the Raiders beat us on our home field, in a must win game (still very bitter about this). 

Personally I thought the unit as a whole was quite efficient, and it was just some untimely injuries to all three guys that prohibited the team from ever being able to use them all in a way that would have made us better than a 15^th ranked rushing team.   Warrick Dunn is a year older, and the early news on Caddy is that he won’t be ready until the 2^nd half of next season.  That leaves Ernest Graham, possibly Clifton Smith and whoever else we look at in Free Agency or the draft to fight for yardage next year behind our up and coming offensive line. 

Grade – B -

I was hoping that the league would take notice of Smith’s numbers and not select Devin Hester solely because of the name, and it appears the fans and the players and coaches took notice. 

The one player I’m dissapointed to not see on the roster is Mike Linebacker Barrett Ruud.  He is 4th in the league in tackles with 117 and has contributed 3 sacks, 2 INT’s and 8 passes defended.  Patrick Willis is a flashier player, but I think Ruud deserved the spot. 

One guy who I was hoping would make it, but didn’t, was WR Antonio Bryant.  I can’t justifiably argue his stats against the other NFC starting WR’s (Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Roddy White & Steve Smith), but just hope that Bryant gets named as an alternate.  He also has a good chance to lock up the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.  He is currently sitting at 74 catches for 1,044 yards and 6 td’s including the years sure fire catch of the year.