Sometimes two, three, even four such quotes at a time.

That's why it was refreshing to hear Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia at least acknowledge not only the significance of Sunday's home date against New Orleans but the totality of a three-game NFC South Division paddle-wheel -- vs. the Saints, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons -- upon which he and his teammates are about to embark.

"I don't think it's wrong to look at what we have in front of us the next three weeks, just so long as we know where our focus has to be: this week, this game," Garcia said. "We have three division opponents and it's all very tight. Any of the four is capable of winning the division, depending on the streak they go on. It's important to realize what we have ahead and the opportunity we have."

Whether they're as candid at the division's other venues as Garcia is uncertain. What cannot be debated is the wide-open nature of the South with five games remaining in the 2008 season.

Two games separate the first-place Bucs (8-3) and last-place Saints (6-5), but all that can change over the next three weeks. For Tampa Bay, the pending three-game gauntlet will define what's to become of the season.

The Panthers (8-3) are locked with the Bucs in a tie for first, but have a couple divisional losses (one at Tampa). The surprising Falcons (7-4) are a game back and have the easiest schedule of the four, based on remaining opponents' current records.

"We're sitting here at 6-5, scratching and clawing, and last in the division," Saints Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. "There are other divisions [the NFC North and AFC West] where you'd be tied for first."

New Orleans opened the season Sept. 7 with a rousing 24-20 beating of Tampa Bay at the Superdome, as the Saints rang up 438 yards of offense, including 343 through the air, and sent the Bucs home as the next-to-last ranked defense in the NFL after one week.

Quarterback Drew Brees come in hot once again, an MVP candidate on pace to eclipse 5,000 yards passing and challenge Dan Marino's single-season record for that category. Tampa Bay's defense, though, is not the same bunch that surrendered a trio of big touchdown plays. The Bucs have the No. 2-ranked defense in the NFL, and second-best unit against the pass.

"We know what happened last time," safety Tanard Jackson said. "I think we'll put a little different spin to the game, as far as defense. We won't just sit in man-to-man all day."

The Bucs, in fact, probably will play their more conventional Tampa 2 zone against Brees, but the man-to-man wrinkles (and accompanying blitzes) that coordinator Monte Kiffin weaved into the system last offseason have started to take hold.

"It's the same defense, but maybe we've gotten a little bit better," said cornerback Ronde Barber, who Wednesday was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two-interception, one-touchdown performance at Detroit. "Guys are more familiar with what they're doing."

Now the Bucs will match that familiarity against opponents they know very well.

Three straight weeks.

"We've worked hard to get where we are," Coach Jon Gruden said.

No small part of that effort was storming back from 21- and 17-point deficits to beat Kansas City and Detroit, respectively. Those two teams, of course, are a combined 1-21 this season.

"We're getting ready to play some teams you just can't do that against," center Jeff Faine said.

But first things first.

"I'm only concentrating on New Orleans," veteran linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "If we talk about all three, we'll lose."

Told ya.