"The key statistic is scoring, so obviously scoring in the red zone is a must," Garcia said. "By the time you get the ball inside the 20-yard line, you don't want to settle for field goals. You want to be able to put touchdowns on the board. We didn't have a whole lot of opportunities in the last game to be in the red zone and to get touchdown drives going. Obviously, our yards-per-pass attempt is not real good now. I think what can improve is our completion percentage; run after the catch helps sometimes. There are a lot of areas that we can improve upon. I think that's what we have to focus on, finding a way to better ourselves."

--The Bucs are the only team to make a trade before the NFL deadline in the past three or four years. They will look again, most likely for a receiver like the Lions' Roy Williams.

"Nobody makes trades," Gruden said. "I think we're the only team that's made a trade in the last 10 years at the trade deadline. Nobody makes trades. It's fun to talk about. The reality is there are not many trades that happen. We'll always be open for work here, but that doesn't mean there are a lot of willing partners. Making trades at midseason, let's be honest, is a tall order to get somebody in here and get them ready to play in your system. This is a little bit different than any other pro sport. The NBA, sometimes they can suit up and figure it out with 24 seconds to shoot it. Major League Baseball, you're still playing third base, you're hitting fifth here instead of third, it's not culture shock. So there are some reasons why I think trades don't happen. It's just hard on both sides, I think."

--Carolina DE Julius Peppers is back to being Julius Peppers. After a lackluster 2007 season, he switched to RDE from the left side and has recorded a sack in each of his last three games. What does it mean to the Bucs?

"Yeah, if you're the left tackle. You wake up and say, "Damn it, they moved him to the right side," Gruden said. "He's a great player and he can rush anywhere. He's great on his feet. They'll drop him off in zone and he can run like a cat. I've seen him chase some plays down and his pursuit ability is rare. He makes some of the darnedest plays and he's a great physical talent. They've kind of zeroed in on what they want him to do and he's doing it well."

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 - The number of consecutive wins the Panthers have in Tampa.

QUOTE TO NOTE: ""I'm a thrill seeker, you know?" -- Bucs coach Jon Gruden, on his desire for more big plays in the passing game.