--The Bucs would like to have seen more progress by Gaines Adams, the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft. He seems to have hit the wall in his second season after a fast start and has 5.5 sacks, less than the six sacks he produced as a rookie.
"The kind of progress I would like to see is what everybody talks about and reads about and can't get enough of," coach Jon Gruden said. "That's a guy that's all over the field and just makes you marvel at his play. And I haven't seen enough of that, personally, but that's a standard I have for him. I think when you have an Antonio Bryant or you have a great talent, a guy like a Gaines Adams, you have to really hold him to those standards. Gaines is a great kid, he's doing some great things, he's got a tremendous future, but I want him to be the best. I know he wants to be great. He's had some injuries and all but we want to continue to push him through it and we'd like to see him get better and better and better."
--Gruden studies quarterbacks, and he did a lot of work on JaMarcus Russell when he was coming out of LSU. So far, he likes what he sees of the Raiders' QB.
"He's a man. He's a big-time talent," Gruden said. "He has a huge body, he's got a cannon. It's one of the most beautiful strokes I've ever seen. He can throw it flat-footed right through your front-door hallway, man. He can slam it in there. It's amazing, the workout he has, the arm he possesses. They've had some changing parts, now. Javon Walker got hurt, Ashley Lelie got hurt, their offensive line has had injuries and they're playing a tough conference and a tough schedule like we all are. But his last two outings have been pretty impressive, and all a young guy needs sometimes is a little confidence. People have taken their shots at him, but he's withstood that and he's coming off back-to-back pretty darn good games."
--The Bucs didn't get a break from the NFL when they moved the Eagles-Cowboys game to 4 p.m. Sunday. That means the Eagles will know if their playoff hopes are dashed before they take the field against the Cowboys. Tampa Bay needs a win over Oakland and a Dallas loss to reach the playoffs. But RB Warrick Dunn believes the Eagles will give it their best shot Sunday.
"Yeah, but at the same time that's a rivalry game," Dunn said. "For Philly to beat Dallas and knock those guys out of the playoffs, they would relish that opportunity, so I don't think those guys will lay down. They have a lot of pride, a lot of professionals. They have guys that want to go out and represent also, so they want to go out on a high note."
BY THE NUMBERS: 5.5 -- The team-leading sack number for DE Gaines Adams. The lack of a pass rush has been glaring this season. Adams had six sacks as a rookie last season and did not start until mid-season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is this year. I can't stand talking about next year. I hope that everybody that is a professional deals with their daily work and worries about next year when it's time to." -- Bucs coach Jon Gruden on the number of players who could be playing their last game in a Bucs' uniform.
