Cadillac to return to practice Wednesday

Cadillac Williams will practice with the Bucs Wednesday for the first time since suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee 13 months ago.

Williams is on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He will have up to three weeks to prepare to play before the team has to decide whether to activate him or place him on Injured Reserve. 

"All indications are that the Cadillac is ready to come out of the garage and take some runs,'' coach Jon Gruden said Monday during his radio show.

"I think this guy has a chance to be ready to go quickly. Boy, he could give us a lift.''

Running back Warrick Dunn is questionable for Sunday's game at Dallas with a pinched nerve in neck, Gruden said. 

Comments

[Jay]

In a word - No.

Warrick Dunn will recover, and if he can't go, we still have a VERY good back in Bennett. Caddy has never shown durability or field vision, and after recovering from such a devastating injury, it would be foolish to think he somehow became better. But then again, I don't doubt that the Bucs already know this, so they're going through the motions, letting him get some practice time before sending him on to IR for the rest of the season.

[BEENABUC]

Not to rush the Caddy back but the combo of Caddy and Graham sprinkled in with Dunn. OMG that is sick this O-Line, the Bucs should be able to impose their will down the stretch if Caddy comes back.

[warrenfb12]

If Caddy can come back at 80 percent he would still be the best running back on this team, and it's biggest offensive threat.

[genius]

umm.......graham is the best RB on the team and is a team player. Caddy sucks even when he is healthy. Gruden just likes Chaos and people talking about the Bucs. Don't be fooled, the old worn out hunk o junk will soon be back in the shop

[Tuck]

The O-Line Caddy ran behind wasn't nearly as good as the one the Bucs have now. I can't wait to see how he does with some blocking in front of him...especially with EG as a fullback.

[aj]

Caddy was only the 3rd best back on the team when he was healthy before. That can change, but he has to stop hesitating and hit the damn hole with authority. He looked like DJax at tailback before he got hurt.

Playing him this year would only hurt the team. Practice time helps, but they shouldn't over-extend and put him on the field.

[Leon]

His career is over. Trade him now for a mid to late round draft pick and move on to the next big bust.

[Tom]

Thank God none of you are football executives! Trade Caddy for a mid to late round pick? What??? #1 Caddy has tons of talent and toughness. #2 Which team is going to pick up his salary, yet only give up a garbage pick for him? Makes no sense!

Carnell is not the best RB, it's Graham. But having a talent like Carnell only gives this team a boost. Bring him back only when he's ready.

[Robert]

We need C. Williams period! Graham is a good back and Dunn still has game! However if Williams is ready to play we need to put him in the mix quick! We have a chance to go far in the playoffs this year with home field advantage.Both Williams and Galloway services are needed ASAP!!!

[aj]

Who are you going to make inactive to bring Caddy back? Bennett has only been active a couple games, they've gone with WD and EG most games. So, to bring Caddy back you have to cut Bennett and then inactivate another player. Which one?

Williams won't be 100% this year. It's not worth the risk of further injury. Halfback is the deepest position on the offense. Only LB is deeper on the team. It takes 2 years to come back from this injury. The worst thing you can do is rush Caddy back when you don't even need him.

Mid to late rounder is nuts. He has a ton of talent, just needs to learn to hit the hole with authority. No more dancing in the backfield. His cap number is way too high to trade, even if you got a good offer. Teams can't afford to trade players like that in today's NFL.

Galloway isn't the White Tiger, he's the tin man, has no heart. If he grows a pair and will actually try then they might need him. But if he half asses like against the Saints, he should just stay home. Bucs are 0-1 with him and 5-1 without him. Don't think they are missing him too much, especially with Clayton bouncing back and Bryant getting back to playing shape.

[eric]

it does not matter who is the best back. point is we will have the best running back tandem in the league...4x1000 yd rushers. the wishbone formation looks damn good right about now

[James]

Anybody see DR?

As usual you guys are all over the place, but not one of you see what could be, and here is what you are missing! With Graham's completely unselfish approach, his willingness to play fullback, the Bucs could activate Williams, Dunn, Graham, and a fullback , maybe Askew if he makes it back. Williams is the best pure runner the Bucs have, when he is healthy, but he can't catch the ball out of the backfield very well, but Dunn and Graham sure can. I will spell it out for you; that would mean that they could have 3 very different tailbacks that defenses would have to prepare for. If Williams is healthy, there isn't a downside to it! 'Nuff Said!

Okay Eric, you weren't there when I started typing! You got it!!!

[Backson Jackson]

Make me inactive, I am tired of these big fast guys trying to tackle me. I am scared, and my Mohawk haircut is not cool to my chics back at the highschool.

[dylan]

CADDY!!!! he is the man. i cant believe you are talking bad about a guy that was playing extremely well before he got hurt those first couple of games last year... Caddy i hope you come back and prove everyone wrong.. war eagle baby!

[Jay]

Dylan, those are some lovely pom poms.

[greg]

Give Caddy a chance if he does not produce yardage quickly park him back in the garage!!! Hopefully Warrick will be OK sooner the better

[jj]

How in gods creations do any of YOU know for a fact he wont be 100%??? Do any of you know how hard this guy has worked to get to where he is? Do you have any idea how bad he wants to play? Do you have any clue at all? You are just guessing at best. Sure the guy has had it rough his first few seasons and had some bad luck, but if this is the Carnell I have known personally for 10 years, then you have no idea how strong and god gifted his, I do. I have witnessed it up close and on the side line. SO before you go spouting off that his season is done, and how he is a bust, and how this and that, trade blah blah, give it some time and see what happens.

[aj]

You might actually want to look at his stats before you say how well he was playing. He didn't do very well after his first 3 games as a rookie.

2005 - 434 yards first 3 games, then only 744 the rest of the way.
2006 - 3.5avg, 1TD, 798 rushing yards
2007 - 3.9avg, had 3TD, but 2 fumbles

EG came in and ran for 898 yards and 10TD in 10 games. Just a hair better. Plus he's a better catcher out of the backfield and a much better run and pass blocker.

Dunn is shiftier in the hole, a better pass catcher and a much better pass blocker.

Please, who do you cut to bring him back and who do you inactivate? Josh Johnson? Gilmore? Quincy Black? Stovall? Galloway?

Bucs have no more depth on the O-line, only have 4 corners and safeties. Maybe the long snapper? McCown? DJax? They need every WR they can, same with DL as the pass rush is the team's biggest weakness. Backup LBs are needed for special teams.

When Askew gets back there will only be 2 active tailbacks.

Why risk further injury to bring him back? They don't need him, they need a pass rush. Let him get to 100% before you feed him to the wolves 10 weeks into the season.

[Tim]

After his first 3 games as a rookie he has pretty much been a bust.. Now after suffering a career ending injury you are trying to convince me he will come back better than before the injury ???

No way ...

[DR]

James, you called?
I think Caddy is just an average back in this league. I wouldn't call him a bust, but he didn't live up to his #5 overall selection status. To his credit, not many players do and he was a productive back, just not first round production.
For his sake, I hope he doesn't rush back. I hope he doesn't play this week. The patellar tendon is by far the worst tendon to tear and they better err on the side of caution. Life is more important than a football game and even career. Rob Smith had a couple of huge seasons for the Vikings and retired in his prime even though his team was a super bowl contender. He made a great decision that he doesn't look back on. Maybe its because he got a legit education, but a great decision nonetheless.

[Brandon]

Anybody that thinks Williams has a place on this team has never actually watched him play and is simply in love with his nickname.

He had 3 great games to start his career ans since then? Nothing. He runs east-west, has no power, catch catch a cold, hasn't shown to be a true gamebreaker since week 3 of 2005 and he's constantly hurt. Williams, even if he had never gotten hurt, is the 4th best RB on the team. All 3 backs ahead of Williams have proven to be tougher runners, catch the ball and block better, not fumble as much and avoid injuries better than Williams.

Is he a bust? Sure, most offensive players taken in 05 are... Alex Smith, Ced Benson, Mike Williams, etc etc etc. Time for some of you to face the music and do what those that know football have done long ago... give up on Williams.

[Brandon]

DR:

Williams is toast but he shouldn't retire for the sake of his health, have you ever heard the guy speak? When asked about the alleged descrepencies involving his fake classes he took at Auburn, Williams had something like this to say, "Uhhhh, I ain't never done nothing wrong, all them classes I took was legit". The guy's a complete moron and a terrible RB on top of that. I say he should try and stick in the NFL for as long as he can because he likley has no other discernable talents.

[Brandon]

BTW, those of you making the argument about the OLine... that is BS... if it were true then all of the runners backing up Williams wouldn't have had a mucher higher YPC than Williams during his time here. Even when Williams was out with injury, which has been quite frequently over his career, his backups performed far better as did the team.

And for those of you that actually think Williams is a breakaway threat, Williams had two runs in his entire career over 40 yards, Earnest Graham has 3 this season alone.

When Gruden drafted Williams he was thinking he was getting the next Charlie Garner, turns out he got the next Charlie Brown.

[Arun]

Not only is the O line better but so is the QB. When Caddy went down, Garcia was just getting a grasp on this offense, now teams won't be able to stack up against Caddy.

Trade deadline has past - it's either IR or active roster.

Hope Dunn is alright but lets remember what a long season it is, there's no reason to rush anyone back with the depth we have.

[DR]

Brandon, if you have read any of these blogs, you would know that I think Caddy is way overrated. There are a bunch of people here who do have way too much love for the guy. Just because the guy doesn't speak well doesn't mean he's a bad guy. Trust me, Caddy isn't the only guy in this league who has taken BS classes. Not many people, even with educations, would speak fluently when confronted with personal issues, i.e.e congressmen, the freaking president can't even speak without sounding like an idiot.
Don't be a player hater, hate the game. These guys have been getting freebies since pop warner probably. If someone offered me an A in a class, I'd probably take it. I did in high school. A lot of college courses are horse crap.
Let's not forget the sad fact of the system- Caddy and the athletes make the NCAA a multi billion dollar industry, not us people who are there for the education.
So don't dog players out for their degrees in BS while sporting their school's gear- feeding the machine with your hard earned cash.

[opinion master]

I didn't read all the comments, but let's not forget the revolving door across the offensive line as well as QB when someone posted the 'stats' of c. Williams. Stats lie, or at the very least, do not tell the whole story.

Did we all forget the 8-0 in the box against the guy?

Caddy is an elite back, and yes better then Dunn(though not in his prime) and Graham, and I like both those guys.

[migget]

come on he runs the ball like RAY CHARLES they have there best run game going right now with EG and WD !rb's are not the problem they need a big play wr not, old im always hurt joey.fire jon gruden.

[jeff]

we need him back to go to the next level in the playoffs if healthy

[jeff]

you talk like a soccer mom when talking about football migget

[Jay]

What's a migget?

[IMISS_No47]

The guy hasn't taken a snap in over a year. All of a sudden he's just supposed to suit up and play on Sundays? Not to mention the Bucs have a good ground game and have a good RB they can't even activate. There's no possibility he's coming back this season - zilch, nada, no way. The wise move, the one that is being made, is too keep him around as long as they can (3 weeks) as an insurance policy against disaster (2 or 3 RB's injured) and then place him on IR. He'll have time to go to minicamps, training camp, and preseason games to get used to playing football again. Caddy might return to form as our premiere RB, but no need to rush!

A bust. his career is over. Finished.

[Ra'Shad]

I like the lac alot but i'd rather see him next year, we have graham, dunn, and we need to start giving bennett some touches. all three of those guys are capable of taking care of business.

Go Caddy Go

[Tom]

If Cadillac is truly healthy, you HAVE to keep a roster spot open for him and not put him on IR. This is a long and grueling season. You never know if we will get an injury to Graham or Dunn during our playoff run. If one of them go down, it would be a huge plus to have a healthy Caddy taking snaps.

[tjj]

aj
looks like your job of sanitation worker picking up garbage at 1 buc place has paid off you seem to know more about caddy then anyone including his mama how did that happen

[Hardhat0038]

OMG! I just don't get how you MORONS can keep telling Gruden how to run his team.....Sheesh the man does more with less than anyone in the NFL. You people are stupid, I swear I hope you all use condoms...there are enough idiots in the world

[Chris in bradenton]

Cadillac is one of the best performing backs I think I have ever seen. Period. He had an offensive line that was horrible last season and he got hurt. Oh my God what a surprise. Graham is great don't think I am trying to say he isn't but think about it, we have no FB in sight and Graham is good at it!!!! Dunn is injured and a pinched nerve in your neck sucks I can tell you from esperience. If Williams is healthy he will be a devestating offensive tool, if not his comeback should be put off for a few games. Oh and now that they cut Matt McCoy we don't have to cut another player for the roster, and de-activate whomever you need to for this backfield combo to emerge. Mark my words it will be awesome.

hes the man cant wait to see wut he has

[aj]

Or about 30 seconds cutting and pasting his stats from Google. But, they did back up what I was thinking. I'd love to work at One Buc place, though. I won't deny Buc football is my passion. I hang my Repus Bowl ticket on my wall as a badge of honor.

For those that don't understand a knee reconstruction like this. An athlete can return to running anywhere from 6-12 months. The knee is usually stronger than before the surgery, but it is also tighter. It's like having to learn to run, cut and most importantly, trust the knee again.

A player might look physically good, but it takes another 6 months to a year to become comfortable on the knee again. NFL players don't have time to think, just react from instinct. You can't do that if you don't fully trust both your wheels.

You take an already tentative runner and give him this surgery, you have to give him time to get his confidence back. Being tentative will only get Caddy hurt again.

For those that say bring him back, it's simple. Who do you cut and who do you inactivate?

BTW, the Bucs have a ton of talent. Might be the most talented defensive back 7 they've ever had, definitely the most talented o-line. 3 excellent halfbacks, a pro bowl talented FB in Askew, 3 nice tight ends.

If Clayton and Bryant play to their potential they are not hurting at WR, especially if Ike and Galloway are back. QB and D-Line are the 2 biggest questions, but Garcia is looking lively again and seems to have shaken off the injuries. They've got several over-achievers on D-Line, who play very tough against the run.

[Josh]

Oh how I love the Caddy haters. The haters love to blame him for stacking the box against the WORST OL in the history of the NFL. I can remember the game he got injured in against Carolina and he was tearing them up before he went out. He will be back 100% if not this year then next and we will have one of the best backfields in the league, and he won't have to have 35+ carries a game with everyone who's in place now. But hey, I'm sure when he's running over backs and safety's again you'll be all over his nuts again. "Oh man, I always knew Caddy would make it back." Just remember how quick some of you sad fans can quit on the team. You're the same ones to leave the stadium 20 mins early if the Bucs are down. Some of you make me sick.

[Veteran]

AJ, we have three more weeks to decide whether we have to put him on IR. If he turns out fully healthy, how can you justify not using him? He is a very talented back and your #4 pick overall. It just makes this running game more potent.

If he's healthy and we are making a strong push for the post-season, I say put Jackson on the practice squad. Cadillac gets on the roster (may dress some games, may not. like bennett) and Michael Bennett returns kicks.

With the state of the WRs health, that can't happen immediately. But if the WRs get healthy, Dexter Jackson is very expendable.

[Jay]

Chris in Bradenton,

1. Caddy getting hurt had nothing to do with the o-line, as he shredded his knee in the open field, not in a pile.

2. If the o-line was so terrible, why did Earnest Graham earn so many yards and touchdowns behind them, when Caddy couldn't?

3. Dunn pinched a nerve in his upper back, not his neck. And even then, we still have Bennett on the roster, who is damn good in his own right.

4. When Matt McCoy was cut for being an idiot, Brian Clark was promoted to the active roster. He's the #87 you saw picking up 1st downs last Sunday night. So, sorry, no open roster spot there.

5. Jameel Cook is a very fine FB, but he only had 4 days to re-learn the playbook after a 3 year hiatus. You might want to cut him some slack before supplanting him with your starting RB. The good news is that with such versatility, the Bucs were able to use a 2 back wishbone formation to confuse the hell out of the DB's. Caddy's involvement does nothing to improve this situation.

[BN]

Move B. Clark back to the practice squad to make room for Caddy. Either that or keep practicing Caddy for the unlikely event Graham or Dunn get hurt in the next 3 weeks.

Graham and Dunn can catch better than Caddy, but Caddy is the only back on the roster that provides every component of an elite RB. He can run outside the tackles better than Graham because he's quicker, he can run between the tackles (like all our backs), and he has the leg strength to punch it in the red zone (unlike Dunn). Graham is good and has a good stiff arm, but any run Graham can do, Caddy can do as well or better.

[Brian]

No one cares about the Bucs. They are overrated and boring.

St Pete is a baseball town. GO RAYS!!!!

[Itch]

DR got stuck in a sewer.

[Itch]

Caddy needs another year to recoup. He may practice light, but he is not going to be ready to come back.

He should not be traded like some idiots said, but he really is not needed at this time because we have three great backs that do not get enough handles to begin with.

Come back slowly caddy.

[Itch]

Go Rays!!!!

Go AWAY Brian!!!