Well, well, well -- lookee who's 2-0 in this second week of NFL play.
Not the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones is probably having a Texas-sized meltdown right now.
Not the Minnesota Vikings. The Return of the Favre isn't working out so well thus far.
Not the Philadelphia Eagles either.
It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's right, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 2-0.
I'll wait while you ponder that.
Oh -- and not only are they 2-0, they're 2-0 with some swagger, baby.
Who knew?
As a franchise-long fan of the Bucs, the one thing I've learned is to manage your expectations, one way or the other. So this hot start and that spark of attitude that seems to have permeated the team is a terrific surprise -- and I'm diggin' it.
Even Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who I respect greatly, and who predicted that the Bucs would have a sub-par season, had this to say on his Twitter stream early this afternoon: (@SI_PeterKing) Josh Freeman's looking like a fifth-year playoff quarterback. So confident.
Watching young Mr. Freeman handle himself during the post-game press interviews (looking very put-together in a suit/tie combo) it was evident that confidence extends beyond the field.
And while I am always thrilled when seeing the Bucs score well from the offensive side of the ball (you longtime fans know what I'm talking about, don't you) the fact that Mike Williams is tearing it up for my fantasy team, The Ignorant Sluts, is making me think about, at the least, adding him to my Holiday Card list.
Sure it's early in the season. Things and fortunes can change on a dime. But for a team with low-to-no expectations placed upon it, this quick Buccaneer start is cause for joy in Mudville. (Yes, I just combined sports metaphors. It works.)
Oh -- in checking my thesaurus for other words with the same meaning as "swagger", i noted one in particular that caught my eye.
Swashbuckling.
Perfect.
(BTW: It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I almost wrote this little piece in Pirate-Speak in honor of the day and the Bucs. You're welcome.)