Leftwich "Annointed" By Fox TV Crew

You can declared the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback competition over. We have a winner, as far as the Fox NFL broadcast crew is concerned. The Tampa Bay-Miami preseason game brought the "first team" to town Thursday night for a wet, thunder and lightning-infested contest that left Joe Buck and Troy Aikman with too much dead time on their hands in the broadcast booth. The 10-6 snoozer of a win by Miami, did little to decide the starting quarterback for the Bucs. But before any of the action started, Buck, Aikman and even sideline reporter Pam Oliver told the nation that there is a winner in the on-going, never-ending contest between Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown. Oliver chided head coach Raheem Morris to come clean: "Everyone knows it's Leftwich," she said to Morris before the kickoff. Raheem was Raheem, the good and gracious young head coach, didn't fall into the Fox-trap. Then Buck and Aikman chimed in: "All signs point to Byron Leftwich," Buck said. Aikman agreed. But as the game began, and developed, Leftwich was less than impressive, overthrowing open receivers, looking pretty much the way he has looked throughout the preseason. Leftwich's performance, or lack thereof, then got Buck and Aikman to wondering and "what ifing." "We're going to look at Josh Freeman and say he should be the quarterback in week one," Buck said after watching the display from Leftwich then Luke McCown. Aikman recalled his growing pains in Dallas when he was thrown directly into the fire as a rookie quarterback "I did (start as a rookie)," Aikman said. "He (Josh Freeman) would have a better supporting cast than I did." While the quarterback play was discomforting at best, Cadillac Williams returned for the first time since his second patella-tendon blowout and dazzled the damp crowd. During the rain delay, he was able to spend some air-time with Oliver. "I'm excited to be out there," Williams said during the 45-minute lightning delay. "There's no pain, I'm confident. Yes, there was a time when I had my doubts (about his return). You question yourself but at the end of the day, you keep pushin'...." Williams pushed his way for 54 yards on nine carries and brought life and hope to an offense that still has no clear-cut leader at the quarterback position. The starting offensive line was together for the first time and created the holes for Williams and created hope that perhaps it won't matter who wins the quarterback job. But for now, although Buck, Aikman and Oliver have made their decision, the vote that counts the most, the vote from Raheem Morris, remains a secret.