Listening to our juggernaut program BUMPER TO BUMPER as I am wont to do I completely agree with Dan's proclomation the Tampa game is another must-win scenario for Our Favorite Football Team. I said that repeatedly into the Arizona contest and had it "at the bottom of my notebook" for this one. To stay relevant in this tough-ass conference and to establish a cushion for the final six (two against Chicago and Green Bay and at Houston and St. Louis) we need to beat a 2-and-4 operation like Tampa.

We were drilling said squad last year and choked away a 17-point second-half lead. ADRIAN was running all over them, and we were making plays against their defense. Then we couldn't stop JOSH FREEMAN and BLOUNT smoked us in the running game, we panicked and lost the freaking game. We are markedly better and more professional this year and it's not happening Thursday night.

I taped "Vikings Live at Winter Park" today, and these days are awesome because I get to be at Winter Park for like 3 1/2 hours, pick the brains of the most Elite Football Minds, watch some practice and totally get squared away for the lesson at hand. I learned two things today most of us already knew but received confirmation -- Tampa's defense really struggles against the pass and has been so good against the run because it commits eight and nine guys most plays to slow it. As I 'Prattled yesterday we should expect an above-average game from OUR QUARTERBACK and explosive plays from PERCY, JEROME and maybe AROMASHODU.

The Bucs are having real communication issues on the back end of the defense and the pass rush is not good enough to get home. This might be a pass-first game because we just put 153 and one on film running in the Arizona win. The thing I liked best with Adrian Sunday was the way he set up defenders before making his rock-star moves. That wasn't as consistent in previous games and I think it's safe to say the kid officially is back from the diseased ACL and will finish the season with the most rushing yards in the NFL.

Secondly, Arizona knew we were going to run, flooded the "box" with Rube defenders and we still ran powerfully and explosively. That's an indictment to how well the OL is blocking the run. This Tampa front seven is not in Arizona's class and I am beginning to think we put up 30 or more Thursday night.

Yep, it's a must-win game to stay hot, to stay relevant and to stay undefeated at home. We absolutely can beat Chicago and/or Green Bay, but that quartet of divisional games will be of the meatgrinder variety and they are much better than Tampa. The Bucs will get theirs because JOSH FREEMAN is on an influential run (six TD's and just one pick the last two), but our ball-control bit should keep them off the field long enough to keep our defense fresh. Yeah, we win again.