Professor

Bucs Beat | tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times and tbt*: Archives

Cadillac Williams returned to practice Thursday, four days after suffering bruised ribs at Seattle.

Williams, who gained 60 yards on 12 carries against the Seahawks before his injury in the third quarter, was listed as questionable Wednesday but his status could be upgraded.

""i''ve been optimistic that he would play and today was a good sign, although we'll see how he feels tomorrow when we practrice again,'' coach Jon Gruden said.

If Williams plays, he might be forced to wear some extra padding to protect his ribs.

""He's a man of few words, he doesn't say a lot,'' Gruden said. ""He's played enough football, I think, to know whether he can or can't. We'll give him another day to see where he is after he sleeps on today's workout. We'll have some dialogue, before, during and after the game, I'm sure, about how he feels.''

The news isn't so good for Brian Kelly, who missed his second straight day of practice with a groin strain. Defensive tackle Chris Hovan also missed Thursday's practice with an ankle sprain, but he is expected to play.

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RoyWilliams

I need him to play.

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