Joe hopes Cadillac will listen closely to his body this week

So now that Cadillac Williams had significant playing time for the first time in 14 months, we can all hold our breath to see how he comes out of the Lions game.

Is there swelling in his injured knee? Does he feel right? Will he have the strength to play every week?

In horse racing, trainers are more interested in how a horse responds after racing following a layoff, rather than how the horse actually performed in the race.

The same analogy holds for Cadillac. Those 16 carries for 27 yards were largely garbage-time runs. Yeah, it looked like he moved pretty well. But the real test is whether he can bounce back for a full week of practice and show little effects from his gruesome knee injury heading into Sunday’s home game against the Saints.

Cadillac told the Tampa Tribune he’s commited to not rushing himself back too soon. It was a gripping interview about his knee rehab.

Williams couldn’t even stand up on his own, let alone walk, for the first two months.

Virtually bedridden, he developed bed sores on his back and needed help bathing and getting to the bathroom. There were some nights when he cried himself to sleep.

“Hands down the toughest time of my life,” Williams said. “It was one of the lowest points in my life, too.”

Joe thought the Bucs were nuts to release a healthy Michael Bennett in the midst of a playoff run. Joe was sure they were nuts after Earnest Graham went down for the season last week.

Today, Joe truly is hoping that Cadillac and the Bucs make the decisions that are truly in the best interest of Williams. Whatever those may be.