Cadillac is the NFL Rookie of the Year.

WOW, The Buccaneers finally have a great running back. Many teams have stars that are nationally known and that make headlines ever game. The Buccaneers have never really had that on offense. Sure the Defense has had stars such as Warren Sapp, John Lynch, and the great Derrick Brooks. All these players are well known through out the NFL.

However, our offense has never had that one great star quality. Sure Alstott is as close as it gets, but he has never had the real NFL Stardom.

I am talking about players like Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, John Elway, and Jerry Rice. Cadillac Williams is starting to bring that to the Buccaneers. If this young player stays healthy he could be one of the best in the NFL.

Besides being named the 2005 Offensive Rookie of the Year, He was named rookie of the year by a vote at nfl.com on Thursday. The other finalists were defenders: Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman and Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

Williams humbly accepted his award – he had to be prodded by emcee Rich Eisen to actually pick up the trophy – and he made sure to share the credit with his Buccaneer teammates. And he did so with an economy of words, quickly rejoining his fellow Rookie of the Year finalists in a row of seats on the stage.


Besides the hardware, Williams earned some bonus money for winning the awards. His contract includes a $150,000 bonus for the AP award and $100,000 for Thursday's award.

“This is a prestigious honor and well-deserved,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden. “Carnell is a great player, and he will continue to prove that. I can’t wait for the future.”

If Williams has one regret, it's the Bucs' playoff loss to Washington in the wild-card game, he said.

"I've got a bad taste in my mouth," he said. "The next time the postseason comes around, I'll be better prepared and have better results."

As a Bucs Fan, you got to be excited about our future, I know I sure am.