Opportunity has knocked for Cadillac Williams, but it has come at the expense of Earnest Graham, whose season likely is over.

Graham sustained an ankle injury on his first carry of Sunday's game vs. the Minnesota Vikings. He did not return.

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden suggested Graham, who has rushed for 563 yards (4.3 avg.) and four touchdowns, could miss the remainder of the season due to the ailment.

"I don't have the exact medical terms, but I would say right now that it doesn't look like he will play any time soon," Gruden said of Graham. "We'll get the final results in the next couple hours."

With Graham sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Bucs will lean on Warrick Dunn, Clifton Smith and Cadillac Williams, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list to the 53-man roster last week.

Ironically, Graham got his first big break as a running back due to injuries sustained in back-to-back weeks by Williams and Michael Pittman in 2007. Graham rushed for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns while Williams recovered from surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon.

Williams carried the ball 25-30 times per practice last week while serving as a member of Tampa Bay's scout squad team. The 2005 first-round draft pick and former NFL Rookie of the Year winner said he's ready to play vs. the Detroit Lions.

"It was big because I got to get some reps and get my wind back," Williams said of working in practice last week. "I got some wear and tear on my body. The soreness I had last week with me practicing hard has eased up, so this week I can kind of get prepared mentally in terms of going out there and playing.

"I'm ready. I've been putting in a lot of work and I'm still confident. I'm mentally ready and physically ready. I just hate that the situation had to come like this with E.G. going down. That's football, but I'll make the best of the opportunity."

Tampa Bay's ground game ranks 14th overall in the NFL. Graham was a big part of that success, evidenced by the fact that the Bucs struggled in short-yardage situations and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry vs. Minnesota's defense without him yesterday.

Williams wants to help keep Tampa Bay's ground game going, but he admitted that he is also looking forward to getting his first hit out of the way.

"It's going to be big," Williams said of keeping Tampa Bay's ground game going. "Coach Gruden has been saying since I've been here that the teams that can run the ball in November and December are usually the ones that are successful.

"I was in the training room kind of joking and said, ‘I hope on my first carry there is a big collision where I can get up and know that I'm fine.' I'm looking forward to that first big hit."

Tampa Bay could sign a free agent running back by Wednesday. Former Virginia RB Alvin Pearman and Northwestern RB Noah Herron flew to Tampa on Monday and are scheduled to work out for the Bucs on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Dunn, who has rushed for 476 yards (4.4 avg.) and one touchdown and caught 26 passes for 207 yards this season, likely will become Tampa Bay's primary back in the team's committee approach. The Bucs will also rely on rookie Clifton Smith, although the team obviously has some concerns about his ability to hold onto the football. He has two fumbles in the last three games, including a costly turnover vs. Minnesota on Sunday.

"We'll see what happens," Gruden said. "We have a very good back here in Warrick Dunn, who had a lot of yards yesterday from scrimmage. We'll see how it goes. Clifton has to take care of the football. All of those backs will have to step up. It was good to have [fullback B.J.]Askew back yesterday as well. We might have to have him carry it, too."

The Buccaneers released RB Michael Bennett in order to make room for Williams on their 53-man roster last week. He has since been claimed by San Diego. Gruden said the players on Tampa Bay's roster have to rally around the team's healthy running backs, just as Graham did when Williams and Pittman were injured last season.

"I don't live in hindsight," Gruden said when asked if he regretted releasing Bennett. "If you have an injury, you have to respond to it. We'll bring in some other backs that we like. We do have a guy that we do like a lot that will be activated. It will be a great opportunity for Carnell to resume his football career."

How much Williams factors in to Tampa Bay's offensive game plan for the contest in Detroit on Sunday is unknown, but there's no doubt he'll be part of it, which means he will play in his first game since suffering the season-ending knee injury in Week 4 of the 2007 season.

"Knowing him, he's a workhorse-type back," Gruden said of Williams. "That's what we've been trying to bring him back to. Not just a situational runner, but an every-down, workhorse-type back. A guy that can hammer it short-yardage and goal line. A guy that can finish the game with repeated runs in the four-minute drill where the clock is the enemy. He will be continued to be evaluated and we'll let you know.

"It's a great story. It's one of the most exciting things I've ever been associated with as a coach because of the nature of this injury. It was a horrible injury. Not only that, but the nature of his effort of coming back to where he is now. Our number one objective is to never put him in harm's way and disrupt his comeback and do the right thing. We brought him back and we started the cycle - the three-week cycle - and after all the trainers and Carnell it was a decision we made. We worked him hard for three weeks and we took the bye week. And after looking at everything, by George, we said he's ready to go. And he agrees. This comeback is going to be now available for everyone to see. I'm excited to be a part of it. I know Warrick is going to help him. I know Clifton is going to help him and we're going to help him."

In other injury news, Bucs rookie linebacker Geno Hayes sustained a knee injury during Sunday's game and likely will miss the remainder of the season. PewterReport.com is reporting that Tampa Bay is expected to re-sign LB Matt McCoy to help fill the void left by Hayes on special teams and as a reserve player on defense.

McCoy, who originally signed with Tampa Bay during the offseason, was released on Oct. 18. He was also arrested for driving under the influence the morning before he was released by the team.

Tampa Bay tight end Alex Smith (ankle) and safety Jermaine Phillips (forearm) missed Sunday's game vs. Minnesota. Their status for the game in Detroit will be updated on Wednesday.

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