"Derrick Ward might not have had a very good game in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason opener last Saturday against Miami, but he was sure talking a good game on Monday.

Promising to bounce back from the ultra-pedestrian 12-carry, 20-yard effort he turned in against the Dolphins, Ward guaranteed he will have a "great" game this week against Kansas City.

"I've been in this league for a while and I feel I know what it takes to win and get back on track," Ward said. "That was just a fluke game, but I guarantee you this weekend I'll have a great game."

Ward may need to have a great game. Kareem Huggins led all Bucs runners with 55 yards on eight carries and continues to press for not just a roster spot but playing time. If Ward is worried, though, he's not showing it.

"I don't feel it will hurt me," Ward said of his outing, which was played out in a quagmire of mud as he continually got the ball in the skinned-infield portion of Sun Life Stadium, which is home to the Florida Marlins.

"Those weren't football conditions," Ward said. "I mean, c'mon – the infield of a baseball stadium? But you can't make excuses. You have to play and do what you got to do to win.

"And we're here at Raymond James Stadium this weekend so we won't have any sand or mud on the field, so it'll all be good and hopefully we'll be able to have a good rushing night. I guarantee you'll see big things from me this weekend."

That kind of confidence is what Bucs coach Raheem Morris wants to see from Ward, who didn't show the team a whole lot on Saturday, when he asked offensive coordinator Greg Olson to stop running a particular play."