Among the more pointless exercises in all of sportsdom is the publishing of point spreads for pre-season NFL games. Why bother? Do people actually bet on this stuff? These are exhibitions featuring cameo performances by frontline players and lots of playing time for those not good enough to line up on Sundays. The only thing real is the ticket price.
And this just in. The Bucs are 3 1/2-point favorites against the Miami Dolphins in the exhibition opener Aug. 12. With or without Warren Sapp on offense.