The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to sell tickets to their season-opening game against the Carolina Panthers. To inspire a lethargic fan base to show up, they are going to honor veteran Ronde Barber for making his 200th straight start.
I am not the superstitious type, but this seems risky. Training camp is a month away. Barber is 37 years old.
It's clear that Barber is not competing to start at safety. He's won the job and will play nickel corner when necessary. He hasn't missed a game since 1999, so perhaps the Buccaneers are rightly confident to plan on Barber being healthy. But the only predictable thing about training camp is the unpredictability, and planning a celebration seems to be tempting fate.
Okay, I am superstitious.