Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

Made-Over Bucs Not Done Yet
Saturday, May 1, 2004
TAMPA—Surely no team has worked the 2004 free agent market and made more moves in the off-season than the 2003 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Why? Because the Bucs went from the 2003-04 world championship competition too early out-of-contention this National Football League season past—and—because the Bucs are coached, without influence from ownership by a daring, by a go-for-broke coach who believes so strongly in his own talent judgment, young Jon Gruden. In that rookie head coaching season of the Bucs of 2002-03, Gruden made massive changes, and it worked. It produced the champs when no one could have expected it, routing his former team, Oakland, in the Super Bowl of that gripping season at San Diego. So, last season when his second year Bucs stalled and never restarted sufficiently, young Gruden, the high energy, high IQ son of a coach (Jim) and a teaching mom, Kathy, swept through that roster that didn’t win, with later help from new General Manager Bruce Allen, with the same massive changes effectively produced on that popular nip-and-tuck plastic surgery show. That old saw about knowing the players without a program will be absolutely, unequivocally true this season ahead. Example: After a pre-draft camp in early spring, I mentioned to All-Pro, All-Civic Spirited corner back Ronde Barber that he most have felt lonely at that workout, after the mass change, to which he replied that he counted 38 players on the practice field that he did not know. Now, with the draft done and the draftees in camp this past weekend, well, there had to be at least another dozen Barber did not know. This was the May 1 weekend, the last hard assembly until the one month off all have some of, July. I went out to the camp at One Buc Place Friday, the first workout, 30 minutes ahead of the practice. And there was workaholic Coach Jon Gruden doing his half dozen laps around the two—not one—practice fields. He waved and went on. You do not interrupt this man when he has his head down and purpose. Public Relations associate Jason Whalers handed me the mimeographed roster of nearly four dozen rookie camps hopefuls who would participate, as young coach Gruden’s dad, Jim, now a Buccaneer talent man, arrived. He had his roster and took mine to mark the players he thought I’d like to check out particularly closely. Before we got into that, he noted he and the family were going to Orlando tonight (Saturday) for a bigtime fund-raising dinner where another son, Jay, former player, and coach of the Orlando Arena Football team, was the honoree. Jim and Kathy have every right to be proud of all of their sons. They are all achievers and all smart. One son, Jim, is an accomplished radiologist. Like Jon, Jay was a quarterback in high school and college, before coaching. “We are proud of all our boys,’’ said Father-Coach Jim, who was an assistant coach for the first Bucs of the late John McKay. Now this one, Jon, out on the field with his four dozen players uniformed and worked begun to find the best of them, “I don’t know how he does it. Look at these he found and brought here. No one is here by accident. This kid works 20 hours a day, most of it right over there in that dark office of his looking for talent and assessing what he has.’’ Jon Gruden goes to work before daylight and leaves long after daylight has disappeared again. His office is like none other in the NFL. It is almost lightless. He has screens all over the place. He is constantly seeking to find a jewel in the dark, and often has. And, as is clearly, he is not afraid to make changes. This off season he released—he and Bruce Allen—released two stars—defensive lineman showman Warren Sapp, and safety John Lynch, probably the team’s most admired player in Tampa. Both were All-Pros. Big money got Sapp gone, big money, age, and neck surgery got Lynch gone amidst an outpouring of protests never before seen in Tampa. Lynch and wife Lynda have a Family Foundation, give and give and	give to the community, and were just named by Monsignor Lawrence Higgins to receive an award for their good deeds on behalf of the Judeo-Christian Society here. I was there, with my own Linda, at the Higgins-Lynch table. They were swept up by the reception, and the repeated ovations. Lynch signed with Denver. He’ll play there and he will help. The concern of those who admire the Lynchs is for another possible neck injury. He had surgery in the off-season. When the Lynches stood to receive the big award for good deed, introduced by young people they had helped along the way, John said: “I don’t think Linda and I knew how much we loved Tampa until we drove into the city last night with our three children and became a part of it again. Never, have we ever felt so much at home as we are here.’’ But, he said privately at the table, the Lynches would have to sell their place here on Harbour Island—they had wanted to keep it for later—“because, you know, now the clubs have so many workouts in the off season, you have to live in the town, especially when you have a family like I have.’’ He is so right. And so it was that the next day, there I was at the Buc first-year-player camp at One Buc Place as Jim Gruden pointed out this and that about the players. Most watched was the number one pick, big, wide receiver Michael Clayton, out of Louisiana State. He’ll make the team. Gruden. He stood out. Jon Gruden likes size. “Why not?’’ Asked his dad, not a big man. “The bigger they are, the harder they hit,’’ not entirely agreeing with the Bud Schulberg assessment. “There is a lot of difference being hit by tall 220 man than a shorter, 180-pound man. “Given time, as hard as he works, that son of mine will find the players. Look at that one. He’s a free agent, and yet, he led the Old Mississippi Rebels in receptions last year.’’ He spoke of wide out Chris Collins. He caught the passes Eli Manning threw his way. He, looked fine, as did a swift wideout from Tennessee named Mark Jones. He’s not big, but he’s quick, and fast. He was the return man for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Buc return game has not been lately feared by opponents. I then asked about an offensive lineman with 77 on his jersey. He was 6-8 and 338, and without an ounce of fat. Thing is, he played his ball at Toledo. But, perhaps this is the find of the camp. And, of course there were the two Ivy Leaguers out there, tight end Nate Lawrie, a big man from Yale, and a shorter, muscular man, a fullback named Casey Cramer from Dartmouth. Yes, they are smart. But, Gruden said they would have to firm up and get faster. He figured they could figure out how to do that. Then, as we checked the field, up came Joel Glazer, an activist, and a good one, in the Buccaneer owning Glazer family. Joel Glazer had about the same thoughts as the elder Gruden, that Gruden was a round the clock workman who was brave indeed to make such wholesale changes, and gambles, I added. Glazer admired the grit and guts, and all admire the free hand and open checkbook the owners have given Gruden and GM Allen, a partner of young Gruden at the Raiders before joining him in Tampa this year. As Allen, the walked by and spoke and helped Outback Bowl President Jim McVay, a long time close friend of the Grudens, take a viewing position between the two practice fields, Joel Glazer noted, of young Allen, son of the late Coach George Allen, “he’s been terrific at setting a limit and what he would do go get a player, or do a deal, sticking with it, but getting it done.’’ Nice compliment for Allen, coming from his boss. Then, the father of the head coach said of the partnership and that which may lie ahead: “Jon and Bruce are so much alike. “They both work all the time and like it. They are both young and aggressive. They are well matched,’’ adding, “what we have here is Batman and Robin.’’ He did not say who was who. You figure it out. ##
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