Tampa, Florida					Thursday, September 09, 2010

No Real Decision Yet On Bucs, Dolphins
Sunday, August 29, 2004
TAMPA—The Tampa Bay Bucs looked a tad better than their in-state rivals from South Florida, the Miami Dolphins, Saturday night in the second pre-2004 season—a tad. The final score was 17-10 and that was about right—a tad. The difference was a third quarter interception returned for the deciding touchdown 56 yards later by young linebacker Ryan Nece, and that was about right—a defensive player off a club whose best history has always been written by the defense making the difference. Nece is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and the TD was a pick off the Dolphins third quarterback, lightly regarded Sage Rosenfels with the score 10-10. And, the difference may in part been because the game was played at the Bucs’ venue, Raymond James Stadium, that may have given the Tampa club a tish more fire than the Dolphins. Miami came away from the game with little resolved for quarterbacks, A. J. Feeley and Jay Fiedler, the tied leaders for the starting role. But, neither club came out of this game with enough evidence either is a shoo-in for the playoffs. The Bucs looked a tad—yes, a tad again—better overall but their downer was a big one—place-kicker Martin Gramatica, one of the league’s best two years ago—showed more of his 2004 style by missing two field goal attempts while making only one. This has to be of concern to the Bucs, who again, will need all the points they can make for a decent chance to win. Indeed with a pre-season game remaining for each, the 2004-05 season remains uncertain for both, the Bucs in the NFL South where their partners there are New Orleans, Atlanta and the Super Bowlers, the big, nasty Carolina Panthers who with their success in large because of size, caused Jon Gruden of the Bucs to Go for Big, and he did. Moreover, this 17-10 result of these two teams confirm what most have been thinking, the NFL is up for grabs. There are an overabundance of teams that are average to below. “Call this now the NRFL now,’’ one former NFL head coach said the other day at a Buc practice. “It is a Rent-all—a rent-a-team league now. Using the free agent Market, different teams buy their way into contention now more than any other in years, I think.’’ Asked were there any real favorites of any numbers, and he said “No, absolutely not. If a starting quarterback goes down and out, that team may go with him. No, there’s little depth. Can’t afford it. Few teams now build through the draft. It’s different.’’ QB Tom Brady and the champion New England Patriots come to mind. But, specifically, when the camps opened in the NFL a few weeks ago, common question asked was, as always: “How to you think the Bucs will do?’’ My reply? “Got no idea. None.’’ Why not? “Because this team belongs to Coach Jon Gruden. This is not ex-coach Tony Dungy’s team. Not General Manager Bruce Allen’s team. It is Jon Gruden’s team. The players are his. The offense is his. The defense has approval as does that of the special teams.’’ Well, there are a couple of exceptions, oh, like the seemingly now uncertain Gramatica, quarterback Brad Johnson (in Tampa a year before Gruden) and fullback Mike Alstott (now back after injury), but we can say this is indeed the first true Gruden team. Now, we know his first went to and won a Super Bowl in surely one of the sport’s greatest-ever coaching jobs, but all acknowledge this is Jon’s team, one reinforced this off season with the waiving of standby greats, Warren Sapp and John Lynch. “Good point,’’ said this onetime NFL head man who spent time with the Bucs as well, as we talked at the Buc practice last week. “It is indeed his team, made in his own image, by his waiving of old Bucs, and his two year supervision of the draft, this year was the only one he had a number one pick. Remember the Bucs gave up one picks to Oakland to get this head coach.” Yes, it his third year now. He’s not likely to waive any of	the remaining standby great ones—surely not linebacker Derrick Brooks, tackle Bugger McFarland, not Shelton Quarles, not Mike Alstott, whose neck surgery in the off-season seems to have worked. He had a fine game, his first, Saturday, and how Mike goes, so often go the Bucs. Most of the rest of these Bucs of 2004-05 are his anyway, either by trade, or draft, or purchase. The key draftee is big wideout Michael Clayton of LSU, already established as a sound decision. And is key backup quarterback to Johnson—who has been reborn as a Grudenite—Chris Simms, the son of Phil and likely heir to the QB mantle when Johnson passes it or has it passed for him. The third QB also is a Grudenite, Brian Griese, son of Bob. Thus the early conclusion here that nobody knows anything yet about these Bucs nor these Dolphins because they are their coach’s team, picked coach, managed and now directed as their coach sees fit. Gruden planned it this way. When the Malcolm Glazer family hired him from Oakland for a bundle, he had a free hand and he has used it—returning to Oakland often to recruit and hire their players, or ex-players in whom he believes—well, like wise wideout Tom Brown and the veteran runner, Charlie Garner. Both of these two got good notices for their work against the Dolphins Saturday night, and deserved them. They will help. With that authority, Gruden began his makeover early and it should be about done now, for the moment, the earliest departure being that of troublesome receiver Keyshawn Johnson, effective and necessary for the Super Bowl year, but after that, only a problem. He is not missed. Now, one who may be missed but may not be back is wideout Keenan McCardell, a holdout for more money that his contract said he understood he would make. His loss can be felt on the field, though many more wideouts are now rostered, but not with the team’s attitude nor that of the Buc fans. Partisans do not like holdouts, like them less when the player walks on an existing agreement. Why, in that Gruden makeover, he even found himself a punter in Josh Bidwell, who is a veteran and clearly an improvement. So, went the story until this Dolphin game Saturday night. Then, prior to the game, a Buc talent man was asked what he made of this Buc team. Why, he said the same as I had. “Well, what we know for sure is this is Coach Gruden’s team. It’s his third year. He has gotten that which he sought or wanted, for someone of the same quality. This is his team. His, picked and coached now by him with his systems. I guess we’ll see.’’ What we saw Saturday was a better performance than the first two in this 2-1 season. He surely has more weapons and he used them just effectively enough—long marches, two stunted by missed field goals—for the 17-10 win over the remaking Miami Dolphins, who surely aren’t getting rave notices today either, but notices a tad of less quality than this Bucko team, Gruden’s third. He’ll fix that field goal problem, somehow. Bet on it. Gramatica can’t be finished. He’s proven and he’s young. But one thing the head coach can’t fix is a startup tough schedule. He opens at Washington—surely the prize of the first weekend with Joe Gibbs back at the Redskins and QB Johnson going home for an opener. Then the Bucs open at home against tough, playoff tough Seattle, then to the quicksand game at Oakland. But, Jon Gruden gives no quarter. He goes to work at about 3:16 AM every day. He’ll go earlier, it that will help. And he’ll find him another free agent stud. One more time, no, we don’t know how good this Buc team is, but we know is that it has only the Jon Gruden brand on it now. And that’s a proud thing in the mind of that Football Family Gruden. He’ll fix what’s wrong, or getting up earlier and working hard trying. He’s been there, you know, to the Super Bowl winner’s circle. He knows how sweet that is. ##
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