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Season Starts With Road Challenge

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 6, 2007

TAMPA - The NFL schedule maker has provided the perfect backdrop for a Buccaneers club intent on proving its resolve.

Tampa Bay will board a charter flight Friday afternoon and travel 3,160 miles, as the Seahawk flies, to face Seattle in a challenging opener.

The Bucs traditionally have struggled on the West Coast, and the Seahawks have won 27 of their last 33 regular-season games at noisy Qwest Field.

'It's going to be a tough environment, but you just have to get your mind and body ready for a time change,' said Bucs DT Chris Hovan of the cross-country trek. 'You have to go out there with the same mentality that you have when you play at home. We have to set the line of scrimmage with our offensive line and defensive line and play Buc ball. Let's take this show on the road.'

Acclimating to the three-hour difference isn't easy, and Tampa Bay has won three times in 27 regular-season West Coast matchups.

Coach Jon Gruden will be sure to remind the Bucs they thrashed the Raiders in the Super Bowl at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.

'I think it's a bigger deal going the other way, west to east, and playing that 10 a.m. game,' said Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck. 'All of a sudden, the wakeup call comes at 5 o'clock in the morning, your time. I don't know it's that big of a deal going the other way.'

Besides dealing with jet lag and the time change, Tampa Bay's revamped offensive line must cope with one of the loudest fan bases in the league. Since 2005, visitors to Qwest Field have been flagged for an NFL-high 50 false-start penalties.

'If you're a good team, you can play anywhere,' Gruden said. 'If you're not a very good team, you're going to struggle playing at home or on the road or in practice.'

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Jeremiah Trotter, wearing a new number and a new jersey, is on a crash course to learn the terminology of Monte Kiffin's defense.

The veteran middle linebacker signed with the Bucs on Tuesday several weeks after his release by the Eagles and has switched to No. 50 instead of his usual No. 54.

'If I said it didn't hurt, I'd be lying,' said the physical run-stuffer, who is expected to provide quality depth behind first-year starter Barrett Ruud. 'But I understand that's the nature of the business and you just have to keep moving. Stuff happens. You can't worry about the past, just keep moving forward.'

Ruud, a former second-round pick who has backed up Shelton Quarles for two seasons, said he doesn't feel threatened by Trotter's presence.

'This is a guy who will help me be a better football player,' Ruud said. 'Jeremiah Trotter is definitely one of the best point-of-attack linebackers out there. I intend to pick his brain a little bit.'

Bucs QB Jeff Garcia played with Trotter last year in Philadelphia and considers him a vocal leader.

'He's a guy who's going to bring intensity on the field and he's going to push Barrett,' Garcia said. 'He's going to make sure that the linebackers that are in there are doing their jobs, otherwise he's going to be ready to step in.'

EXCUSED ABSENCE: TE Jerramy Stevens missed Wednesday's practice to attend a trial in Scottsdale, Ariz., concerning his March 13 arrest on a DUI charge. The trial is expected to wrap up today. If convicted, Stevens also faces a possible suspension by the NFL.

Stevens, 27, was released by the Seahawks in March and signed with the Bucs as a free agent April 29.

INJURY UPDATE: DE Patrick Chukwurah (knee) appears to be the only Buc sidelined for Sunday's opener.

'He's out of the game,' Gruden said. 'No one else missed practice because of injury.'

BUC BITS: Two rookie safeties have changed uniform numbers. Second-round pick Sabby Piscitelli goes from No. 38 to No. 21, and fourth-rounder Tanard Jackson is now wearing No. 28 instead of No. 36. ...Seattle's Shaun Alexander has posted at least one run of 10 or more yards in an NFL-record 64 consecutive games, topping the mark of 60 games set by Detroit's Barry Sanders. ... The Seahawks signed Ellis Wyms on Monday, and he will back up another former Bucs defensive tackle, Chuck Darby.

Ira Kaufman

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