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Johnson Will Be Project At QB

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 28, 2008

TAMPA - Jon Gruden may want to argue the point, but the truth of the matter is he's never had a whole lot of success developing young quarterbacks.

Even those whom Gruden points to as success stories - Ty Detmer, Bobby Hoying and yes, Chris Simms - have enjoyed only small stretches of prosperity.

If Josh Johnson becomes just another Detmer, Hoying or Simms, the Bucs simply can shrug their shoulders. All they've invested in him so far is a fifth-round draft pick.

The Bucs, though, don't see this fifth-round pick going to waste. And they have a hard time envisioning Johnson as a flop.

Sure, his talent is as raw as it is rare. And he did play his college ball at little I-AA San Diego, where a tough game was a road match with Morehead State.

In the Bucs' eyes, though, none of that matters, for the Bucs have long seen the 6-foot-3, 198-pound Johnson as one of this draft's most promising prospects.

"He doesn't have good statistics; he doesn't have great statistics; he has spectacular statistics," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said. "And he's been coached by coaches Johnny Morton and Jim Harbaugh we're very familiar with."

Even better, he has been coached to play in the same kind of West Coast scheme that the Bucs run. And as Allen pointed out, he has excelled in that scheme.

Granted, the competition wasn't always challenging. No matter whom he faced, though, Johnson always dominated.

When his college career ended he had completed 67.98 percent of his passes for 9,699 yards, 113 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

That's not a misprint. Johnson was picked off just 15 times in four years at San Diego, including just once last year.

He can run, too. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the combine, which was good enough to put him ahead of the likes of Andre Woodson (Kentucky) and Colt Brennan (Hawaii) on a lot of draft boards.

The downside is that Johnson is seen by everyone, including the Bucs, as a project. That means it will take some time for him to develop. The Bucs believe they have plenty of time.

Though Jeff Garcia is now 38, he plays like he's 28. And Brian Griese still has some tread left on his tires. The same goes for Luke McCown, Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski. Their futures suddenly look rather bleak, though.

Allen said late Sunday that the Bucs plan to bring just five quarterbacks to training camp this year. With Garcia and Johnson seemingly assured of spots, the other four may already be in a fight for just three spots.

That battle will only grow more intense once camp begins because the likelihood is the Bucs will carry just three quarterbacks on their regular-season roster.

"There are obviously some decisions that will have to be made," said Gruden, who was pushed hard to draft Johnson by former Bucs quarterback and current Bucs pro scout Doug Williams.

"Doug has been in my ear about Josh for a while," he said. "And we don't want to make any predictions, but Doug is very good at evaluating players and seeing what is going to happen in this environment. The fact that Johnson doesn't have to get rushed into playing right away, we have a chance to do some things with this kid over time, if he does what he's supposed to do and makes good decisions."

Johnson seems to be fine with the time frame set for him, saying he is excited to learn from Garcia. He believes, though, that his understanding of the West Coast scheme could expedite his progress.

If that proves to be the case, the Bucs may look back at this as one of their more successful drafts. Though it's impossible to tell whether they landed future starters, they at least addressed their biggest areas of need.

Speed was at the top of that list and the Bucs improved with every pick, including their third-round choice (Rutgers guard Jeremy Zuttah) and their fourth-round choice (Maryland defensive tackle Dre Moore).

Both were considered two of the fastest players at their positions. The Bucs also improved their speed at linebacker by taking FSU's Geno Hayes in the sixth round and by adding South Carolina running back Cory Boyd in the seventh.

"I make no promises in April, but I will say we are very enthused," Gruden said in summing up the draft.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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