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The Waiting Is The Hardest Part For Bucs

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2008

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Some Bucs players hit the hotel fitness center Monday. Some hit the "play" buttons on their portable DVD machines.

Others looked around eager to find someone to hit.

Playing on Monday night in front of a national TV audience can be both gratifying and frustrating. Your peers are watching, but you don't get to the arena until prime time, disrupting the normal routine of the Buccaneers and Panthers.

Well before a pair of 9-3 clubs met in an NFC South first-place showdown, Tampa Bay players faced the challenge of harnessing their energy and aggression until game time.

"I just plan to relax and stay in my room," said Bucs center Jeff Faine, "maybe catch up on some movies. I'll be staying off my feet for the most part, although we'll probably have a couple of meetings."

Coach Jon Gruden couldn't wait for the opening whistle, hoping the Bucs saved their best until the night sweats break out at Bank of America Stadium.

"You have to keep your poise," Gruden said. "You don't want to go crazy at 10:30 in the morning or 12:30 in the afternoon at the hotel. You've got to compose yourself."

That's exactly what defensive tackle Chris Hovan had in mind for this important business trip.

"I'm very excited," he said. "It's a national stage and it's for all the marbles, but it's also important not to peak too early. I'll be watching football film on my DVD player all day on Monday, looking for that little, little hint of information that can help me during the game. I'm a sucker for film."

Coaches are determined to limit distractions for their players as they count down the hours to kickoff, but Carolina's focus was jarred by the arrest of reserve offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges on charges of simple assault and battery, stemming from a restaurant altercation Saturday evening.

The Panthers can guarantee themselves the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed by winning their final four games, including a Dec. 21 road matchup against the Giants.

Monday night's matchup represented Tampa Bay's 13th prime-time game during Gruden's seven-year tenure; the Bucs are 5-7 under the lights in that span.

"Game day is the players' day, the way I've always looked at it," Gruden said. "We might get them up in the early morning after breakfast and have a brief meeting or just a walk-through. But the hay is in the barn after that evening meeting on Sunday night. We'll give the guys an opportunity to relax, watch a movie, be together and get ready to play."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833.

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