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Memo To The Glazers: Find A Way To Bring Back The Buzz

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 30, 2008

TAMPA - If you've spent much time in this town, you've seen some pretty bad football. From the 0-26 beginning to the Lost Years of Leeman Bennett, Ray Perkins, Richard Williamson and Sam Wyche, folks in these parts know about being force-fed a lousy product.

But the Glazers better pay attention because something different is happening and it goes deeper than just the belly flop of a finish to the Buccaneers season.

There still is great passion for this team but there is increasing anger, too. I see it in e-mails and hear it in phone calls from those who say they used to be fans but have given up and won't come back until Jon Gruden is gone.

The head coach is always a target when things go sour, but this is different. A lot of people aren't buying what Gruden is selling anymore and seasons like the one that just ended can't be written off to injuries or bad breaks.

"I say they have every right to feel the way they do," Gruden said.

Maybe fans are just tired of the double-talk. Gruden was still at it Monday morning. He said he wants Jeff Garcia back next season. He wants Michael Clayton back. He sort of wants Joey Galloway to return. My goodness, man. Gruden can't really be saying that, can he?

You don't bring Garcia back. You don't bring Clayton back. You don't bring Galloway back. Galloway wasn't even here when he was here. Use your eyes and see this team for what it is, because that's what fans are doing. There are maybe a couple of areas on this team that don't need a total makeover.

The offensive line and defensive secondary look fine. The kicker, punter and return man are fine, too. But do you trust the quarterback? Running backs? Receivers?

They need some run-stuffing beef on the defensive line instead of the small, quick linemen favored by Monte Kiffin. The Bucs were overpowered by larger offensive lines down the stretch, worn down and ultimately crushed. We saw how opponents ran and ran and ran in the final month. Everyone saw it.

Do you trust Gruden and Bruce Allen to truly fix those areas, or will they go looking - as they often seem to do - for a big box of Band-Aids?

The signs of trouble were there when the Bucs were 9-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. Three of those wins had come against Detroit, Seattle and Kansas City (combined record: 6-42). The people who buy the tickets aren't stupid. The time has come for an overhaul and something to be excited about.

The Bucs are the same ol' story lately and in many ways this season was the worst.

It's one thing to be bad but it's another if the town tunes you out. I think that is what's happening. The only buzz about this team is a bad one. The Glazers ignore it at their peril.

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