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Showtime At Bucs Camp: Let The Drama Begin

Tribune file photo by JAY CONNER(2007)

There is much grist for the Buccaneer paranoia mill as training camp begins.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 23, 2008

It wouldn't be the opening of training camp if something wasn't out of whack, and the Bucs look about as whacked out as every other team in the league right now.

From the contract angst of Jeff Garcia and Greg White, to the health of Cadillac Williams, and the please-Lord-deliver-us melodrama that is Chris Simms, happy days are here again. There is much grist for that great Buccaneer paranoia mill as the lads don their shoulder pads and prepare to romp around in the Disney heat.

Everyone gets worked up about that stuff, but it's all just talk. Players will sign eventually. Simms will be sent elsewhere. Cadillac will heal in time.

What everybody really wonders is just how good this football team can be. If you have a true clue, then bless you for deciphering what seems to me to be one of the more faceless teams in the NFL right now.

I admit I haven't exactly gotten that positive vibe about their chances.

(Note to all those who just typed the words "you idiot" into the header of an e-mail and are preparing to hit the "send" button: Inhale. Exhale. Yes, this time last year I was sure they would stink. I was wrong. I'm deeply sorry. They won't stink this year. That doesn't mean they'll win the division again. Let's move on.)

I think they're solid in a lot of important places - the offensive line, defensive front and the secondary. They can probably cobble good production out of the mix of 71 tight ends they have in camp, and the running back committee of Graham, Bennett and Dunn collectively might be on the north side of 1,000 yards.

The Garcia, Gruden Factors

It starts to get a little shaky now. The Bucs' think tank has put a lot of faith in the reclamation project that is receiver Antonio Bryant, and on paper he may be the surest thing right now.

Joey Galloway's legs are another year older. Ike Hilliard was never a speed receiver to begin with. Ditto Michael Clayton. Paris Warren is coming off that dreadful leg injury. No one is quite sure what to expect from 5-foot-9 receiver/returner Dexter Jackson, the second-round pick from Appalachian State.

Clearly, there are a lot of questions about Garcia's primary targets.

The receivers are a bigger concern to me than whether Garcia's power play to get a new contract works. He says he'll show up at camp and work real hard like a good quarterback should, but that's only because right now he doesn't really have a choice.

The Bucs called his bluff when he publicly complained about his contract, so his choices are: a) shut up and play and hope you get a new deal eventually; or b) don't.

Garcia is always good copy and he certainly played well last year, but his health was a concern last year and it will continue to be that way. He has another year's worth of blitz-battered ribs to contend with, but at least Bucs fans can take some solace in the end of the great Gradkowski experiment. The backup this year is a seasoned, accomplished professional named Brian Griese.

Then there's the head coach.

What Will He Do?

As much as we wonder about this player or that, everything on the Bucs still flows from and through Jon Gruden. He was often brilliant last year in patching together a team that had significant injuries, a new quarterback and a defense in transition.

But then he gave away the last two regular-season games by playing backups (dubious strategy) before he went downright weird in the playoff game against the Giants. He abandoned a running game THAT WAS WORKING after a quarter so he could throw, throw, throw and throw, even though Galloway could barely walk and no one else could get open.

That reminded us all again about how Gruden can sometimes out-coach himself by trying to be too smart (see Gradkowski, Bruce).

They made the playoffs largely because of a 5-1 record in division, so it's not realistic to think about replicating that. The division has gotten a lot better, especially New Orleans. Clearly they have some obstacles between now and any hope of playing the genial host Feb. 1 when the Super Bowl comes to Raymond James.

What the heck, though. The Giants were 18-1 shots this time last year and we know what happened. Let the questions be answered, let the games begin.

It's showtime. It's about time.

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