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'Voluntary' Workouts Key To Shaping Depth Chart

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

TAMPA - You do what you must to make your way in this league. If that means sitting out "voluntary" workouts to protect your body and emphasize a point in a contract squabble, then so be it.

That's the route Earnest Graham has chosen. Teammate Jovan Haye can barely fathom the thought of it.

Haye is where he is today in part because he participated fully in "voluntary" workouts last year. Had he skipped even one of those organized team activities, he might not be the Bucs' starting under tackle.

"For a young player like me, OTAs may be even more important than training camp," Haye said. "At camp, they throw everything at you, so you have to be ready for that."

You get ready by participating in the offseason program, which includes more than a dozen OTAs, or "voluntary" workouts. They're deemed "voluntary," because teams cannot force players to participate.

Nor are teams allowed to penalize players for missing "voluntary" workouts. It is clear, though, that failing to participate in OTAs can prove quite costly, because every snap a player misses is a snap someone else gets.

"I've always said that the first rule of getting better is you've got to show up," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "If you don't show up, you're not getting better. So, yes, OTAs are really important."

Haye can attest to that. So can former Bucs linebacker Shelton Quarles. It was during the offseason program a few years back that Quarles first earned the right to start regularly on the strong side.

Fellow strongside linebacker Quincy Black, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound second-year player, can attest to it, too. He has used the current offseason workout program to improve his place in the Bucs' future plans.

According to his position coach, Gus Bradley, Black has proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the offseason program. After an inconsistent rookie season, he is starting to look like a keeper, Bradley said.

"The talent has always been there, and now we're starting to see the consistency we want from him," Bradley said of Black. "He runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, so he can really get around and make plays.

"And if we continue to see that, then in a couple of years, when Cato June has to move or something, well, we feel like Quincy can possibly move into that spot and we'll be just fine. In fact, with his speed, we could be even faster."

The truest test of Black's or anyone else's ability still comes when the pads go on in training camp. It's obvious, though, that a lot of decisions regarding where players rank on the depth chart are made well before camp begins.

We already have seen the Bucs make a call on their quarterback spot. They also have made a decision on who will rank first at left defensive end, where Greg White appears to be the man to beat.

Other decisions, if they haven't been made, will be soon. They have to be, because instead of taking 87 or 88 players to camp as they've done in the past, NFL teams are now allowed to take 80.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden doesn't like that rule, but he has to live with it. So the difficult decisions that still remain for the Bucs could very well be determined by what they see in next week's mandatory minicamp.

"These workouts are important for all of these guys," Gruden said after a recent OTA run at Raymond James Stadium. "There is a lot to be decided here before we go to Orlando, so this is a key evaluation for us."

That being the case, it's probably best not to miss them.

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

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