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Getting Reinforcements Lined Up

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune
and ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 1, 2008

Updated: 02/29/2008 11:58 pm

TAMPA - Armed with a team-record and league-best $44 million worth of salary cap space, the Bucs went out on the first day of the 2008 free-agency signing period and bagged ...

A center and a blocking tight end?

OK, so it wasn't exactly the haul of playmakers Bucs fans were hoping for. And, yes, the Bucs did spend rather extravagantly, giving $37.5 million over six years to Jeff Faine, now the highest-paid center ever.

Thinking back to last year, it seems like money well spent.

Remember how quarterback Jeff Garcia spent his days last year, running for cover and searching for playmakers? The Bucs do, and their line of thinking seemed to be, what good are playmakers if Garcia doesn't have time to find them?

The first order of business, then, was to patch the holes in Garcia's pass protection and improve the overall run blocking. By signing Faine and agreeing in principle on a deal for John Gilmore, the Bucs are on the way to doing that.

Though scouts don't see Faine as an elite-level player (The Sporting News War room had one other center - Casey Weigman - rated ahead of him on its list of the top 99 free agents) he is a smart and athletic player.

Not only is he a whiz at diagnosing defenses and making line calls, he can also pull and reach the second level as a blocker, so he should prove to be an upgrade on his predecessor, John Wade.

"I'm really excited to be part of the Buccaneers franchise and have the opportunity to work with Coach Jon Gruden and my new teammates," Faine said. "I'm especially looking forward to working in this offense and helping Tampa Bay defend the NFC South title."

As for Gilmore, 28, the former Bear is considered a superb pass protector and run blocker. He's not an adept route runner or pass catcher, but he can make plays in the red zone, where defenses tend to forget about him.

Gilmore should fill the hole left by Anthony Becht, who is expected to leave during free agency.

One Bucs free agent who didn't get away was long snapper Andrew Economos. The Bucs offered Economos another exclusive-rights free agent contract for one season, which his agent, Jack Reale, expects him to sign. Economos, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Jacksonville in 2005, played in every game last season.

Meanwhile, the Bucs gave restricted free-agent defensive tackle Jovan Haye a qualifying offer. Haye, who had 97 tackles, six sacks and four fumble recoveries last season, can negotiate with any club through April 18. If he accepts an offer sheet from a new club, Tampa Bay can match the offer and retain him because it has the "right of first refusal."

If Tampa Bay does not match the offer, it would receive a first-round draft pick in exchange for Haye, a high price teams might be unwilling to pay. If an offer sheet is not executed, Haye's rights will revert to Tampa Bay after April 18.

As for the team's new tight end, Gilmore said Tampa Bay's immediate interest in him surprised him a bit.

"My agent said he had thrown a number out at Tampa Bay, and the next thing I know I was on the phone with Gruden," Gilmore told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Gruden told me, 'I don't think you realize how excited we are to have you. You definitely figure into what we're doing. We're going to get you very involved in a lot of two-tight end sets.' He wants me to do what I do, and it sounds like I'll get to catch more footballs. He was a little bit more fired up than I probably sounded at the time."

Gilmore, who arrived in Tampa late Friday and is expected to complete his physical and sign his deal today, probably won't be the last tight end the Bucs add during the signing period. The Bucs are in the market for another pass-catching tight end and already have had conversations with Alge Crumpler, formerly of the Falcons. They also have arranged a meeting with Ben Troupe (Titans) and are expected to meet with Eric Johnson (Saints).

As for those playmakers the Bucs were believed to be looking for, it seems receivers Devery Henderson and D.J. Hackett may be the biggest names currently on their radar. Henderson, who played for the Saints last year, was in Tampa on Friday. Hackett could be brought in for a visit as well, but Henderson is the player the Bucs seem most interested in signing.

At running back, the Bucs have discussed the possibility of re-signing Aaron Stecker, but he has not been asked to make a visit. One reason for that may be the focus on signing a cornerback. Corner became an area of need when Brian Kelly bought his way out of his deal three weeks ago. Drayton Florence (Chargers), Randall Gay (Patriots) and Jacques Reeves (Cowboys) are being looked at as possible successors.

The Bucs were believed to be in negotiations aimed at signing Florence, who visited on Friday. If that deal falls through, the Bucs likely will look to bring Gay in on Monday.

The Bucs also are believed to have expressed some interest in linebacker Lance Briggs (Bears). He is one of several linebackers the Bucs have expressed interest in. The others are Demorrio Williams (Falcons) and Niko Koutovides (Seahawks). Williams is expected to visit the Bucs on Monday, but the signing late Friday of Antoine Cash could change his plans or those of some of the other linebackers considering Tampa Bay.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or rcummings@tampatrib.com. Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425 or arichardson@tampatrib.com.

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