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Gruden's Rating A Concern

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By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Published: November 9, 2008

TAMPA - In May 2003, President George Bush had a 90-percent approval rating with the American public. Now, the majority of the U.S. citizenry can't wait to see him leave the White House.

Jon Gruden's term as Bucs coach has followed a similar path.

In May 2003, Gruden and the Bucs were fresh off their victory against the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII and just about everyone, even Keyshawn Johnson, wanted to play for Gruden.

Now, according to a poll of approximately 80 percent of the players who were active in the NFL in 2007, Gruden is one of the five coaches players least want to play for.

Where did it all go so wrong?

Well, it probably started with Gruden's handling of Johnson, whom he kicked off the team in 2003, and maybe even his handling of former Bucs general manager Rich McKay, whom he pushed aside in a struggle for power in 2003.

Then there were the promises he made but couldn't keep to Keenan McCardell, his handling of Mike Alstott, whom he never really embraced, and Chris Simms, whom he never really wanted in the first place.

Throw in the fact his overall record since winning the Super Bowl is 48-49 and you can start to see why only a minority of the NFL's active players may be eager to play for him.

Unlike Bush, though, Gruden isn't going anywhere. With a contract that runs until 2010, he's here to stay for a while, so what the Bucs have to concern themselves with is the effect Gruden's approval rating is having on them.

On the surface, the effect doesn't appear to be negative. After all, the Bucs are 6-3, and with a loss today by Carolina they can slip into a tie for first place in the NFC South, where they are reigning champions.

Look a little deeper, though, and there appear to be some negative effects cropping up, particularly if you look back to last spring, when the Bucs had an unheard-of $40-million-plus in salary cap space to spend on free agents.

For all the promise that batch of money seemed to hold, the Bucs didn't manage to give much of it away, largely because most of the big-name free agents they chose to pursue chose to play elsewhere.

Remember their pursuit of a playmaking wide receiver? They courted D.J. Hackett, Devery Henderson and Bryant Johnson, et al. In the end, the Bucs wound up signing Antonio Bryant off the street.

They also made a run at running back Julius Jones but Jones wound up signing with Seattle. No surprise there. The Bucs haven't signed a big-name, still-in-his-prime offensive free agent in years.

What they have done is sign a lot of players no one else seems to want (Bryant, Jerramy Stevens, David Boston) as well as players who are desperate for a chance to prove they still belong in the league.

They've done quite well with that approach. Stevens and Bryant have certainly worked out for them. So have Chris Hovan, Ike Hilliard and Phillip Buchanon, all of whom came to the Bucs looking for a chance to keep their career going.

That's a testament, obviously, to each player's talent and determination, but it's also a testament to the assistant coaches, who have managed to squeeze whatever talent remains out of each and every one of them.

The Bucs have Gruden to thank for that. It's his staff, after all, and he has shaped it rather well, allowing coordinator Monte Kiffin to manage the defensive side of things while Gruden manages the offensive side.

But players don't seem to concern themselves all that much with who their position coach is. They come to play for the coordinator or the head coach, and the fact few seem to want to play for Gruden is worthy of concern.

The Bucs aren't feeling the effects of this apparent dislike for Gruden right now, but if the best players keep ignoring them in free agency and they suddenly start to miss on the castoffs, it might.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.

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