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ANWAR S. RICHARDSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

Bison On The Sidelines

Only football fans with a satellite dish and insomnia likely have ever seen a North Dakota State football game, which might explain three recent staff hires by Bucs coach Jon Gruden.

Tampa Bay's Gus Bradley (linebackers coach), Todd Wash (defensive line coach) and Johnny Cox (defensive quality control coach) each are former assistant coaches at North Dakota State, a school not exactly known for its football prowess.

Bradley was a safety and punter for the Bison from 1984 to 1988. He served as an assistant coach from 1996 to 2005 before joining Tampa Bay in 2006.

Wash played linebacker for the Bisons from 1988 to 1991, was an assistant from 2000 to 2003 and 2005-06 and was hired by Tampa Bay in 2007.

Cox was a North Dakota State graduate assistant in 1996, receivers coach from 2000 to 2002 and became part of Tampa Bay's staff this year.

Slight Age Difference

Bucs QB Jeff Garcia, left, is the oldest player on the roster, but how old is he? Garcia is 38, and to put that into perspective, Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Johnson, right, was 2 years old when the veteran graduated from Gilroy High School (California) in 1988.

Rude Boy

Most NFL players were born in various places across the United States, but you will have to book an international flight to visit Jovan Haye's stomping grounds.

Haye was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, and moved to the United States when he was 6 years old. He did not start playing football until he was a junior at Fort Lauderdale Dilliard High.

It was not like Haye needed sports to be successful, considering he graduated from high school with a 4.5 grade-point average and was accepted to Vanderbilt, where he played collegiately.

Mark Your Calendars

Don't forget that Oct. 23 is "Matt Bryant Day." After kicking a game-winning 62-yard field goal against Philadelphia on Oct. 22, 2006, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio made that declaration the next day.

A Harvard Man
Phillip Buchanon is known for hitting players, but Tampa Bay's cornerback also hit the books this offseason. Buchanon enrolled in the NFL's Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at Harvard's Business School and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Inside The Huddle

Instead of waiting for reporters to ask his opinion, Greg White has decided to offer it on his own Web site. White, Tampa Bay's defensive end, is writing a weekly blog on www.blitz91.com. He intends to give readers an inside look into Tampa Bay's locker room and his thoughts about everything Bucs-related this season. In addition, White has a Q&A portion on his Web site for fans wanting direct answers to their inquiries.

Real Smooth Joey

WR Joey Galloway opened "Smoothie Junction" in Clearwater last year. Galloway had his hand in developing every smoothie on the menu.

What's In A Name?

There are several Bucs players hiding behind nicknames, but their driver's licenses tell a different story. Here are the real first and middle names of a few players:

B.J. Askew - Bobby DeAngelo

Ronde Barber - Jamael Oronde

Ike Hilliard - Isaac Jason

Sabby Piscitelli - Sabatino Carmine

Cadillac Williams - Carnell Lamar

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