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Mangurian looking for discipline on Bucs' OL

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By IRA KAUFMAN

ikaufman@tampatrib.com

Published: May 28, 2009

Updated: 05/28/2009 08:39 am

TAMPA - Two months before the start of training camp, Tampa Bay's new offensive line coach has a chilling message for his minions:

If you're not planning on being smart and disciplined, don't bother showing up.

Pete Mangurian, who spent the past four seasons coaching tight ends for Bill Belichick's New England Patriots, represents a fresh voice in Tampa after seven years of Bill Muir's gruff demeanor.

"We've got to establish an identity of who we're going to be," Mangurian said after Wednesday's voluntary practice session. "We've changed the offense, we're getting to know the players and they're getting to know us. We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there."

Mangurian, 53, is stressing football savvy and awareness to a young unit stocked with premium draft picks like tackle Jeremy Trueblood and guards Davin Joseph and Arron Sears, who is apparently being pushed by second-year pro Jeremy Zuttah.

"Arron's been out for a while, and I haven't seen him," Mangurian said. "He hasn't been practicing the last few days. I hope he's ready for training camp, but I'm going to worry about the guys that are here, coach those guys and give Jeremy Zuttah an opportunity to play and see what he can do.

"We have to have five guys playing together. We've got to be physical, we've got to be intelligent and we have to be consistent ... really paying attention to the details of the game."

Mangurian and new offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski have a history dating to the mid 1980s.

"Jeff and I go a long way back," Mangurian said. "Jeff was a grad assistant at LSU when I was coaching the offensive line there. I know what his core beliefs are as far as being able to run the football and do things consistently. Our core values are all the same. Raheem Morris put together a bunch of guys who see the game the same way. We're trying to build a foundation here."

Morris and Mangurian have come full circle in the past decade.

Mangurian was Cornell's head coach in 1999 when he hired Morris away from Hofstra, his alma mater.

"Raheem was a lot like he is now," Mangurian said. "He's real confident, real sure of himself and his personality definitely comes out the minute he walks into a room. He's got a presence about him.

"He took everything I threw at him at Cornell and kept going. This situation presented itself and he'll make the most of it - I'm just glad to be here with him."

Along with Jagodzinski, Morris and the rest of the staff, Mangurian is determined to define a new way of doing business for the 2009 Buccaneers.

"We're going to have an identity and we're going to know who we are," he said. "There are very few players that are the total package. What we've got to do is take the strengths of these guys and make them comfortable in that role. I'm not saying we'll be the same every week, because I don't think we will. We're going to do whatever it takes to win each game, but we're going to have a plan and we're going to stick with the plan."

Mangurian is hoping to forge a unit that exudes confidence while minimizing mental mistakes.

"That's the intelligence factor," he said. "Jumping offsides, not knowing the snap count, false starts - that's intelligence and concentration, whatever you want to call it. You have to understand what situation you're in. Personal fouls and dead-ball penalties will destroy you. We've got to understand that penalties can destroy your team. It all falls back to being responsible to your teammates."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833.

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