Bucs Lead In Favre Stakes

For the first time since the Bucs started training at Walt Disney World in 2002, their annual parade of athletes into the Celebration Hotel actually bears watching this year.

The reason by now should be obvious to all.

Though it still seems a little early for such a thing, there is a chance that one of the golf carts bringing Bucs players to the front door of the hotel lobby will include Brett Favre riding shotgun.

Dawn broke on reporting day for the Bucs with Tampa Bay way ahead as the speculative front-runner in a Favre sweepstakes that won't end until the Green Bay quarterback retires again or is traded somewhere else.

When that end will come is still difficult to gauge, but with camps opening around the league this weekend, you get the feeling a conclusion will come sooner rather than later, perhaps even as soon as today.

The Bucs have discussed a trade for Favre with Packers officials, but it remains unclear whether those talks are heating up, cooling down or even ongoing. One potential hang-up could be Favre himself.

Because he has yet to file for reinstatement, no one is sure whether he actually wants to play. Also unknown is whether Favre would be willing to accept a trade to the Bucs.

It's possible the Favre issue could drag on for days, if not weeks. Either way, it figures to be a hot topic of conversation today. In fact, it could easily overshadow several other issues facing the Bucs.

One such issue involves their reigning sack leader, Greg White. The former Arena League standout was still embroiled in a heated contract dispute late Thursday and was considering skipping the start of training camp.

As an exclusive-rights free agent, White has little leverage. He can only negotiate with the Bucs, who started out by offering a one-year tender for $370,000, a marginal improvement on last year's $285,000.

Also locked up in contract squabbles late Thursday were three of the Bucs' 2008 draft picks - cornerback Aqib Talib (first round), wide receiver Dexter Jackson (second) and quarterback Josh Johnson (fifth). It's not unusual for the Bucs to go into reporting day with several draft picks unsigned. It would be unusual for the first workout to commence without all the draft picks under contract.

Bucs GM Bruce Allen has never failed to get a draftee signed in time for the start of camp, so the likelihood is Talib, Jackson and Johnson will all be signed sometime today.

The only other player embroiled in a contract dispute is quarterback Jeff Garcia. Garcia has been asking for an extension that includes a raise worth about $5 million, but negotiations have slowed to a crawl.

Favre might be the reason. The Bucs won't agree to pay Garcia an extra $5 million then add Favre's contract to the books. It's likely Garcia won't get a new deal until the Favre matter is resolved.

Even then, the Bucs still might hesitate to appease Garcia. He is 38, after all, and although he is projected to start for the Bucs this year, he is not their long-term answer at the position.

Who is remains uncertain, but the Bucs should get a good look at some of the candidates during the first couple of days of camp. With Garcia expected to miss the weekend's workouts while attending a reunion for the junior-college team that his father coached to a 1973 national title, repetitions for Brian Griese, Luke McCown, Chris Simms and Johnson should increase.

How much they increase depends on Favre. If he comes rolling up to the Celebration Hotel in one of those golf carts today, Griese, McCown, Simms and Johnson quickly will become forgotten men.