Sports: Bucs players relieved, amazed

Bucs players relieved, amazed

News catches many off guard, but those who know Gruden say it's the best they could have hoped for.

By ROGER MILLS, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA -- Thinking back to his final two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, Bucs tight end Dave Moore remembers being impressed by a young and hungry receivers coach who had a passion for the game and a drive to leave nothing uncovered.

It was the 1990 and 1991 seasons, Moore's junior and senior years with the Panthers, and Moore said Jon Gruden couldn't get enough of the game.

First to arrive at the facility, last to leave.

"The best word to describe him is intense, very intense," Moore said. "Jon was always a true student of the game. He was always thinking about the game. Always thinking about plays. Here's a guy who, if you're sitting with him at dinner, he could pull out a napkin and start drawing plays.

"He wasn't in a position of leadership back then, but he would take you aside and try to help you improve by being constructive. I remember he was on the field after and before practice. He was always coaching."

Since then, Moore has remained friends with Gruden and watched his meteoric rise in the NFL coaching fraternity.

Then, in the wee hours of Monday morning, Bucs executive vice presidents Joel and Bryan Glazer added another chapter to Gruden's story by giving the Raiders two No. 1 picks, two No. 2 picks and $8-million over the next three years as compensation for making Gruden the seventh coach in Bucs history.

Gruden replaces Tony Dungy, the most successful coach in team history who was fired Jan. 14, a move unpopular with many players.

Moore said hiring the NFL's youngest coach -- Gruden is 38 -- will help ease some of the ill will.

"I think I could speak for a lot of players to say we were all disappointed to see Coach Dungy go," Moore said. "It was kind of ironic that the Patriots won (the Super Bowl) exactly the way Dungy has always said you can win: play great defense and control the ball. But, (hiring Gruden) is very much a sigh of relief.

"If you look at what exactly the Glazers were trying to get done then, this is the best scenario you could think of. They brought in a guy who won't let us take a step backward. Normally, when you bring in a new coach, there's a tendency to step backward. There's a period of adjustment. That won't be the case with Jon.

"He's very good at what he does. He's a motivator and does his things his way. He's a more verbal guy on and off the field and he won't hesitate to get in a guy's face and tell you what he's thinking. But he'll do it in a constructive way."

Gruden will be asked to reconstruct an offense that ranked 25th last season. Under Gruden, the Raiders had the seventh-best offense in the NFL.

"It makes him a perfect fit," Moore said. "With (defensive coordinator) Monte (Kiffin) and the rest of the defensive staff still there, this makes perfect sense."

A disciple of the West Coast offense, Gruden succeeded with the Raiders by not being afraid to throw and placing a lot of responsibility in the hands and feet of quarterback Rich Gannon. Considering the conservative Bucs offense the past six seasons under Dungy, Pro Bowl receiver Keyshawn Johnson said there is reason for optimism.

"I'm ready to go," Johnson said from Los Angeles on Monday night. "I got a chance to work in the West Coast offense at the Pro Bowl under (Eagles coach) Andy Reid. (Gruden uses the) same system, same stuff and probably the same terminology. I'll be fine with it."

With a number of teammates, the announcement that the Bucs had ended a monthlong, meandering search was met with skepticism, then relief, then approval.

"At first, I asked: "Are you serious?' " Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "All the talks seemed to be dead as far as Gruden was concerned. Then I thought, well, once I see him in the office and have him with me on the field or in the film room, then it'll be fine."

Brooks, who was on a golf course in Fort Lauderdale when he got the news, said he was not shocked the Bucs made a hard run at Gruden. Brooks said Raiders running back Zack Crockett, a friend and former teammate at Florida State, asked Brooks about Gruden at the Super Bowl.

"He asked me, "Hey, what are you doing going after my coach?' " Brooks said. "We talked at length about him and what kind of coach he is. He said he's a player's coach and a guy who will listen."

Defensive end Simeon Rice, who led the Bucs with 11 sacks and was tops among linemen with 64 tackles, said getting Gruden from the Raiders was a blessing in the midst of disaster and could serve as a shot of confidence for the Glazers, who have been ridiculed for their handling of the coaching search.

"From afar, this looks like a Monet," Rice said. "That's a guy on the rise. The best guy right now got the job. (The Glazers) don't have to hang their heads. ... The game still has to be played and we have to go out and win games, but at the ground level we can posture up and say we got it done."

Rice said he doesn't know Gruden and isn't familiar with his defensive strategies, but he likes what he sees of him on the television and what he hears about him on the players' grapevine.

"I don't know him but I like his tenacity," Rice said. "It's only going to get better. Now, I think we've got the guy who can handle the situation."

-- Times staff writer Rick Stroud contributed to this report.