Sapp stays silent after Strahan's blast

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- One day after Giants defensive end Michael Strahan called Warren Sapp "a jackass" and said he should "stop talking," he got his wish.

Sapp declined comment Sunday on Strahan's assertions that the Bucs defensive tackle "shut it down on national TV" during Tampa Bay's 31-9 loss to Philadelphia in an NFC wild-card game last season.

It's the second time in a week Sapp has made headlines for his comments that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on July 28 when players reported to camp. First, Sapp said receiver Keyshawn Johnson was "not the real deal." Asked what he thought of Strahan's NFL record 22 1/2 sacks last season, Sapp responded, "Asterisk."

Bucs coach Jon Gruden said the focus on Sapp's comments is not a distraction.

"I think people perceive it to be a distraction," he said. "I let that thing just go away. The more you seem to stir it, the more it stinks, you know what I mean? So I'm just going to let that go. I'm not at all worried about that in terms of me being distracted or any of our players being distracted -- or certainly, Warren Sapp."

General Rich McKay agreed, but said the situation might change during the regular season.

"When you have personalities as big as we have, they're going to get some attention," he said. "Am I worried about it now? No, I'm not worried about it. When I worry is during the season when teams put the target on you."

Strahan has been involved in a war of words with Giants teammate Tiki Barber, the twin of Bucs defensive back Ronde Barber.

"Mike's talking a little bit, Warren's talking a little bit. It's great for the game," Ronde Barber said. "Those guys joke around with each other a lot and sometimes it gets personal. It's just the NFL. You guys like to sensationalize these stories and these guys are living up to it."

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS: Although he didn't watch, Gruden acknowledged the NFL coaching debut of Steve Spurrier late Saturday as the Redskins beat the 49ers 38-7.

"Obviously, the game was a little lopsided and you can't put a lot of stock into preseason games," Gruden said. "But you've got to tip your hat to the Redskins, they're obviously off to a pretty good start."

THE CHUCKY PHENOMENON: Gruden's resemblance to the Chucky doll from the Child's Play movies has been well documented, showing up on plenty of T-shirts in the stands during practice. The coach acknowledged his likeness Sunday, saying he disagreed with calls while watching his brother, Jay, win an Arena League playoff game on TV Saturday, so much so that "Chucky came out."

Gruden, who reportedly was first tagged with the nickname by Raiders tailback Harvey Williams for his scowling demeanor, said he doesn't mind the comparison, so long as people realize that most people are capable of some scowling themselves.

"I don't know if people know my name is Jon anymore," Gruden said. "I'd really like everything to go so smoothly that you never have that side of you. I'm sure if one of you has a bad day, or gets caught in traffic or shank your 3-iron, I guarantee you if they put the camera on you, you'd look very similar to Chucky. You should see my mom. I probably got it from her."

BUCS BITS: The Bucs simulated game conditions during both practice sessions Sunday. "We tried to make it gamelike," Gruden said. "We got the coaches off the field. We had move-to-the-ball type period to end the day. We had a 10-play drive for the No. 1 offense against the No. 2 defense, we had a six-play drive with the No. 1 defense against the No. 2 offense. Our threes took about a five-play sequence at the end. We're trying to get them to appreciate game circumstances and get the tempo right." ... Safety John Howell, who missed the first week of training camp attending to an undisclosed personal matter, was excused again. "We're optimistic that it's going to be the next couple of days, but that is all I can report at this time," Gruden said.

-- GREG AUMAN, RICK STROUD