New tight end ready to get back in action

Rickey Dudley pleased to be playing again, and pleased he can reconnect with coach Jon Gruden.

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 19, 2002

[Times photo: James Borchuck] Rickey Dudley's "physical talents are far above any tight end in the league," former teammate Tim Brown said.

TAMPA -- Tight end Rickey Dudley expected to spend Sundays this season catching passes from Browns quarterback Tim Couch.

Dudley to couch has been a familiar combination the past two weeks, but only with regards to the sofa in his living room.

"It only got tough on Sundays," said Dudley, who was released by the Browns for the final cutdown Sept. 1. "And I tried to occupy my mind on Sundays, go do something else on Sundays. That was really the only time it got tough. Throughout the week, I kind of kept myself busy doing other things. But like I say, it's probably a blessing in disguise, things that happened, and I'm ready to move forward."

To Dudley, it must seem like a step backward, being reunited with coach Jon Gruden. He caught 18 touchdowns three seasons in Oakland for Gruden, who is counting on Dudley to improve production at tight end.

Dudley gives the Bucs four tight ends and Gruden indicated one could be sent packing before Monday night's game against the Rams.

"I think we'll see what happens here in the next couple days," Gruden said. "How many tight ends is it? That's four tight ends. I've never had that."

Ken Dilger, who is probable with a triceps contusion, remains the starter and third-year pro Todd Yoder is a special teams standout. That means Marco Battaglia, who signed a three-year deal as a free agent in March, seems to be the odd man out.

"We like Ken Dilger tremendously," Gruden said. "We're hoping that Todd Yoder continues to play well on special teams. We'd like to see Marco Battaglia play more and play better when he does."

However, Gruden plans to wait and see how quickly Dudley is ready to play, after spending the past three weeks inactive and a year in another offensive system.

"Physically, we'll see where he is," Gruden said. "Mentally, if he's truly ready to be versatile enough where if Ken goes down, can he play that position? So there are some issues we've got to find out."

There have been questions surrounding Dudley, starting with his hands. He dropped 17 passes as a rookie and often disappeared in the Raiders offense.

Sometimes it was because Gruden failed to get him the football. Other times, he seemed to clash with quarterback Rich Gannon.

No matter the reason, when Dudley became a free agent after the 2000 season, Gruden and the Raiders made no effort to re-sign him. Yet here he is re-starting his career for Tampa Bay.

"We were talking about it yesterday, how shocked a lot of people are going to be," Dudley said. "The perception was (Gruden) and I really didn't get along. It really shocked a lot of people that we reunited. It'll be fun to get things going again.

"Not to copy Keyshawn's slogan, but he got me the ball. We did a lot of moving down the field. But once he got me the ball, I was able to do a lot of runs after the catch and different things. So the opportunity just to get the ball was really what I wanted."

At 6 foot 6 and 255 pounds, Dudley's combination of size and speed is among the best of any tight end.

"I'll say this any time I'm asked the question," Raiders receiver Tim Brown has said of Dudley. "Rick has the potential to be one of the best tight ends who ever play this game. I don't care what he's done or hasn't done over the last couple of years. I think his physical talents are far above any tight end in the league. He's just got to realize that."

According to Gruden, the Bucs considered signing Dudley after he was released by the Browns. Gruden was pleased with his workout Tuesday and seems convinced he will improve the passing and running games.

"He came to camp this year for whatever reason and fell out of favor with the Cleveland Browns," Gruden said. "I'm not criticizing them at all. He's released, he's on the street. He's sitting there. And I had talked about bringing him in here, Rich (McKay) and I, when he became available.

"When he came in here, we liked his workout, to put it mildly. And we want to see if can get the Batmobile going again."

-- Staff writer Roger Mills and researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

Today's lineup

Bucs