Offensive talent grows as QB, coach bond

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By JOHN ROMANO, Times Sports Columnist

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 2, 2002

TAMPA -- In a moment of choice, sometimes it is best to listen to the little voice in your head. And now, as near as Brad Johnson can tell, it is strongly suggesting he call a sweep play.

When Jon Gruden has your ear, the world can be a noisy place. The Bucs coach is not just hands on, he is tuned in. If he's not in the huddle in practice, he's on the walkie talkie in Johnson's helmet on Sunday.

[Times photo: Kevin White] Quarterback Brad Johnson and coach Jon Gruden have appeared more comfortable together with each game.

For a change, the Bucs are talking a good game. Coach to quarterback. Director to performer. Gruden and Johnson are growing more comfortable with each other, and the offense seems to have a more relaxed fit.

"We're getting better. We're getting more and more on the same page," Gruden said. "He's really been impressive to me. The amount of football we've thrown at him, what we've asked him to do. He's handling it extremely well."

Here is your hope. With an offense that has been less than impressive, the bond between Gruden and Johnson is a tease for something better.

The deficiencies will not go away. The offensive line will not grow more physical, the receivers will not find faster shoes and these running backs will always be a few octaves short of a scat.

The promise of this offense lies in Gruden's talent for deceiving defenses and Johnson's ability to identify breakdowns in front of him. As of today, this is Tampa Bay's offensive strength. Gruden's gameplan is better than most and Johnson's acumen is beyond question. Put them together and this offense will have more looks than a high-brow salon.

"His details are impeccable," Johnson said. "When I come in on Wednesday morning, the homework he's done on Monday and Tuesday is incredible. I've got a lot of room to grow with him. That's what's fun for me. We're playing well right now, but I think we can play great. I see where we can go with this."

Where can this offense go? Realistically, not very far. At least not yet. The Bucs still have trouble running the ball and still do not have a playmaker with the athletic ability of Marshall Faulk or Randy Moss or Donovan McNabb. Or, for that matter, Warrick Dunn.

Yet the growth in the past few weeks is evidence of brighter days ahead. Johnson is getting a better feel for Gruden's plan, which means he is getting the ball to the proper player more often than not.

The touchdown pass to Ken Dilger against the Bengals on Sunday? Dilger was the third option, but Johnson read the play quickly enough to find him.

"He's been pretty sharp in terms of his decision making," Gruden said. "We just caught them in a couple of coverages where maybe we threw to a different receiver than we have been throwing to on a couple of concepts."

This is the other factor in Tampa Bay's offense. The Bucs are running many of the same plays, but with slight wrinkles.

So when the Bengals saw Keyshawn Johnson run a familiar route underneath, three defenders converged. And Keenan McCardell was left running alone down the sideline for a long touchdown pass.

In that sense, every play has meaning. A third-and-long sweep against the Ravens may have been called back by a penalty, but future opponents understand they cannot ignore the run in that situation.

"In the first four games Jon has really gotten a grasp of Brad's capabilities," Dilger said. "The same is true with Brad. He understands what Jon wants to do in the flow of the game, how he wants to make calls."

The growth of the offense is not just in the number of plays, though that is considerable. (In a pair of two-minute offense drives against the Saints, Johnson said Gruden called 18 different plays. The norm is closer to six.)

It is equally important for Johnson to understand Gruden's feel for rhythm and setting up defenses. This is where their communication is integral.

Gruden not only relays the play, snap count and formation from the sideline, but also goes through the most likely audibles.

"He's an excitable guy obviously, but he talks to you real clear on the sidelines," Johnson said. "The more patient and the more relaxed he is with me, the better off I am and the better off the team will be because everything kind of trickles down."

That doesn't mean Gruden's legendary enthusiasm doesn't sometimes flow over into the offensive huddle.

"He takes a shower after the game, too, now," Johnson said. "He thinks he's playing. In practice, he calls the play in the huddle as if he's the guy. He's kind of reliving his past."

Johnson pauses a beat.

"Or the past he didn't have."

See?

Perfect rhythm.

Perfect set up.

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