Why not King for a day?

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© St. Petersburg Times
published October 31, 2002

TAMPA -- When the footing is bad, give me steady.

When the system is down, give me a technician.

When the throne is threatened, give me a King.

For the battered, bruised, bewildered offense of the Bucs, these qualify as troubled times. Jon Gruden's playbook appears to be written in Sanskrit. Every pass attempt looks like a Tarantino movie. And the unit leads the league in nothing but broken bones.

At a time like this, a team looks everywhere it can for answers. Including yesterday. Which brings up this possibility.

Shaun King.

Remember him?

As referendums go, this one is not exactly on next week's ballot and, the truth be told, Bucs coach Jon Gruden is not exactly seeking advice. Nevertheless, here goes my vote:

Give me Shaun.

Give him Sunday.

Okay, okay. It isn't likely to happen. Brad Johnson, broken rib and all, practiced Wednesday, and he's a strong bet to return to the starting lineup this week. Of course he is. Johnson is a tough, competitive cuss who would play with a rattlesnake bite in his leg ... even if you couldn't pry the snake off. He has played with broken bones and a herniated disc before, and if you leave it up to him, he'll play with this one.

That said, how wise is it to put a quarterback with a broken rib behind this offensive line? Could there possibly be a worse place for a man with a fractured bone? Put it this way: If Johnson enters the game with one broken rib, what's the over-under on how many he exits with?

So why not give Johnson another week off to heal? Given the bye week that follows, that would give Johnson a month from the Eagles game to the next Carolina game. If Johnson is so vital, and most starting quarterbacks are, why not get him to peak health going into the final seven games?

That brings us to the next question. If Brad doesn't start, or if he doesn't finish, then whom should the Bucs turn to? Rob Johnson, who has soreness in his butt from a pulled muscle, or King, who has numbness in his from sitting too long?

That's an easy choice. King.

Look, the only easier opinion in sports than calling for the backup quarterback is to call for his backup. Around here, fans have called for backups from Jerry Golsteyn to Scott Milanovich.

Also, there is this. Gruden's history says he doesn't make a lot of mistakes on quarterbacks. He grades every pass, every practice, and considers every possibility in making his depth chart. If Gruden believed King gave him a better chance at winning, he'd start him. Simple as that.

All of that granted, I'd still turn Sunday over to King.

By now, we know this about the Bucs. They are not likely to wake up one morning and discover they have transformed into a great offense. If this team is to win, it will do so by playing great defense and field position, by forcing turnovers and taking advantage of opportunities. It worked for the Bucs in '99. It worked even better for the Ravens the next year.

For a team to play that way, it needs a caretaker quarterback. It needs someone with calm, with poise, someone who can manage a game and run a huddle. It needs someone to protect the ball.

Does that sound like King to anyone else?

Admittedly, this is coming from someone who was as intrigued by Rob Johnson's gifts as anyone. With the way he moves, with the way he throws, you wondered if Gruden might transform him the way he did Rich Gannon.

On the other hand, did you see the Carolina game?

There is too much frenzy to Rob's game, too much of a garage guitarist playing as loud as he can and as fast as he can. He reminds you of a tourist walking barefoot across the hot coals. Yes, he might make a big play. Yes, he might make a bad one. It's a coin flip.

Now, go back 25 games. Remember the way the fans cheered King's name as he conquered his hometown? Remember the poise, the knack for making the key play at the key moment?

Couldn't the Bucs use a dose of that now?

We can agree on this. Whoever the Bucs start at quarterback, and that includes John Elway and Dan Marino, isn't going to cure everything that's wrong. This doesn't become a great offense with either Johnson or with King. Whoever starts is going to be sore Monday.

But there is a time when steady beats the search for sensational. Hey, Shaun has played on a bad offense. He has played behind weak tackles and in front of blitz-happy defenses. He has seen end zones that look tiny in the distance. What else has the guy ever known?

There was a December night three years ago, for instance. One week after being third team, King was making his first start against a Minnesota team that had won five straight. Everyone expected the kid to be overwhelmed.

In the end, he was better than expected. The Bucs won 24-17. After that, King did the darndest thing. He kept the boat afloat. The Bucs won six of their next seven and went to the NFC title game.

It's time. Dust the kid off and point him toward the huddle. Again.

When the way is lost, give me direction.

When the power is out, give me a spark.

And when a nice story is 25 games old, give me a shot at a sequel.

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