Extra Edge: Jon Gruden

His demanding style pushes Bucs to success

		[Times photo: Jim Damaske]
		Coach Jon Gruden knows how to push the buttons of players like Keyshawn Johnson to get the most out of them, and the players look forward to hearing what he'll say next.

SAN DIEGO -- Graveyards and videotapes. Home run records and secret surprises. Somehow, some way, Bucs coach Jon Gruden has found a way to inspire his players, individually and collectively.

He has appealed to their heart. He has wrestled with their soul. He has challenged their manhood.

And now, 11 months into a historic first season with the team, Gruden has his players responding to virtually every button he presses.

"He has such a passion for the game, and you can tell that in his speeches," safety John Howell said. "You can see how bad he wants to win and the respect he has for his own players. I have always said you don't demand respect, you earn it. Any great coach that I played for has earned my respect, and once a coach has earned a player's respect, that player will do anything for him. He will die for him."

So much has contributed to 14 wins this season. The defense is the best in the league. The offense has come around in the latter part of the season and the playoffs. The team has won in cold weather, scored a touchdown on the road in the playoffs and buried an old nemesis by shutting down Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia with a 27-10 win.

Some of that is because of Gruden's relentless work habits and imaginative play-calling. Some of that is because of what he tells the players.

"One of the first speeches he gave me this year was about walking around graveyards," Howell said. "He said he would, from time to time, walk around a graveyard and look at all the headstones and read them and think about all the dead people lying there. And then he told me, "One day, that's going to be you under the ground. One day, that's going to be you there, dead.'

"He went on to say we're all going to end up like this person and that person in the graveyard. Dead. So seize the moment. He said you're going to be 6 feet under someday. So, are you going to do something before you're dead? Are you going to do something so that there'll be more than just dates on the tombstone?"

Gruden's speeches and stories have become legendary among the players, who not only appreciate them but anticipate them. And they couldn't care less if the stories are fact or fiction.

"Before the Philly game, he said he was in Pacific Bell Park the night Barry Bonds got his record-breaking home run, and just like we were at the Vet, Bonds was 0-for-3," safety Dexter Jackson said. "He told the team that Bonds' at-bats were ugly. He said Bonds struck out three times. He said the home run Bonds hit was a beautiful hit. He said, "You can be Barry Bonds.' "

Jackson said none of the players checked to see if Bonds really struck out three times.

"It didn't matter if he was right about it or not," Jackson said. "But the point we got was, if you are a champion then it doesn't matter if you get knocked down, because a champion always gets back up and keeps going."

Gruden, whose scowl led the media to create an alter-ego known as Chucky (after the doll in the horror movie Child's Play), appeals to each player in a different way.

"I can't say most of what he says," center Jeff Christy said. "He comes up with some stuff that's unbelievable. I have to be honest, you go to a team meeting every day, after every game and you ask yourself, "What can he possibly come up with now to keep us going?' Then he says something and the place erupts. And we think, "I can't believe he really said that.' It gets the entire room fired up and gets you rejuvenated."

Gruden's players say one reason he has earned their respect so quickly is because everyone is fair game.

"I remember the Washington preseason game, I snapped the ball on the wrong count and, man, I did not want to see him when I was coming off the field," said Christy, a 10-year veteran. "I was trying to walk away from him, but sure enough, he came right at me. Man, I never wanted to have that feeling again. That's what makes him a good coach."

From Pro Bowl safety John Lynch to backup defensive end Buck Gurley, each player has been subjected to one of Gruden's motivational ploys.

"Regardless of whether you are the highest-paid player or the equipment guy, he doesn't care," cornerback Dwight Smith said. "If you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing, he's going to let it be known in front of the club or otherwise. You respond accordingly."

It's not all fire and brimstone. Gruden latched onto the "Pound the Rock" slogan and has turned it into a team motto. And he is not above dangling carrots.

"Before the Philadelphia game he said, "If you guys go out and dominate the game, I've got a great surprise for you,' " defensive end Greg Spires said. "I started thinking, "Is he going to reward us for going out there and doing our job?' I don't really know what the surprise is, but he hasn't forgotten about it. If we put this game behind and we win, I'm pretty sure he'll come up with something."

Linebacker Shelton Quarles said Gruden's most memorable presentation came in the film room early in the season. He showed a tape of Raiders receiver Jerry Rice, then with the 49ers, executing a play to perfection. He then showed the Bucs' woeful attempt to execute the same play.

"He showed the play, and Rice went down the field, got the block and scored a touchdown," Quarles said. "Then he showed the film of our play, the exact play, and we didn't get a yard. He said, "This is what I expect from this offense. The hustle, the desire, the execution.'

"It sent a message to the team. It didn't have anything to do with defense, but seeing that and seeing how he could remember that play from so many years ago, it was just amazing."