Pound the rock

By ROGER MILLS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 24, 2003

[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]

The team has rallied around a 200-plus pound block of granite that appeared inthe locker room Nov. 19, five days before a critical game against the Packers.

Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli first used the phrase "Pound the Rock" in training camp to remind his linemen that if you keep grinding, eventually even the biggest boulder will crumble. But it was coach Jon Gruden, in a moment of motivational opportunism, who turned the lunch-pail saying into the team's motto.

Slowly and steadily, through wins and losses, Gruden repeated the phrase to players and coaches. He said it in meetings, on the practice field and on the plane. He whispered it to the team and shouted it publicly.

Once they bought into it, he brought it to life.

On Nov. 19, five days before a critical conference game between the Packers and Bucs, who both were 8-2, Gruden had a 200-plus-pound slab of granite secretly deposited in the locker room.

When players reported to work that morning, the rock was sitting on top of a large equipment case in the middle of the room.

The Bucs have taken to the lifeless mascot.

"The "pound the rock' thing has taken off," center Jeff Christy said. "It's stuck with us. It's become our motto. It's taken on a life of its own."

Where did the rock come from?

Officials have stuck to the story that defensive tackle Anthony McFarland found the rock the night before and placed it in the locker room. At the time, McFarland was out with a broken right forearm.

And not to leave other stones unturned...

Plymouth Rock: Tripping Pilgrims create the first great American tradition: the personal-injury lawsuit.	Rolling Rock: Contributing to wonderful college memories since 1939.	Stonehenge: The British Tourist Authority's motto: There's a sucker born every minute.
Rock Riley: Only Jimmy Johnson has better hair.	The Rock: Refers to his body and his brain.	Mount Rushmore: Support still lags for replacing Theodore Roosevelt with Cary Grant in North by Northwest.