TOKYO - Brad Johnson never had so much as a twinge while throwing the ball in training camp last week. He just strong-armed coach Jon Gruden into giving him a few days off.
Johnson sat out practice Sunday and Monday and was reported to have a "weary arm" but didn't require treatment. Now he says he just needed a break.
"I never said it," Johnson said of his alleged tired arm. "I just took a day off and that was it. We had gone 15 or 16 practices in a row and I just said, "Jon, give me a day off, man.' That's where we are."
The rest period was extended by the 15-hour trip to Tokyo on Tuesday.
"That's a veteran move," Johnson said. "If the Japan trip had been next week, I would've pulled this one next week.
"It's amazing. Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux or Randy Johnson all take a day off every now and then. That's what I did. I guess that's why they're still playing when they're 40, and that's my goal too. I just took a day off."
Johnson will start Saturday but will only play one series. The workload and rotation isn't expected to change much when the Bucs play at Miami on Aug. 8.
"We're going to play Brad a little bit," Gruden said. "He'll give way to Shaun King early in the game and King will finish the first half. We'd like to see Shaun start the third quarter and Chris (Simms) finish the game."
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Kalief Williams, the crew chief on a C-2 Greyhound, was flying parts and mail to Carrier Air Wing Five when the Bucs defeated the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII in January.
A Jefferson High graduate and native of Town 'N Country, Williams will not attend Saturday's American Bowl, but what happened today at the Tokyo Dome makes up for it.
Williams was among members of the air wing based at the Atsugi Naval Air Facility invited to attend workouts.
"I'm the only Tampa Bay fan in the command," Williams said.
"They knew I love Tampa Bay and they called me in and said to come over. My favorite player is John Lynch, and I'm hoping to get a picture of him."
Members from eight squadrons of the air wing, which deploys aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, watched workouts from the sideline and met some of the players.
"This makes us feel like we're not left out," Williams said. "Because we're the only command in the Navy that lives away from home. All the other people, they go on deck and come back. Japan is nice, but home is home."
Williams took a piece of home back to Atsugi, about a two-hour drive from Tokyo. He got to meet and pose for pictures with Lynch and Gruden.
"Where are you from, Tampa?" Gruden said. "All right. This is my Tampa man. Come see us when you get out. We could use you as a tight end."
INJURY UPDATE: Linebacker Derrick Brooks remains in Pensacola attending to his mother, Ellen Johnson, who was hospitalized after a heart attack. She is in stable condition and doing better, team officials said. Justin Smith will start in place of Brooks.
Cornerback Ronde Barber (right knee) will not play. Receiver Keenan McCardell (hamstring) is questionable but lobbying to play.
