The QB made the right choice to stay. The Bucs were smart to keep him.
By JOHN ROMANO
Published August 25, 2003
TAMPA - It would have been easy for him to flee.
To find another coach with arms spread wide and run to his embrace. To find another city tired of losing and eager to entertain a new face.
Instead, Shaun King chose to stay. He put ego aside, ambitions on hold and returned home when he could not even be sure of the warmth of his welcome.
King chose to stay and the Buccaneers are a better team for it. Now how crazy does that sound? How unlikely is this melodrama?
Think back to April. Back to the time when Jon Gruden seemed to be shopping around for a bulk rate on passers. The Bucs had signed a rookie free-agent quarterback. A journeyman quarterback. An injured quarterback. They drafted a hot-shot college quarterback. And they were in the middle of reworking the contract of their own Super Bowl quarterback.
So what would become of King?
Turns out, his value has never been higher in the Gruden era. King not only has sneaked back onto the field but is a step away from the huddle.
His preseason has peaked at excellent, leveled to solid and has clearly made him Brad Johnson's top backup as the regular season nears.
Did you catch King Saturday night? Eight months to the day after his most recent hometown appearance - which was also his worst performance and his presumed Tampa Bay farewell in a Monday night game against Pittsburgh - King returned to Raymond James Stadium as a reconditioned quarterback.
He protected the ball. He changed plays at the line. He directed the offense to the night's only touchdown. He made you remember why you used to root for him back in the day.
"He hit a couple of audibles (Saturday) night that were outstanding," Gruden said. "He's seeing the field, he's getting to things. I really believe he's showing great poise out there. I think he's comfortable."
If so, it would be the first time in a long while for King. He has spent too much time watching other quarterbacks walk past his locker and wondering what they were doing here in the first place.
He never could accept the notion he might not be the best quarterback on the roster. As a rookie, he was sure he was better than Trent Dilfer. He did not understand Tampa Bay's pursuit of Brad Johnson in 2001 and was surely annoyed at the fuss made over Rob Johnson in '02.
Even when he was taking the Bucs to the playoffs in 1999-2000, there was some sense King still was finding his way in the league. His confidence was a plus on the field, but a hindrance off it.
He behaved as if he could coast on talent and instincts alone. He lost the starting job one year and fell to No.3 the next. He wasn't prepared to play against the Steelers last season and it showed from the opening pass.
The Bucs won the Super Bowl, but King's future never seemed so shaky. Coming out of college, at least, he was a second-round pick. By the end of last season, he was a free agent without much interest from the rest of the league. No one, it seemed, was inclined to pay him starter's money.
Yet it would not have been a surprise had King left anyway. Had he let emotions make his decision. He could have said he was tired of being ignored, tired of waiting for his turn and tired of being left behind.
He could have taken a cut-rate contract and found a team desperate for competition at quarterback. Look around the league. How many teams would be better off today with King as their quarterback? Dallas, for one. Arizona for another. Maybe Carolina and Baltimore too.
King, after all, has won 63.6 percent of his starts. Among active quarterbacks with at least 20 starts, only six have a better winning percentage. And four of them have won a Super Bowl.
So it was of some wonder when King agreed to return to the Bucs for a one-year deal around the veteran's minimum of $530,000.
It was also the best move he could have made.
Had he left, King would have been playing under his fifth offensive coordinator in as many seasons. He undoubtedly would have been playing on an inferior team. He had to realize the chance for failure was real. He had to know the chance to become the next Jeff Blake was possible.
For an NFL player, few things are worse than being labeled a journeyman. You might always have a spot in camp, but you rarely get a chance.
This way, King has a shot at reviving his standing. With a one-year deal, he can market himself while playing for one of the NFL's most-watched teams. And he has another year to rub against Gruden's genius.
King, you might be surprised to know, is still just 26. Brad Johnson was a week shy of 28 before he even got his first start in the NFL. In other words, there still is plenty of time for King's career to flourish.
And it seems, for once, he has accepted this role. Has realized, perhaps, his place in this league is his responsibility and no one else's.
"He's a talented guy who has really paid a price to get himself where he is now," Gruden said. "Experience has really helped. He's matured a little bit in terms of being a pro quarterback, handling the situation better.
"Maybe knowing that: "I've got a chance to be the backup. Be one play away from being the starter here. I have a great future in this league if I just continue to work. And when I get my chances I'm going to be ready."'
Tampa Bay, too, has benefited from the decision. Jim Miller is likely to start the season on the reserve/unable to perform list. Chris Simms, as impressive as he has been, is still too raw. Had King not re-signed, the defending Super Bowl champions might have begun the first week of the season with Shane Matthews a heartbeat - or a twisted ankle - from the throne.
So be thankful King still is around.
By season's end, it might turn out to be the best decision of all.
