TAMPA - It's not the thigh bruise. It's not the double teams. It's not the quarterback.
Only one person is responsible for making Keyshawn Johnson disappear from the Bucs offense: Jon Gruden. According to Johnson's agent, the coach continues to ignore his Pro Bowl receiver. Johnson caught one pass for 4 yards Sunday in a 24-7 loss to the 49ers. Only two of the Bucs' 41 passes were aimed at Johnson.
"(Gruden) had plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the No. 1 playmaker's hands," agent Jerome Stanley said Monday. "He threw him no screens, nothing long. ... He threw him two passes in the first quarter and that was basically it. (Niners receiver) Terrell Owens is the most covered player in the NFL and still manages to catch enough balls."
Johnson has 26 receptions for 356 yards and one touchdown this season. But he has not caught more than four passes in a game since grabbing nine for 102 yards against the Panthers in Week 2. Johnson suffered a deep left thigh bruise against the Colts Oct. 6 and missed most of the second half. Though the injury forced him to miss several practices, he has remained in the lineup.
Gruden defended his use of Johnson and said the Bucs were finding ways to get him the ball.
"It's not like we're not trying to give him the ball," Gruden said. "I'll go on record here as saying that we're doing everything we can. We line up in every formation known to mankind.
"We're trying to get him the football. But if I don't pull out my Visa card and say, "Let's get him a 19-yard grab here or a 14-yard throw there.' ... We've got to have protection, we've got to have separation, we've got to make plays."
Johnson remained in San Francisco to spend the day with his two children and was unavailable for comment. But Stanley took exception to Gruden's remarks.
"As for pulling out his Visa card, Keyshawn is a platinum card," Stanley said. "That's the coach's perception of the situation. He thinks he has a Visa, but he has a platinum card and he doesn't use it."
Certainly, Johnson was not a big focus of the offense Sunday. Neither were the other Bucs receivers. Of the Bucs' 25 completions, only five were to wideouts. Running back Michael Pittman led Tampa Bay with 10 catches for 60 yards and fullback Jameel Cook caught three passes for 19 yards, two more receptions than Johnson.
Stanley pointed to the 49ers' use of Owens, who caught six passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, as evidence that teams find ways to get their No. 1 receiver the ball despite double coverage.
"It's up to the coach/offensive coordinator to make sure the No. 1 receiver can be productive and therefore set the tone for the team," Stanley said. "In that regard, the coach has failed recently.
"All-star receivers are selfish, it's their nature. That's why they go in the middle of the field and catch a speeding football and allow three men at 600 yards of velocity to hit them because they believe it's what they're supposed to be doing."
Gruden, however, said he hoped Johnson understood his lack of receptions is not for a lack of effort to get him the football.
"Our concern right now is winning," Gruden said. "He's obviously a big weapon here, a guy that we're trying to get the football to. I hope he respects that and appreciates that. At the same time, we do have a number of injuries right now and we do have some other options in our offense that are quite effective also."
