Bucs coach says lineup changes may be coming for a slumping team that has more penalties than all of last season.
By RICK STROUD
Published November 18, 2003
[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys]
Warren Sapp and his All-Pro teammates have yet to step forward and acknowledge their play has fallen off.
TAMPA - Bucs coach Jon Gruden is not about to wave the white flag in surrender, but he's tired of seeing all the yellow ones drop out of officials' pockets.
The world champions lead the NFL with 792 penalty yards and had several stop critical drives in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Packers.
At one point the Bucs were called for three consecutive penalties, including two on guard Kerry Jenkins, who was pulled from the game.
Gruden said Monday that he will not tolerate penalties that have cost yardage and victories. He vowed to shake up his lineup to avoid the fouls that have led to slow starts in three straight losses.
"To me, that's a lack of concentration," he said. "Whether it's complacency, lack of details, whatever it may be, that's intolerable. It's totally unacceptable and intolerable, and frankly, I'm disgusted with it."
Gruden said he is uncertain whether the penalties are symptomatic of the rigors of defending a Super Bowl championship, including a short offseason, a preseason game in Tokyo, injuries and perhaps complacency.
"I think everyone's looking for a reason," Gruden said. "Everyone's looking for complacency, motivation, hunger. Do we have the same mind-set we had last year? We've got the same rock. ... Clearly, in key situations, we committed a penalty, we've had a kick blocked, we have played poorly in the two-minute drill where that was not the case a year ago.
"We've been in a position to win a heck of a lot more games than four and shame on us for not delivering those victories."
In 10 games, the Bucs (4-6) have committed more penalties than all of last season. In fact, not even the 0-14 team in 1976 was as bad. That inaugural team averaged 62.5 penalty yards compared with 79.2 yards this season.
Six of the Bucs' eight penalties Sunday came against the offensive line, including a 15-yard personal foul for grabbing the face mask on tackle Kenyatta Walker in the third quarter with the score tied at 13. The penalty erased an 11-yard completion to Keyshawn Johnson that would've given the Bucs a first down at the Packers 33.
"We had some sloppiness, and some of these penalties are very dramatic," Gruden said. "In a 13-13 football game, where you have first down at their 33-yard line and holding and tripping calls back you up into a first and 30, that certainly impacts the game."
Gruden said the Bucs could reshuffle the line, particularly if left tackle Roman Oben is recovered from a broken right hand and right guard Jason Whittle is able to return Monday night from a shoulder sprain to play against the Giants. If Oben is able to play, Walker would move back to right tackle. As for other changes, the Bucs are considering moving Dwight Smith back to cornerback if safety Jermaine Phillips is recovered from a broken right forearm.
Gruden disagreed with the second quarter holding penalty on Jenkins, but the sixth-year pro called his illegal procedure penalty "inexcusable."
"When I jumped offside, that was just a total lack of concentration," Jenkins said. "I was just worried about trying to fire off to get a good block. It does happen, but that was embarrassing. There was like three of four penalties in a row."
Penalties have contributed to the offense failing to score a touchdown in the first half of the past three games, all losses.
"It's a combination of things," said Gruden, whose team is seventh among eight teams in contention for two NFC wild-card spots. "Penalties, field position, you can draw any conclusion you want.
"I start to look at sheer ability in some ways. If you're a repeat offender in terms of fouls, the qualifications you need to play in this league are obviously lacking. You cannot be a repeat offender in terms of penalties. I can't pin it all on the offensive line. I can't pin it all on one guy. Some of the penalties that occurred (Sunday) are very questionable in my judgment. But at the same time you've got to be a disciplined football player to play in the National Football League on a team that's capable of winning world championships."
Gruden said he was considering ways to improve discipline.
"You can levy fines, you can lengthen practice, you can have one-on-one conversations, you can scream and yell and sometimes replace players who commit consistent penalties," Gruden said. "All those will be considered.
"If we're going to run a disciplined football team, run one. How we'll do that, we'll do what we feel is in our best judgment. You don't want to make threats and all that. You just want to emphasize, again, that it's costing us games and it's got to be eliminated from our play."
