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TAMPA - For a long time, the huddle has belonged to him. More often than not, you could say the same thing about hope.
He breeds calm, his teammates will tell you. When the storm comes, his is the face where you find faith. Somewhere above the goofy grin, somewhere below the do-it-yourself haircut, you will find order, confidence, balance.
Perhaps, then, it should have surprised no one that the Bucs looked squarely into the facemask of Brad Johnson to find themselves Monday night.
You know. The first place you would ever look.
More than ever, this team needed its quarterback Monday night. More than ever, a fractured team in the midst of a frustrating season needed for its quarterback to point the way toward a week's worth of solace.
At a time such as this, who else were you going to trust?
Johnson was the essential Buc Monday night. In a season that has gone haywire, after a week that turned wiggy, behind an offensive line that springs leaks, with suspect running backs, with wide receivers with a lot to prove, Johnson made the deal stand up.
The Bucs entered this game in the middle of a snarled mess. Keyshawn was gone, but the controversy lingered. There was confusion, doubt and a two-game losing streak. Just in time for the Monday night lights, it seemed, the season had gone dark.
On the other hand, there was Johnson.
Say what you wish. He is the imperfect quarterback, gangly and awkward, slow and conservative. There are times he seems out of rhythm on his short passes, reluctant to throw his long ones. There are times he tries too hard to make a play, and suddenly, someone in a wrong-colored jersey is running the ball back the other direction.
On the other hand, Johnson is suddenly playing the role of Patrick Swayze in Ghost, trying desperately to grab onto something so he can win in the end.
At times such as these, it would be nice for Johnson's leadership to become more vocal. He had nothing to say after last week's loss to Green Bay, and he had little more to say when the Bucs tossed Keyshawn Johnson out of the fort last week. His was one of the voices the rest of us were dying to hear, and Brad seemed to work hard to make certain he said nothing interesting.
As a quarterback, Johnson always has been Gruden's most fervent admirer. It would have been nice to hear what he thought of his coach turning loose his leading receiver.
His is the voice that counts now. His are the explanations people want to hear, win or lose. Hey, sometimes the entire community needs to be in the huddle, you know?
On the field, however, Johnson has spoken loudly for most of the year. He entered this week's play tied for the most touchdown passes in the league, and he's near the top in yardage, percentage, attempts, yards. If the defense had been able to close the door, he'd be near the top in fourth-quarter comebacks, too.
Never, however, have the Bucs needed for Johnson to be sharp as they did against the Giants.
Imagine the circumstances. Instead of throwing to Key, he was throwing to Lee. Charles Lee, to be precise. Instead of handing off to this Cardinals castoff (Michael Pittman), he was handing off to that one (Thomas Jones). And instead of enduring bull, the crowd was enjoying Bull.
For one week, at least, nothing mattered. Not the collapses and not the calamities and not the controversies. Johnson kept finding open receivers, and he kept moving his team downfield.
Yes, he cost his team a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Johnson tried too hard to make a play. Faced with a heavy rush, he double-clutched, then tried to force a ball into coverage. The Giants' Frank Walker intercepted and returned the ball 56 yards for a touchdown that brought New York within four points.
By then, however, Johnson had done his damage. He hit 22 of 32 passes for 269 yards and his 20th touchdown pass of the season.
More than that, Johnson guided the Bucs to safe harbor.
Don't count Monday night's game for more than it is. The Bucs have made that mistake throughout the season. This wasn't about history or the Hall of Fame. It wasn't about last year's Super Bowl or this year's. It wasn't about the playoffs or the player who was laid off.
It was, however, a signal of the weeks to come. If the Bucs have any chance of making this season interesting, if they are going to get on enough of a roll to force you to do math about the postseason, then it will be because of Brad.
In front of him, the line is wobbly. Behind him, the backs are suspect. At the ends, the receivers have some proving to do.
That leaves Brad.
It has always been his offense. It has always been his team.
Now, it is his season.
If the Bucs are to go anywhere, he will have to lead them there.