FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - On his first day of work, Rich McKay hugged his new boss.
He helped his sons, Hunter and John, slip on Falcons jerseys and told stories of playing golf at Augusta with team owner Arthur Blank. As he walked the polished halls of Atlanta's plush headquarters, he joked about the decrepit shape of One Buc Place and the number of mousetraps - to be honest, he was targeting rats - in his old office.
Yup, his new life was maybe 45 minutes old and already McKay wore it well.
It was, you have to admit, enough to make you nervous.
You see, McKay's greatest gift is his ability to envision the future. Owner, stadium, franchise. Doesn't matter. McKay usually picks winners.
Now that he is the ex-general manager of the Buccaneers, a realization is sinking in. McKay picked Atlanta's future ahead of Tampa Bay's.
"In this league," McKay said, "you don't often find jobs like this."
Nor do you often walk away from a job 11 months after winning the Super Bowl.
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By now, stories of the rift between McKay and Bucs coach Jon Gruden are common. So common, McKay says, they've become exaggerated.
Yes, they differed on the team's direction. McKay wanted stability. Gruden wanted to win today, no matter tomorrow's cost.
Yes, they differed on character issues. While McKay is conscious of the team's community image, Gruden considers bail money a business expense.
Yes, they argued about Emmitt Smith, Kyle Turley, Darrell Russell and far too many others. Gruden wanted them, McKay avoided them.
"It's not appropriate for a GM to constantly be the "no' guy," McKay said. "I was becoming a problem that way."
So he walked away.
Walked away from a job that had made him rich and famous. Walked away from a place he had called home for almost 30 years. Walked away from a franchise literally started from the ground up by his father.
And maybe it really was that simple. McKay, after all, was set in his ways and could not have enjoyed ceding power to Gruden.
But what if there was more?
What if it wasn't just McKay's pride that was offended? What if it was his competitive streak? His desire to succeed?
What if he also jumped ship because he saw the Bucs' about to crash?
As theories go, it's not that farfetched. The Bucs have defied parity about as long as any team in the league. They've spent millions and given away draft picks. The roster is growing old and the depth is wearing thin.
In April, McKay said the core of this team could go another two seasons before dramatic restructuring might be in order.
Maybe he miscalculated. Perhaps the time is now.
This season is a loss away from debacle, and next season is far from guaranteed. With Gruden wanting to squeeze out as many victories before the window closes, the team's long-term success is up for debate. And that may have been more distasteful to McKay than any argument.
"It's Jon's vision of a football team and he has to be able to build it the way he wants. I had to figure out how I could compromise to make it work," McKay said. "Because, in the salary-cap era, if you make one mistake, you will have to pay the piper."
Had he wanted, McKay could have found room for compromise. He could have adapted and adjusted. That, if you've been watching, is what he does best.
Here is a man who rose from Bucs ballboy in 1976 to general manager in '95, without catching a pass, calling a play or scouting a player in between.
McKay is a survivor. A sharp man a step ahead of the rest. He parlayed a law degree and his father's name into a job as the Bucs counsel. That eventually led to a role as a vice president of administration.
When Hugh Culverhouse died, McKay pulled off the remarkable trick of facilitating the team's sale to the Glazers, then staying as their GM.
He is the bridge to Tampa Bay's past. The kid on the sideline with his dad in the 1970s, the team attorney through the dark era in the '80s, the GM who helped build a stadium and a winner in the '90s. He survived coaching changes, ownership changes and Bucco Bruce.
And now he leaves because his coach wants a few free agents?
"Jon likes certain players to fit what he does. He knows what he needs to help him," McKay said. "I don't blame Jon. I'm fine with that. In the end, he had to do what's best for the Bucs and I have to do what's best for me."
Which brought him here. To a team with a marvel at quarterback and more flexibility with its salary cap. To a place where the owner may throw around more money than the Glazers and the head coach is McKay's to hire.
And, maybe, it brings him closer to an even grander tomorrow. It has long been whispered that McKay has one eye on the commissioner's job and there are those who believe he might one day be the best candidate.
At any rate, he is gone now. The Glazers put their future in the hands of Gruden and McKay has taken his future out of Tampa Bay.
In a perfect world, it will work out best for everyone. The Bucs will hire a GM who understands Gruden and McKay will hire a coach who agrees with him.
But the NFL is rarely that gratifying. For every team that wins, another must lose. And for Atlanta to succeed in the NFC South, the Bucs must suffer.
That is McKay's job now. That was his choice.
Funny, for the past week, we've pictured McKay running from something.
Perhaps, in the end, he was running toward something.
