For the Buccaneers, time is running short. Money is, too.
The roster is growing old and, in places, looking tattered. The salary cap is close to filled, and there still are players with hands extended.
This is where the Bucs stand today. Free agents are running loose across the NFL, and Tampa Bay is looking for loose change in Dwayne Rudd's locker.
If at all possible, now would be an excellent time for hope to arrive. A great opportunity for a rescue to be arranged.
You might say now would be the perfect time for Bruce Allen to whip out that business acumen we've heard so much about.
This is his day. His hour. This is why Rich McKay has a new area code and Allen has McKay's old parking space at One Buc Place.
Let's face it, the job ain't easy. The Bucs have a ton of playoff memories, a Super Bowl trophy and an overpaid, slightly graying roster to prove it.
More and more, you get the sense McKay's departure involved as much of a leap as a push. That he saw the direction Tampa Bay was heading and decided a left turn at Macon, Ga., might be the way to go.
At any rate, the puzzle now is Allen's to figure out. And, you must say, he is off to a fine start even if he is playing with fewer pieces.
The Bucs got under the salary cap Tuesday by releasing five players and reworking at least one contract. Another dozen or so Bucs became eligible for free agency.
So maybe you weren't sad to see Ken Dilger released. And perhaps you figure it's time, anyway, for Warren Sapp to go somewhere else to annoy. Maybe your blood pressure barely blipped at the thought Karl Williams or Thomas Jones, or any of Tuesday's other names, might
not return.
But you do realize these players must be replaced, right? And you do understand the Bucs do not have a lot of cap room to fit anyone in, correct? In other words, in their current financial shape, the Bucs are having a hard time keeping a 7-9 team intact.
Which is why Allen had better have a little of Donald Trump and a lot of Harry Potter in him.
This roster could use a dose of magic. It needs to find depth, speed and about 900 pounds worth of offensive linemen. Preferably for free.
So, Bruce, dazzle us.
That is his reputation, you know. The guy supposedly can find money to spend even when the cap is squeezed tight.
Shrewd is a term often used to describe Allen. And not always in a complimentary way. But, right about now, a Bucs fan would cheer for Mr. Potter in Bedford Falls if he could come up with a speed receiver for cheap.
"I'm not interested in creating cap room just to put it in the closet," Allen said last week. "We hope to utilize it."
There are, essentially, two ways for a cap-strapped team to find money. Either get rid of players, or get them to restructure their contracts.
Allen, so far, hasn't restructured any of the big money deals. And that, you should know, is not necessarily bad news.
Part of the reason the Bucs are in this bind is because of restructured contracts. Deals that helped Tampa Bay stay under the salary cap last season but make it more difficult for this season and beyond. It always had been McKay's belief that restructuring was not worth the risk. The concept is sort of like living on credit cards. You are borrowing from tomorrow to pay for today.
But, flush off the Super Bowl and with a repeat in mind, the Bucs restructured at least seven contracts last spring. The strategy allowed them to sign Anthony McFarland to an extension and to afford free agents such as Rudd, John Wade and Jason Whittle.
But it also limited future flexibility.
That is what Allen must weigh this month. Whether the chance to contend in 2004 is worth potential long-term damage to the salary cap. Teams such as San Francisco, Dallas and Jacksonville needed years to rebound from cap calamity.
Do the Bucs have enough left for another run at a Super Bowl? A division title? Or should they start reshaping the roster with 2005 or '06 in mind?
Allen, we hope, has plans for either scenario. He should try to work enough deals to keep the Bucs competitive but also be prepared to make tough financial decisions if it makes sense for the long run.
Ideally, he will convince a handful of players that a pay cut is in their best interest. That, with a lower salary, they might stick around the NFL longer. Kerry Jenkins may have been the first to come to that conclusion.
Two more? Mike Alstott and John Lynch. Both have had terrific careers - borderline Hall of Fame careers - and are immensely popular.
But both are in their 30s, their effectiveness is certain to wane and they are coming off career-threatening injuries. Not to mention, their salaries and cap numbers make them huge risks for the Bucs in 2004.
This is what Allen faces this morning.
He has little money for the free agents knocking on the front door, his own free agents are leaving by the back door and his roster is springing leaks.
