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TAMPA - Time for the workday to begin, and Bruce Allen was in the dark.
It was early, not yet 6 a.m., when Allen rolled into the parking lot and, still, he could not wait to get to work. After all, in only another nine hours or so, Allen had a decision to make.
Such is the way Allen's days go. He is an obsessive man who shows up impossibly early, and still, he attacks his job as if he is determined to squeeze six minutes into five and 13 into 10.
Saturday morning, Allen was in the draft room at such a ridiculous hour because, well, where else was he going to be? One more time, Allen wanted to check the notes from his scouting department. One more time, he wanted to look at the draft board.
Eight hours and 45 minutes to go now.
And where does the time go?
Thus began the most important day in the brief history of Allen, Bucs general manager. Or, as he is known about Tampa Bay, the Man Who Is Not McKay.
It has been a rocky beginning for Allen, who has not exactly had confetti rained upon him since his arrival. For most of Allen's tenure, he has had his authority, his sincerity, and his ability questioned. He was the product of a personality clash between Jon Gruden and Rich McKay, the old general manager, and the popular portrait has been that of Allen as a puppet. Not a kind representation. Not an accurate one, either.
Then there has been the sheer magnitude of Allen's task as far as the surgical reconstruction of his team. Since March 3, he has brought in 21 free agents, re-signed three others, arm-wrestled Grambling for Doug Williams, twisted a tight salary cap around, withstood criticism of the manner John Lynch was dismissed, watched Warren Sapp depart and maneuvered a scouting staff he was unfamiliar with toward a draft with no second-round pick.
Just that. No wonder he gets to work early.
"Since I've been here, we've been able to do a few things," Allen said, grinning. "Some of them happen to have been more than interesting. It's great. It's invigorating. Every day is a challenge to help this team get better. That's better than taking naps or sleeping in till 6 a.m."
To those who have watched Allen attack his job, that's been his most impressive attribute. The guy outworks the sun.
"He's a tireless worker," said Ruston Webster, the Bucs college scouting director. "He's always working the phones, always trying to work a deal. He's determined to make this a better team."
Ten hours after his day began, an hour after drafting Michael Clayton, Allen stood in a hallway at One Buc Place. He was asked about the criticism, some of which has come from, well, here.
Allen shrugs, grins.
"It's okay," he said. "I don't mind. I know it goes with the territory. We have the greatest spectator sport in the world, and one of the reasons is everyone's passion. I like that.
"The funny thing is, I want the same thing the fans do. That Super Bowl taste that every fan, every player, every coach had here two years ago. Everyone wants to taste that again. But in between was a 7-9 season. We've got to get better. We have to make the playoffs."
Inside the Bucs' locker room, you can tell the difference. Lockers are stacked in the middle of the room like phone booths in storage. Darrell Russell's name is on top of Warren Sapp's old locker. Free-agent linebacker Keith Burns' name is on top of John Lynch's.
And, instead of McKay, Allen is calling the shots at the Bucs' draft.
How did the Bucs do with the selection of Clayton? Pretty good, the team suspects. Because Gruden's offense has the need of a big, physical receiver in the slot, the Bucs wanted Clayton more than any receiver in the draft.
When the Bucs picked, ESPN was hawking running back Steven Jackson as a potential pick. He wasn't. Had Clayton not been on the board, Miami linebacker D.J. Williams was a possibility.
Upon seeing Clayton was available, however, the decision was an easy one. The Bucs took their full 15 minutes, giving other teams time to try to overwhelm them with an offer. But the offers that came would have forced the Bucs to fall back too far, and they stayed home and took Clayton.
"You need to get an A player from an A position," is the way Allen summed it up.
Okay, okay. The truth is, no one will know how they did in Saturday's draft until they see the players on the field, until they see how they handle money and success and lifestyle and chemistry. As much as everyone wants an immediate grade, the final judgment of Clayton will come with time.
You might suggest the same thing about Allen. For all of the criticism he has endured, for all of the support he has received from Gruden, the real barometer will come in the fall once the players Allen has brought in start winning or losing.
"We live in a business that is result-based," Allen said. "That's the great part of it. That's what gets you going in the morning. We are so fortunate to work in a business where it's your win-loss record that counts. All the nice guys in the world don't matter in the league. Look at Dan Reeves. He's a great man, a good guy. But we live in a world of wins and losses."
Which, of course, leads us to the big question:
Are the Bucs a better team now than they were six weeks ago? Are they merely new, or are they also improved? For all of the changes, for all of the imports, for all the exports, for all the excitement over Saturday's picks, are the Bucs ready to rebound?
Same answer.
We'll see.