By RICK STROUD, Times wires
Published May 21, 2004
TAMPA - It's not enough for Jeff Gooch to have returned to the Bucs, he wants his old position back, as well.
With last year's starter at strongside linebacker, Ryan Nece, recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and this year's leading contender, Broncos free agent Ian Gold , coming off a torn ACL, Gooch is taking all the reps with the first-team defense.
If this week's full-squad voluntary workouts are any indication, Gooch's role may not be limited to captain of the special teams.
"I'll tell you the guy who's really made a lot of plays out here is Gooch," coach Jon Gruden said. "You don't realize how good a linebacker this guy is. He's a good linebacker. I wish we'd never let him go. It's a good thing. At least we're trying to get some of these guys back."
Nece, who missed the second half of his rookie year after tearing his ACL, struggled last season after beating out Dwayne Rudd for the starting job. Rudd was released and signed with the Raiders, leaving Nece the unchallenged incumbent until the arrival of Gold.
"He's pretty good," Gruden said of Gold. "We didn't turn him loose, he took the individual stuff. He's not been given a 100 percent green light, but he's very close. He's fast. It's just a matter of cutting now, violently, and doing those types of things. But he's on the verge of being ready to go."
What nobody counted on was that Gooch, reduced to a special-teams player the past two seasons with the Lions, is so familiar with the Bucs defense that he might be a step quicker reacting than Nece or Gold.
"He's a good player, he's made a lot of plays out here," Gruden said of Gooch. "He's a captain for us right now, he's the leader on our special teams. While Ryan Nece is getting his knee ready to go, this guy has made a ton of plays out there. Man."
NICKEL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: Everybody remembers how much the injury to Brian Kelly doomed the Bucs. But the biggest impact came on passing situations, when cornerback Ronde Barber moved inside and the team had to scramble for a nickel corner.
That's why the signing of Cowboys free-agent defensive back Mario Edwards and Ravens free agent Tom Knight was so important.
"(Edwards) and Brian Kelly are big guys on the outside and you have the crafty Ronde Barber in the slot where he's really spectacular," Gruden said. "Those three guys really create problems for us offensively, I know that.
"You put Barber inside in the nickel. A couple years ago, we had ( Donnie) Abraham. We had some versatility with Dwight Smith two years ago. We moved Dwight into safety, you've got to call upon somebody else to be the nickel corner. We didn't play as well at that position, the third corner, as we need to play here. So we're hoping Mario ( Edwards ) and Tom Knight and Torrie Cox will improve us here."
IT'S A WRAP: The Bucs concluded workouts No. 4-6 Thursday in their series of 14 organized team activities. Full-squad practices will resume next week.
"We threw a lot at them situationally," Gruden said. "Short-yardage today. The officials were out here, trying to magnify the penalties, trying to eliminate them. We worked hard on the nickel blitz, the base blitz - different aspects of football. Really, I'm very, very pleased, to be honest with you. Hopefully, we can get a couple more guys in here next week, guys like Derrick Deese. We could see a little bit more out of Charlie Garner, although he took reps every day, we'll increase his workload as time moves on."
Around the league
GIANTS: New York acquired quarterback Kurt Kittner on waivers and signed wide receiver James McKnight. Kittner had two touchdowns and six interceptions with the Falcons last season. His only win was a 27-7 decision over the Giants.
JAGUARS: Quarterback David Garrard is scheduled for surgery to alleviate symptoms of Crohn's disease. Garrard, 26, will have diseased tissue removed from where his colon meets his small intestine. Crohn's causes blockage in the intestines, resulting in abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. There is no known cause or cure, and it afflicts more than 500,000 people.
PACKERS: The death of Ray Sherman's son was ruled an accident. Ray Sherman II, 14, died a year ago after shooting himself in the head with his father's pistol. Two days later, an interim medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. He changed his ruling to undetermined because the boy displayed no signs of wanting to hurt himself. The family then filed a petition seeking to change the certificate. Judge Richard Dietz declared the death accidental. Sherman, a Green Bay assistant, said he would crusade for gun safety.
RAMS: Quarterback Kurt Warner was excused from minicamp, the final sign that St. Louis plans to release the two-time league MVP. Agent Mark Bartelstein said a mutual decision was reached "a couple of days ago."
RAVENS: Quarterback Anthony Wright needs surgery on his sore right shoulder, a procedure that could force him to miss most of the season. Wright was 94-for-178 for 1,119 yards in 2003.
TITANS: Kicker Joe Nedney, recovering from a torn ACL, worked out for the first time since surgery.
