By ROGER MILLS, GREG AUMAN
Published June 16, 2004
TAMPA - Now we know why the Bucs have placed so much emphasis on the organized team activities.
The team released its unofficial training camp schedule Tuesday and the stay in Disney seems a little shorter than normal.
The Bucs will be in Orlando for 30 practices over 19 days and play one preseason game, home against the Bengals on Aug. 14, before breaking camp four days later. It is subject to change.
In 2003, the Bucs were in camp for 35 practices over 28 days and played two games before returning to One Buc Place. In 2002, the camp lasted 38 days and included scrimmages against the Dolphins.
"The good thing is we'll have five practices here next week where the vast majority of this team would have been through these drills and we should be able to move effortlessly in terms of where to go and how we're running each drill," coach Jon Gruden said. "The type of execution should be dramatically improved because of the rehearsal. The guys have had 14 (organized activities) days, a voluntary camp, some of them, they have had a lot of time to get acclimated to the style of football that we're playing."
The team, which finished the opening session of its third round of voluntary activities, has two more practices this week, then five mandatory practices over a three-day session next week.
Every snap now could mean something later.
"You have to teach your new players, rookies and free agents the system," Gruden said. "And try to get some unity and camaraderie going. The big thing is learning how we practice in shorts. Prepare themselves mentally for training camp so that when they put the pads on, they are ready to go and understand what to do. That's the big thing.
"Obviously, you want to take advantage of the time you do have (now). You never know, a guy might pull a groin or a hamstring and miss the whole training camp. And you're trying to evaluate each man individually to see who will make your team."
BACK FROM THE CONTINENT: Defensive end Corey Smith returned to the Bucs after a successful campaign with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
"I probably benefited a lot in terms of learning more about myself as a football player, as a defensive lineman, about my mental toughness and what I can bring to the table in terms of my speed, my hand movements," said Smith, who played in seven games the past two seasons for the Bucs. "I gained a lot more confidence. The more reps you get the more confident you get and the more you learn about yourself."
Smith had quite a season in Europe. His 7.5 sacks were fourth-best and the Thunder defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 30-24 to win the World Bowl.
"I was thinking, "Man, I can't wait to come back,' " Smith said. "I've got (defensive line coach) Rod Marinelli here and I can't wait to get back to his teaching and get used to the defense again so I can make the team."
On a team with tremendous pedigree on the defensive line, 7.5 sacks offer him no guarantees. But, he said, it is how he got those sacks that matters.
"(They) don't mean anything if they didn't come through hard work," Smith said. "If I had gotten a bunch of cheap sacks, that would not have meant anything. If I had 13 sacks but no good film, then I wouldn't care about the number of sacks."
RIGHT FIT: Rookie receiver Michael Clayton, the Bucs' first-round pick, never thought much about his jersey number at LSU, where his No. 14 was given to him arbitrarily as a freshman.
"If you ask me, No. 14 is kind of ugly," he said.
But the No. 80 jersey he chose to wear as a pro has more significance. It's a nod to another receiver coached by Gruden and a constant reminder for Clayton of the hard work it takes to become a legend like Jerry Rice.
"I model this number after one of the greatest receivers of all time," he said. "Coach Gruden lets me know whenever I catch the ball and I don't finish, we go back and watch film of Jerry Rice, how he used to catch the ball. He's making a statement. If you're going to wear this number, the greatest receiver of all time wore this number."
Gruden worked with Rice as an assistant with the 49ers, then as coach of the Raiders. Bucs receivers coach Richard Mann had Clayton watch highlights of Rice's early years in the NFL to learn the power of a good head fake in gaining separation from defensive backs. For Clayton, there's no better receiver to emulate.
"I want to be the best I can be. To model yourself after a guy like Jerry Rice, you can't go wrong," he said. "There's no negative in pushing yourself like that."
Clayton was 2 years old when Rice made his NFL debut, but the rookie said he still is impressed by Rice's work ethic as he enters his 20th NFL season.
"Coach Gruden said he doesn't care how old Jerry is, he'll hire him to come to Tampa just to teach me a couple of things," said Clayton, who stayed late after Tuesday morning's voluntary practice to polish his routes. "He has a lot of respect for that guy."
