As is customary in the Jon Gruden era, there were major changes up front during the offseason.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published September 12, 2004
TAMPA -- Bucs coach Jon Gruden ticked off the names, and there were way too many.
Roman Oben. Cornell Green. Todd Washington.
On and on the list went, and it was just a sampling of the players who have started games on the Bucs offensive line the past two seasons. This season, there is a new crop ready to take a turn.
Derrick Deese. Matt Stinchcomb. Todd Steussie.
A focus of the front office the past two years, the Bucs offensive line has been built and rebuilt. Besieged by poor play and beset with injuries, the only constant up front for Tampa Bay is unceasing change. In today's opener at Washington, the Bucs will have three new starters and only one -- guard Cosey Coleman -- who started Super Bowl XXXVII.
"We don't know what cohesiveness is here," Gruden said. "But what are you going to do? Just quit whining and do the best you can and be confident that these guys have worked hard. And when it all settles, we'll get what we deserve. These guys are working hard, but continuity hasn't been a blessing for us. It's a word we don't know about."
No, but the Bucs are quite familiar with the terms "free agent" and "injured."
Coming off the Super Bowl victory, the Bucs looked to upgrade a porous line by adding experienced center John Wade and guard Jason Whittle. Wade has been solid and remains the starter, but Whittle left the starting lineup after five starts last season with a shoulder injury. Coleman started the final 11 games, and Whittle was traded to the Giants on Aug. 31.
Again eager to upgrade the line, the Bucs were extremely busy during the offseason with the signings of veteran tackles Deese and Steussie and guards Stinchcomb and Matt O'Dwyer. Their arrivals allowed the Bucs to trade Oben, a two-year starter at left tackle and move sporadic performers Coleman and Kenyatta Walker down the depth chart.
That was the theory, at least.
O'Dwyer didn't make it through offseason workouts, tearing a pectoral muscle in the weight room. The 10-year pro, who missed 12 games last season with Cincinnati because of a foot injury, will not be available until the seventh game. The other newcomers, all of whom show wear from lengthy careers, missed valuable time during training camp. Deese was out nearly three weeks after surgery Aug. 10 to remove a bone spur from the top of his left foot. Stinchcomb missed the first two preseason games with a calf strain. Steussie missed practices with an ankle sprain.
All three, however, are slated to start today with Wade and Coleman, who battled back from offseason intestinal surgery to have a strong preseason. The Bucs will find out quickly if the lack of playing time as a unit during preseason will hurt. In the Bucs' ever-evolving lineup, guard Kerry Jenkins and young left tackle Anthony Davis also started preseason games and will be ready to step in.
"Everybody knows the offense," Wade said. "We've been together since March and had a lot of meeting time. Everybody plays a little differently, so you have to get used to that. But we've been rotating in camp, so we're used to it. I'm making the calls left and right, and whoever is there, I'm confident they'll get the job done."
Bucs quarterbacks were sacked 23 times last season, the fifth fewest in the league. But statistics can be misleading. Trying to avoid sacks, starter Brad Johnson often threw off-balance and in a hurry, leading to a career-high 21 interceptions. The emphasis this season is to keep Johnson from being hit so often.
"The quarterback is the biggest asset of the team on the field," Steussie said. "You have to keep them healthy. That is the reason we are here. The running game is part of it, but we get paid well to take care of the quarterback when it comes down to it."
Steussie started the past 11 seasons (since his rookie year with the Vikings) at left tackle but is making the sometimes tricky switch to right tackle with the Bucs. On the left, Deese is in his 13th year and did not allow a sack the past two seasons with the 49ers. "It's a new team, and you definitely want the offensive linemen to jell and everybody to know everybody," said Deese, who started the preseason finale against the Texans. "It's unfortunate we have a list of injuries. But hopefully, all the injuries happen in preseason and we won't have any once the season starts."
