TAMPA - Quarterbacks are changed like socks. The offensive line is shuffled like a deck of cards. Receivers? They've tried more combinations than a safecracker.
But when it comes to kicker Martin Gramatica, the Bucs are slow to react.
Gramatica connected on only 60 percent of his field goals last season. The Bucs responded by not bringing any competition into training camp.
"There was never anybody we felt could outkick Martin," general manager Bruce Allen said. "He's kicked well and kicked well in this environment."
He converted just 60 percent of his attempts in the preseason. And that after they hired Nicholas Setta to kick off and save Gramatica's leg.
It almost worked. Gramatica made 8-of-9 field goals to start the season before missing his last three tries, including two Monday night at St. Louis that might have changed the outcome against the Rams.
That's three straight misses in domes, on artificial turf, in perfect conditions.
"He'll be all right," Allen said. "You wonder who's going to be the best kicker for Sunday? It's got to be him."
Oh, yeah? Based on what?
Look, Gramatica is one of the most likable players on the team. And he has a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl ring on his resume.
But for a team so eager for tomorrow, why are the Bucs letting their kicker live on yesterday?
If the Bucs treated other positions this way, Tim Brown would be starting for Michael Clayton and Todd Steussie would be at right tackle instead of Kenyatta Walker.
The Bucs will argue that there are no kickers better than Gramatica available. Well, of course not. But that wasn't the case before training camp or even a few weeks ago. Matt Bryant is kicking with the Dolphins for the injured Olindo Mare. Jeff Chandler was signed by the Rams last week to sub for injured Jeff Wilkins. The Colts signed someone named Andy Payne to fill in for Pro Bowl player Mike Vanderjagt.
Last time I checked, the Colts didn't want to miss field goals, either.
"I've got a surprise coming. We're going to pull out all the tricks this weekend to get him going," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "I just hope the fans stand behind him. I know when I got here, when I researched the team and studied how they won their games and maybe how they didn't, Gramatica was a force in close games. We've got to get that back. We've got to call in the witch doctor, we've got to do whatever we can do to rejuvenate his confidence. If there's any flaw in his technique, maybe we've got to probe that and investigate that further. "The bottom line is he's got to go out there with a positive demeanor and regain his confidence in himself, I think."
SAFETY BELT: Quick. Name the big plays safeties Jermaine Phillips and Dwight Smith have made this season.
Of course, there have been some. But their mistakes are more memorable, like Smith's pass interference penalty on Denver's Ashley Lelie that set up Jason Elam's winning field goal in a 16-13 loss. Then on Monday night, Phillips took the wrong angle on a post route by Rams receiver Torry Holt that resulted in a 59-yard TD reception. Holt also added a 36-yard TD. On both plays, cornerback Mario Edwards failed to make contact with the Pro Bowl receiver.
"You can't give a guy a two-way go," Gruden said. "You might give him a one-way go where you can make a quality break and force a deeper throw, take an angle and defend the play. But we might have had a technique breakdown. Sometimes it's that simple against a great player.
"I'll say this about Holt. In the open air, he's magnificent man. He's stunning. He's really good."
