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Fifth down
By JOANNE KORTH
Published December 12, 2004
[Times files]
The Bucs are back today at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, where they won Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders in 2003.
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TAMPA - The images flash on the wall-size screen in the team meeting room.
Muhammad Ali.
The Boston Red Sox.
The Road Runner.
When Tampa Bay reaches a critical juncture in the season - and there have been plenty this year - coach Jon Gruden reaches outside the realm of football to find inspiration for his players. And it's amazing how fired up guys can get watching a five-minute montage of historical figures, animals and cartoon characters.
"He's on a roll," cornerback Brian Kelly said. "He pulled out the pit bulls last week, a history of pit bulls and piranhas. He was using animals. Right now, he's pulling out his good stuff, and we need it because this is a die-hard situation."
Pit bulls and piranhas? This is what gets professional football players ready for a must-win game against NFC South rival Atlanta, an episode of Wild Kingdom? Apparently so, based on the bite Tampa Bay took out of quarterback Michael Vick.
Props to Cecil B. DeGruden.
"I usually communicate better through analogies and sometimes it's a picture of someone or something, sometimes it's a video clip," Gruden said. "It's hard to listen; sometimes seeing is a better teacher. Proof is in the pudding."
Several times this season, the Bucs' postgame locker room has been a tribute to Gruden's cinematic genius. Players raved about the motivational effect of video montages shown during the week by Gruden, who narrates from the front of the room.
"He gets into it," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said.
Images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Keller helped underscore a theme of overcoming adversity the week the Bucs beat New Orleans after an 0-4 start.
Footage of Tampa Bay's defensive glory days challenged players before a showdown against Kansas City's high-powered offense. The Bucs defense made a fourth-quarter stand in a 34-31 victory.
Video of the Red Sox's improbable comeback from an 0-3 deficit against the Yankees in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series inspired a 35-3 victory against the 49ers.
And a week ago, in addition to pit bulls and piranhas, an image of former world heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali slowly faded into an image of sack-master Simeon Rice for a slightly more poignant comparison. The result was a milestone two-sack performance by Rice, who notched the 100th of his career in a 27-0 victory.
"It was appropriate for what this team needs and the direction we're trying to go in," Rice said. "When we embark in these deep waters, you don't know where you're going to come out. It's good to have a visual to lead your way."
It might be Superman.
It might be Harry Truman.
Gruden's imagination tests the capacities of video director Dave Levy and Google's image search. It took some effort to find a suitable picture of a heart surgeon in action.
"You type that in and there's not many pictures where you get a closeup of a surgeon and a heart in the same picture," Levy said. "Most of the pictures had a bunch of doctors and about 10 people in the room. I finally found one where it was just two doctors and you could see them digging in the chest area."
It might be a track star.
It might be Gen. George Patton.
"Some of us don't sleep much at night, and I'm a big believer in history, not only football history but life," Gruden said. "You try to stimulate your team and also respect some of the great performers of our lifetime, try to draw from some of the greatness that they possessed."
Piranhas?
"You don't see anybody swimming in 8 feet of water infested in piranhas; they'll eat you alive," Gruden said. "They don't discriminate who they eat and they're always hungry and always mean."
Sure, it's cornball.
But, hey, it's effective.
"It's corny because of what it is," said guard Cosey Coleman, trying not to smile. "But the point he's trying to get across, the reality of the picture he's trying to paint, it's not funny. Keep in mind that when he's doing these things, we've been 3-6, 4-7. We're trying to pull out of the situation. What he uses for illustration is motivation or fuel to ignite us."
Hmmm. Ignite, fuel.
Somebody call the stunt department.
[Last modified December 12, 2004, 01:01:32]
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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