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For their own good 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.
TAMPA - For several weeks, the Bucs were a team of mystery and intrigue, making plans that would tantalize and tease.
Whether it was moving up for a quarterback, moving down for a receiver or trading a veteran, they didn't seem content to sit still leading up to the NFL draft.
There was so much smoke, you expected each pick to come with a Surgeon General's warning.
But Saturday, the most extraordinary thing the Bucs did was nothing at all. Tampa Bay simply waited its turn during the first three rounds and took a player to fill a glaring need.
Remaining at No.5, the Bucs selected Auburn running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who impressed the Bucs as a member of coach Jon Gruden's South squad at the Senior Bowl.
Williams shared the rushing duties at Auburn with Ronnie Brown, who was selected No.2 by Miami. But he was more productive than his teammate, gaining 3,831 yards and breaking Bo Jackson's school record with 45 touchdowns.
"There were a lot of rumors out there that are quite hilarious to me," Gruden said. "But we did look at a lot of agendas to see what, at the end of the day, would be best to help our football team. At the end of it, sitting right there at No.5 and getting a guy like this is something we're excited about."
The Bucs had an eye on the future with their second-round pick (36th overall), Nebraska middle linebacker Barrett Ruud.
Tampa Bay then fulfilled an expectation by drafting Alex Smith. But it wasn't the Utah quarterback who went first overall to the 49ers. It was the tight end from Stanford who was taken with a third-round pick, 71st overall. N.C. State offensive tackle Chris Colmer was the final pick, 91st overall, which was acquired from San Diego for receiver Keenan McCardell. The Bucs said Colmer will start at left tackle with Anthony Davis moving to left guard.
"That's the best first day of the draft I've ever had," Gruden said. "Just having a pick in every round, that's what it's all about. Hopefully, the four guys we selected won't hang around on the bench for very long and come in to give us something right away."
Gruden denied reports by ESPN and SI.com that the Bucs talked with several teams, including the Chargers and Cowboys, about trading three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice. But he admitted they were tempted by other deals.
"We considered a lot of things," Gruden said. When the Bucs were on the clock at No.5, they had a choice of at least three players they recently considered: Williams, Southern Cal receiver Mike Williams and Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In fact, Mike Williams was just a few miles away and met briefly Friday night with Bucs general manager Bruce Allen. Rodgers, who worked out for Gruden in Berkeley, Calif., several weeks ago, was in a free fall that lasted until the Packers took him at No.24. Mike Williams went to Detroit at No.10.
"We've been looking at the draft for enough time," Gruden said. "I think Mike Williams is a great player. Carnell is a guy we know we want and are excited about."
Carnell Williams gives the Bucs a featured back to ignite a dormant rushing attack that since 2000 has ranked 30th, 27th, 24th and 29th. Williams was the third running back taken behind Brown and Texas' Cedric Benson, who went No.4 to Chicago.
He also was the only one of the trio not invited by the NFL to New York. Instead, he had 75 family members and friends to his home in Attalla, Ala., to watch on television.
"At first, I was disappointed because I felt like I was one of the top guys in the country," Williams said. "But then as time went on, I was able to be with all my family and friends. I did (feel a little slighted by the NFL). I saw my fellow teammate, Ronnie (Brown) and Braylon (Edwards) and some of those guys doing the New York thing, and I was thinking that I would've liked to be up there."
Ruud gives the Bucs a linebacker for the future. Tampa Bay is faced with an aging linebacker corps. Derrick Brooks is 32, Jeff Gooch 30 and Shelton Quarles 34 when the season starts.
"We need a (middle) linebacker for years to come, for down the road," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "I really couldn't be going to a better situation than down there because I love the style of defense they play, that Tampa Two, running all over the field," said Ruud, whose father, Tom, played for Kiffin at Nebraska during the early '70s. Smith, an athletic, pass-catching tight end, will complement Anthony Becht, a free agent signed from the Jets. But by far, the player who could have the biggest impact is Williams.
At the Senior Bowl, the Bucs plugged him into their offense for a week, taking Cadillac for a test drive.
"That's like the ultimate interview," college scouting director Ruston Webster said.
"Just being around him, you can feel energy," Gruden said. "You hand him a ball, you think good things are going to happen. He's got tremendous quickness. He's a very strong man. I think he's a versatile guy. He can catch punts, kickoffs. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He'll stand in there and pick up blitzes. You're getting a character guy that's going to be there every day for you, working his butt off to help our football team win. We saw that at close range, and I wasn't alone. He made quite an impression."
So much so, Gruden tried to hide him in the game, limiting Williams to the first series. The official reason for his cameo was a lower back strain.
"Coach Gruden came up to me and said, "Hey, Cadillac, I'm sorry, but you're not going to be able to play," Williams said. "I said, "What, Coach?' And he said, "You will play the first two snaps.' I was like, "No, Coach Gruden, I came down here to play.' As the game was going on, I was like, "Coach Gruden, stick me out there.' But he didn't do it."
Chances are, Williams won't have to beg for the football again.
CARNELL "CADILLAC" WILLIAMS
POSITION: Running back
COLLEGE (ROUND SELECTED, OVERALL PICK):Auburn (Fifth overall pick)
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 217
HOMETOWN: Attalla, Ala.
40 SPEED: 4.5
RESUME: Returned to Auburn for his senior season and shared the backfield amicably with Ronnie Brown, the No. 2 overall pick by the Dolphins. ... First-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association. ... First-team All-SEC running back and return specialist. ... Former Alabama Mr. Football.
SCOUTING REPORT: Lacks size but runs with power, patience and vision. ... Comparable with Chiefs' Priest Holmes and Giants' Tiki Barber. ... Has nose for the end zone with a school-record 45 career touchdowns at Auburn, where he was the preferred goal-line runner. ... Led Tigers in rushing for the third time as a senior with 1,165 yards.
WILD CARD: Got his nickname from a Birmingham, Ala., broadcaster who said he ran as smooth as a Cadillac. ... Would be open to an endorsement deal for a certain car. ... Hometown of Attalla has population of about 6,500.
BUCS RB DEPTH CHART
Ranked 29th in the league in rushing last season, the Bucs now have an elite back. Coach Jon Gruden likes the flexibility of a two-back offense, so look for Williams and Michael Pittman on the field together.
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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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