Vets take rookie QB under wing

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published May 25, 2005

TAMPA - After signing with the team following rookie minicamp, quarterback Jared Allen had no idea how the Bucs' veteran signal callers would receive him. His answer has come during full-squad, voluntary workouts.

"All of them - Brian (Griese), Chris ( Simms) and Luke ( McCown) - have been great," Allen said. "You don't know coming in, but they've all shown me a lot of things and I ask a lot of questions. They've all been there before, too, so they understand. They understand the complexity of this whole thing."

Allen completed 570 of 1,003 passes for 8,100 yards, 50 touchdowns and 30 interceptions for Florida Atlantic over four seasons and 47 games, but went undrafted. The Bucs signed the Oklahoma native this month and thus far he has enjoyed the experience.

"FAU's offense gives you freedom," he said. "And in this offense, the QB has all kinds of freedom. Some of the things I started to do my last few years (in college) helped prepare me for this. This is more complex as far as terminology, shifts and movement, but a lot of the concepts are the same."

Right now, he's laying low and taking notes.

"The first few months you've got to be background noise," Simms said. "You're getting a feel for the team, and for a quarterback, you're trying to figure out everything that's going on. Everything is going a million miles per hour in your mind and you're trying to slow it down. He's doing great. He's an intelligent kid. You can tell he really wants to learn and get out there."

SLIGHT SHIFT: Rookie tight end Alex Smith played in a scheme similar to that of the Bucs at Stanford. But Smith said coach Jon Gruden's version of the West Coast offense, as one might expect, is quite a bit more complex than the one from college.

"There's a lot more volume, a lot more plays, shifts and formations," Smith said. "You can have one play and run it 10 different ways. That was probably the biggest adjustment."

Another adjustment?

"The speed and tempo at which the Bucs play," Smith said. "It's 10 times faster than in college. I'm trying to learn the plays quickly enough where I can play at that tempo."

HANDLING THE HEAT: Rookie offensive guard Dan Buenning practiced in warm temperatures like this while at Wisconsin, just not in the spring. Buenning said getting used to the Florida heat has been an adjustment, but he isn't complaining.

"This is comparable to Wisconsin in August," he said. "It's good for you, though, because it's only going to get worse."

[Last modified May 25, 2005, 00:40:21]