Ahead of schedule

New faces on offense have jelled to become a capable unit quicker than expected.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published January 7, 2006

	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]
	Quarterback Chris Simms is part of the Bucs' youth movement on offense. The average age of this season's starters in 26 compared with 31.7 during the Super Bowl season.
	[Times photo: Carrie Pratt] Cadillac Williams, the fifth overall pick in April, set a Bucs rookie record with 1,178 rushing yards and has six touchdowns and seven runs of 20 or more yards.

TAMPA - The Bucs have been absent from the playoffs for three years, but when it comes to their offense, it might as well be three decades.

The faces have changed. So, too, has the average age. Little remains the same from the offense that helped win Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003, save for tackle Kenyatta Walker, fullback Mike Alstott and running back Michael Pittman.

Granted, it was a decent offense. Just not one that would be good for years to come.

"I remember coming in here a few years ago. . . . That wasn't the Dream Team. Let's put it that way," coach Jon Gruden said. "I'm not being sarcastic or negative, but we're trying to put some key people in place, hopefully, for a period of years."

The personnel overhaul was so drastic, conventional wisdom would say the rebuilding process would prove lengthy and arduous.

"Nobody knew coming into this year how well it was going to work or who we were going to be," Walker said.

Turns out, the final product might look even better than the blueprint. The Bucs offense is showing glimpses of becoming an explosive unit also capable of controlling the ball. What's more, the Bucs shortened their timeline, even though there remain issues to resolve such as the line's up-and-down play and dropped passes. "We're not only different from a personnel standpoint, we're completely different from a philosophical standpoint right now," Gruden said. "We've made some adjustments, some slight, some major. We're doing what we feel gives our team the best chance to compete and win. We aren't perfect, by no stretch of the imagination, but we have done some good things."

There have been several keys. The Bucs have remade the offense with an infusion of youth. The average age of the starting lineup today is 26 compared with 31.7 in 2002. More important, those young contributors have quickly acclimated themselves to Gruden's complex offense, allowing them to fully utilize their significant talent.

Running back Cadillac Williams, guard Dan Buenning and tight end Alex Smith, all rookies, have cracked the starting lineup because of their short learning curve. They have helped ease the growing pains of reshaping the offense.

Learning the Bucs' offense "is not easy at all," said Williams, named Offensive Rookie of the Year on Wednesday. "You basically have to know what everybody does because there can be situations in the game where you will be lined up (at different positions). You have to learn this whole offense or else you're going to get lost in the shuffle."

The eagerness of the young players has made the process easier.

"We have a bunch of guys who are excited, who have never been to this point in their careers, and they want to get better," Walker said. "We've got a lot of young guys who are trying to raise the bar, and now we're trying to raise it even more."

Another important element: running the football. The Bucs entered the season not having much of an offensive identity. Then they turned Cadillac loose.

"I remember when I was (with the Jets), we pretty much put two tight ends out there, and we grounded it out with Curtis Martin," tight end Anthony Becht said. "And when we needed a pass play, we'd throw it up. That's how we're doing it now. We've been effective with the run, and it's setting up the pass because guys are able to get open." The Bucs have averaged 114.1 rushing yards this season, better than the Super Bowl team, which averaged 97.3. The transformation on offense has been aided by the addition of key veterans, namely Joey Galloway last season and Becht and Ike Hilliard this season. Each has complemented the young talent nicely.

"The young guys helped a lot," Pittman said. "But you also had a lot of veterans who were able to come in and make plays."

So much has changed. Will the results be the same?

"You have a different line, different quarterback. It's a totally different offense," Walker said. "But you have a lot of guys stepping in and playing football.

"That made the difference."

[Last modified January 6, 2006, 17:41:02]