Bucs

Wasted time

As the focus of this season turns to the future, how will the veteran Bucs mark the remaining days?

By Rick Stroud
Published December 3, 2006

TAMPA

They are young by society's standards, barely in their early or mid 30's, with families still wrestling with strollers and rushing kids to T-ball.

But in the life cycle of the NFL, they are senior citizens, suddenly mindful of their playing mortality and hoping for one more taste of glory before the body gives out.

That's why this season is taking a heavy toll on many Buccaneers veterans.

At 3-8 and headed home for a long winter of uncertainty, they are watching the sand run out of the hourglass of their careers.

And they are frustrated, upset and angry.

"To be at a low point at this time in your career, it's hard," said 10-year veteran cornerback Ronde Barber, 31. "It's hard to get a feeling for what it's going to be like if this is it. Because nobody wants to go out like this. ... Nobody wants to be on the bottom when they're finished."

For the first time in more than a decade, linebacker Derrick Brooks, the most revered player in club history, was pulled from the game and forced to stand on a sideline to watch the final minutes of a 38-10 beating by the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

"It was a real, real bad point for me, standing on that sideline at the end of that ball game," the 33-year-old Brooks said, shaking his head.

Brooks swallows the pain and holds it inside. But many of his teammates can stomach it no longer. They want to know what they're supposed to do now. Some question the decision of coach Jon Gruden to turn the season over to a rookie quarterback after an 0-3 start and season-ending injury to starter Chris Simms.

Had things been better, some players wonder, might some veterans have decided against going on injured reserve, postponing surgeries until after the season?

This season is suddenly about tomorrow, while the core of prideful players hanging on for one more championship have only today.

"I'm a professional, too. I understand my job just as much as a coach understands his job," Barber said. "But we need to win. That whole getting better stuff and that whole mumbo jumbo talk doesn't mean anything to guys that have been there and realize this is it.

"The core guys that are getting older, wasting years on bad football teams, it frustrates you. But, what can you do about it?"

So they will play the final five games, beginning today in Pittsburgh, as if it were their last. Because, for many, it could be.

"What if this is the last 32 days of my career?" 30-year-old receiver Ike Hilliard asked. "What if this is how I spend them? I know they brought (rookie) Maurice Stovall in here for a reason. This could be it for me."

The circumstance is no different for Mike Alstott or Greg Spires or Shelton Quarles. Injured veterans, like Simeon Rice, Brian Kelly and Kenyatta Walker, likely will become salary cap casualties and may already have played their last down in a Bucs uniform.

Gruden is not totally insensitive to the plight of his older players. But he expects them to set the example for younger players in the final five games.

"I've got a lot of healthy respect for veteran players," Gruden said. "I've been accused of that, but it's true. Particularly of the status that we have here. I feel bad for them, but I'm counting on them to help lead us through the dark days, just like they helped us get through the promised ones."

Vets feel growing pains

Even before Simms ruptured his spleen, Gruden was asking selected veteran players whether he should pull his struggling quarterback.

The Bucs failed to score an offensive touchdown in their first two games. Simms threw seven interceptions and one touchdown on his way to an 0-3 start. The consensus was to stick with Simms.

Bruce Gradkowski, a sixth-round pick from Toledo, wasn't even on the Bucs' radar until the NFL draft in late April. But he benefitted from an injury in minicamp to backup Luke McCown, taking 40 percent of the reps in training camp.

Gruden had no interest in going to veteran Tim Rattay, who had played in 32 NFL games (16 as a starter), is making $1.3-million and threw 24 touchdowns in his career.

But when Gruden chose to go with the rookie, Bucs veterans knew the score. Only Miami's Dan Marino and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, who played with some pretty good teams, excelled as rookie quarterbacks. John Elway didn't. Neither did Troy Aikman or Peyton Manning. And they were the first overall picks in their drafts.

Gradkowski had a terrific debut at New Orleans, completing 20 of 31 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. But the Bucs lost on a late Reggie Bush punt return.

He hasn't had a 200-yard passing game since. Only once has he completed more than 50 percent of his passes. His record as a starter is 3-5.

"We think Bruce earned the chance to play, and he's played well at times," Gruden said. "I'm not going to sit here and second-guess myself on that.

"Bruce is not the only reason we're 3-8. He's a big reason why we've got a chance to turn it around. We lost (Anthony) McFarland in a trade. We lost (Simeon) Rice, Ellis Wyms and Shelton Quarles (to injuries). (And) Brian Kelly. That's five or six starters on defense. That takes a toll. It's not just the quarterback.

"We lost our quarterback (Simms). We lose Alex Smith. We lose Dan Buenning. We lose our right tackle (Walker). Pretty soon nine or 10 guys you counted on aren't there, and it does take its toll on you."

Gruden understands the frustration of his players, but they aren't the only ones he cares about.

"I have empathy for veteran coaches, too," Gruden said.

When reminded that coaching careers often last longer than playing careers, Gruden said, "Yeah, if you're willing to move to eight teams in eight years."

Tough way to go out

With 21 of 22 starters back from last year's NFC South champion team, the Bucs were expected to reload, not rebuild.

But now veteran players aren't sure where they fit into Gruden's plans. The team is expected to have $25-million to $30-million under the salary cap to spend on free agents next offseason, as well as an additional second-round pick from the Colts for McFarland.

"You don't ever realize what your football mortality is," Barber said. "It just never crosses your mind. You feel like you just do it, and do it, and do it. Eventually, you get to be like me and Ike and Derrick and just some of the older guys, and you realize it's not going to last forever. Every opportunity that you're out on the field is somewhat precious, really. That's the way I look at it.

"Even if you are still playing at a high level, you just never know. There's no guarantee when you're younger. There's definitely no guarantee when you're older."

So they will keep playing the final five weeks, hoping for a better tomorrow and trying to capture a little bit of yesterday. It may be only for a play here. A sack there. A highlight reel hit, or a rumbling run.

For a while, they can pretend to be young again in a season that grew old in a hurry.

"Mentally, it would not be the way that I've pictured going out the last 15 years - spending the last 32 days with games that are insignificant and just kind of coming to an end," 37-year-old tight end Dave Moore said. "That's obviously an anticlimatic way to go. And I have thought about that a lot in the last week.

"You picture it differently. When you think about your career and have flashbacks on it, you certainly don't want to go out on a note where there's uncertainty in the offseason. You don't know if they're going to regroup and build for the future or take another run at it. You don't want to give into the uncertainty, which is where we are right now."

[Last modified December 3, 2006, 06:04:10]