Bucs should think of Kiffin

By GARY SHELTON, Times columnist
Published April 27, 2007

Considering how the NFL draft has become a national holiday, you have probably finished hanging the ornaments by now.

Doubtless, you have spent the last several nights out caroling in the neighborhood, and you have sent your wish lists to Mel Kiper at the North Pole, and you have imagined a thousand times what gifts await you.

Yep, only one more shopping day until the draft. You cannot wait.

First, however, it is time for the traditional reading of the Bucs' favorite holiday classic. You know: Nothing for Monte.

Ah, yes. Everyone loves the draft, a time of discovery and hope. Teams can get fixed, scouts can get fooled and everyone else can talk in giant exclamation points as if any of us really knows whether the tight end from Saginaw Valley is better than the one from Delaware State.

On the other hand, there is defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

Every year, he seems to get beaten up something awful by the draft.

You know how it goes. Every year, the Bucs trot out their new weapon, someone who is guaranteed to fix the 30-year-old wood rot that is called the offense. And Monte, good old Monte, is the guy sitting in the corner with the brave smile and fresh new wrinkles. Again.

Kiffin is the trail boss who never gets any new cowboys. Year after year, the Bucs have turned to offense.

Defense? Hey, the defense is good. Kiffin will make things right. Right?

Meanwhile, everyone's birth certificate is just a little yellower than it was last year.

The Bucs defense has been ignored too long. Everyone knows that. In the past 10 drafts, the Bucs have spent only one No. 1 and only three No. 2s on their defense. Reinforcements have been due for a very long time.

Even when the Bucs have traded away their picks, it has been with offense in mind. Two No. 1s for receiver Keyshawn Johnson. A No. 1 and a No. 2 for Kenyatta Walker. Two No. 1s and two No. 2s for an offensive-minded coach in Jon Gruden.

No wonder the Bucs defense started to show a little tread last year. Even beauty needs a makeover every now and then.

If the Bucs are going to be repaired, they once again need a dominant tackle. They need a great safety. They need a force at defensive end.

Meanwhile, have you seen the highlights of Calvin Johnson?

Yeah, the annual emphasis on offense could happen again. If you believe the mock drafts, if you believe the chatter, the Bucs are in love with the receiver Johnson and they'll move mountains to get him into Gruden's huddle.

If you are Kiffin, however, maybe you'd like to hang onto the mountains for a change.

In the ongoing debates inside the Bucs' offices, where coaches fight for the players they want, there is a case to be made for defense. The higher the price Tampa Bay would have to pay for Johnson, the stronger the case becomes.

The most amusing trend of the draft has become the talk of the "trade value chart," and the way some fans seem to believe it is cast in stone. (It isn't. According to the trade value chart, for instance, the Bucs' No. 12 draft and No. 28 draft picks in 1995 wouldn't have come near the No. 1 pick that year. Yet the Bucs wound up with Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks instead of Ki-Jana Carter.)

For the sake of discussion, however, the chart says it would take the Bucs' first pick and both of their second-round picks to swap with Detroit at No. 2.

You don't have to be Kiffin to notice the absurdity of it. The Bucs could stand pat and end up with a draft of, for instance, defensive end Gaines Adams, defensive tackle Justin Harrell and safety Aaron Rouse. Maybe if they can trade down a couple of picks, they could turn it into a draft of defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, defensive end Charles Johnson and linebacker Buster Davis. Maybe safety LaRon Landry, defensive end Tim Crowder and defensive tackle Marcus Thomas. Given the marketplace, you could move some picks for a veteran.

In other words, there is a chance for the Bucs to order the combination platter.

Yeah, it's about time. Brooks is 34. Simeon Rice is 33. Ronde Barber is 32. Even if you think they all have more to give, they need some help. Somewhere along the line, the Bucs should have paid more attention.

Instead, Kiffin - and everyone else - just sat there as the team picked Reidel Anthony and Jerry Wunsch and Jacquez Green and Walker and the rest. To his credit, Kiffin has never grumbled, largely because he knows that a better offense would help his defense. After a while, however, you figure Kiffin would want a new toy, too.

Saturday, maybe he gets it. Maybe he gets a fierce end to take over for Rice in a year. Maybe he gets a middle linebacker to take the place of the departed Shelton Quarles. Maybe he gets a safety who can make receivers tremble.

On the other hand, did you check out the reports on Johnson? Some people say he can do it all.

Who knows? Maybe he can rush the passer, too.

Gary Shelton can be reached at (727) 893-8805.

[Last modified April 26, 2007, 23:36:36]