Versatile safety fills need

Oregon State's Sabby Piscitelli could play a key role, Gruden says.

By BY STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published April 29, 2007

TAMPA - The play of Tampa Bay's safeties was a source of much concern last season.

With that in mind, the Bucs drafted Oregon State's Sabby Piscitelli with the final pick in the second round (64th overall).

Of course, there is no guarantee that Piscitelli will fix all that ails the Bucs in their secondary, but it sure sounds like he'll get the chance.

"With his athletic ability, we're going to be hard-pressed not to put him on the field, " coach Jon Gruden said.

His versatility won't hurt, either.

Gruden pointed to Piscitelli's ability to perform equally adeptly in coverage as he does in occasionally rushing the quarterback.

"They do a lot of things at Oregon State. They have a lot of system that he's handled well, " Gruden said. "He's a physical tackler, and he's intercepted balls and recovered a lot of balls. He's an opportunistic guy that we need back there. ... There's no question. He can put his hand down in certain situations in the nickel and rush."

Piscitelli has a history of watching the Bucs defense play because he likes former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch, who he said is "one of my all-time favorite safeties. The Tampa 2 is always something I've loved to play."

Piscitelli is not without flaws. There have been concerns voiced about his speed, and his tackling ability has been called suspect by some. Gruden even acknowledged the tackling flaws.

But position coach Raheem Morris saw something else when watching Piscitelli's film.

"You watch his highlights and you see him banging some people and doing a really good job, " Morris said. "I'm excited to work with him."

[Last modified April 29, 2007, 00:45:17]