So far, hands not making highlights
Dropped passes irk Gruden.
By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published August 15, 2007
LAKE BUENA VISTA - If Jon Gruden has said it once, he has said it a thousand times: dropped passes will not be tolerated.
Tuesday, after a rash of drops in the morning practice, an irritated Gruden emphasized that dropped balls will play a role in determining who makes the final roster.
"One of the things we're going to scrutinize heavily when it's all said and done is who can catch the ball and make the great catch," the Bucs coach said. "Forget about the routine plays when balls are laid right in there. I'm talking about the freak catch away from your body, the ones you see on SportsCenter every Sunday night. That's what we need here."
The Bucs had several drops on Tuesday by a litany of receivers that included David Boston, Chad Lucas, Maurice Stovall and Cadillac Williams. Yes, it was just practice. But that's where habits are formed, Gruden argued.
"I'm a big believer that what you see on the practice field you're going to see on Sunday," he said. "Unfortunately, what happened today is not what I want our players to be associated with. We have to make those plays, and that's just the bottom line."
One receiver who has been consistently sure-handed is Ike Hilliard, and Gruden continues to heap praise on the veteran. He is expected to not only make the team but get plenty of opportunities to play.
"He doesn't drop the football and he runs all the routes and he makes plays," Gruden said.
SIMMS GETS MORE REPS: Struggling quarterback Chris Simms took some passing reps in the 11-on-11 drills Tuesday with mixed results.
Simms, who did not play in the preseason opener Friday, was 1-for-2 and ran once during his limited action. Simms had his spleen removed last season and is far behind starter Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski.
"We're trying to get him some work, and you saw what happened," Gruden said. "He did do some decent things, and we're trying to work him back in. We've said that for the last seven or eight days. It's a work in progress."
Simms said it felt good to get some reps against the No. 1 defense, but he is only cautiously optimistic.
"I can't say I can (throw) like I did before, but it's coming along," he said. "I'm not like Chris Simms before the injury. Definitely not. Like I said, it's just a matter of time.
"I'm just going to continue to work at it and keep plugging away. It's not a matter of if, it's just when. It'll come. It might not look great to you guys out there, but I can notice a difference between this week and last week. So as long as I feel improvement, I'm happy."
PITT PRAISE: Michael Pittman is winning the battle for starting fullback. Pittman had several crushing blocks during the run portion of the team work Tuesday. The Bucs are trying to find a fullback to replace Mike Alstott, who was placed on injured reserve.
"Mike Pittman honestly did a great job in there between the tackles as a physical blocker," Gruden said. "I think he's making his case for, 'Why haven't I been playing fullback earlier.' Like I said earlier, he's built for the position, certainly."
Stephen F. Holder can be reached at (813) 226-3377 or sholder@sptimes.com.