Columns

So far, line renovations produce only a cloud of dust

Bucs face lots of questions as season nears

By JOHN ROMANO
Published August 22, 2007

TAMPA - An ankle turns, a body drops and a season lies prone.

Maybe Arron Sears' injury is not that severe, and maybe his impact will not rise to such an important level, but seeing the rookie guard get carted off a practice field makes you remember how the 2007 Buccaneers are walking a thin line.

And blocking with one, too.

Yes, for all the fascination with Jeff Garcia and the quarterbacks in the first weeks of the preseason, fortunes may still hinge on whether Tampa Bay is capable of running the football from here to there.

It is among the most basic concepts in the game and yet, around these parts, it is an organic chemistry exam. Thirty-one years in the NFL and the Bucs have had one great season running the ball. Maybe three or four decent seasons. The rest have been as memorable as Errict Rhett going off-tackle behind Doug Riesenberg.

They have rebuilt, redesigned and reinvested in the offensive line, and yet the Bucs have yet to reinvent themselves as a running team. Last year, they were 28th in the NFL in rushing offense. And the saddest part? It was no shock. Five times in the past six years, the Bucs have been 24th or worse in yards gained on the ground.

It's not even fair to call it a running game. It's more like a plodding game. It's as if the Bucs long ago got stuck in the right-hand lane, and Ray Perkins swiped fourth gear when he left.

Now, they will tell you the tide is changing, and perhaps it is. They have significantly upgraded their guards by drafting Davin Joseph in the first round last season and Sears in the second round this year. Free agent Luke Petitgout is supposedly an improvement at left tackle, and Jeremy Trueblood is a comer at right tackle.

"The right guard and the left guard are good players; they have a chance to be great players," coach Jon Gruden said. "Petitgout helps us, no question about it. His detail, his confidence, his swagger, his experience help us. And the big guy on the right side is going to be a heck of a run blocker. We're getting better."

The problem is we haven't seen it yet. The stat sheets say the Bucs have had an impressive rushing attack in the first two preseason games (283 yards on 60 carries), but the numbers do not hold up to scrutiny. For instance, almost 25 percent of that yardage has come on scrambles by the quarterbacks. And an even greater percentage has come in the fourth quarter, when the game resembles a Canadian Football League casting call.

In the first quarter of the two games, when a majority of the starters are on the field, Tampa Bay running backs have gained 14 yards on seven carries. Not exactly awe-inspiring stuff.

It is true, Garcia has given Tampa Bay a glimmer of hope in the passing game. He can improvise. He can elude. He can pass, and he can throw. He is, as Gruden says, a playmaker.

But those plays will be harder and harder to come by if defenses have no respect for Tampa Bay's ability to run the ball.

"Obviously, running the ball helps everything else you do," center John Wade said. "All we can do is work better together. There are no excuses, there is no magic formula. We just have to get it done."

There was a moment, back in 2005, when the Bucs did get it done. There was a time, early in that season, when Cadillac Williams had your trust. You may even recall he began his career 3-for-3 in 100-yard games.

The problem is, since then, he has gone 5-for-25.

Now the fault does not rest strictly on Williams. He is probably less to blame than the offensive line, or even the game plan. But the bottom line is rushing statistics are attached to the running back's name, and he knows the perception is not good.

"I feel like I'm kind of a forgotten guy. It's almost like Tampa Bay doesn't have a back," Williams said. "But, after you've had a season like we did as a team and I did personally, how else would you feel? We were basically last in everything.

"I wouldn't say I feel pressure today because I know if the opportunity is there, and if I get a good look, I know what I can do."

If you are so inclined, you can build a case for optimism. The left side of the offensive line has been replaced this year. And the right side was rebuilt last year. If Sears is healthy enough to start in the regular-season opener, the Bucs will have first- or second-round picks at four of the five line positions.

But, of course, the Bucs have been down this road before. Kenyatta Walker was once a highly touted draft pick. And there was a time when Derrick Deese, Matt Stinchcomb and Todd Steussie were supposed to be solid veteran additions.

At some point, optimism won't matter. Neither will the promise of new faces.

Real soon, the Bucs will need to prove they can run the ball.

Either that, or they'd better run for cover.

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified August 22, 2007, 00:09:59]