McCardell has moved on from squabble with Bucs

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published November 24, 2007

TAMPA - Keenan McCardell felt pain - deep, gut-wrenching pain - during his messy divorce from the Bucs in 2004. But it didn't hurt for the reasons you might think.

"There was some bitterness up until I had to write the check," said McCardell, the former Bucs receiver who in 2005 was ordered by an arbitrator to return $1.5-million in bonus money to the Bucs. He returns for a regular-season game for the first time on Sunday when his Redskins visit the Bucs.

"Once I wrote the check, it was over. My agent was like, 'You sure you want to write it now?' I was like, 'Yes. I want to get this bitter taste out of my mouth.' You can't hate anybody for things that went on. It's all business. I've moved on."

These days, McCardell's focus is purely on the football. He's been rejuvenated in his 16th season because the Redskins called in October just when it began to look as though he might be permanently unemployed. The 37 year old, playing on his sixth team, is coming off a game against Dallas in which he posted season highs in receptions five and yards (76).

As for his falling out with Tampa, there are no regrets, no hard feelings. He held out from training camp in the 2004 because of a contract impasse and remained AWOL until the Bucs traded him that October to San Diego, which gave him a two-year contract and $4.1-million bonus.

While holding out from the Bucs, McCardell lost more than $700,000 in salary. But the Bucs had already paid him the signing bonus when his contract was consummated in 2002, and a $500,000 roster bonus.

The grievance soon came, and it was decided in the club's favor based on the premise that McCardell did not fulfill the contract.

Ironically, when McCardell reminisces about his time in Tampa, it's not the legal wrangling that comes to mind first. He dwells more on the Super Bowl season, of which he was a big part. He recalls how Jon Gruden made him a better player. And he thinks about his teammates and the relationships he forged.

"I had great teammates there, probably the best chemistry that I've (experienced) other than in Jacksonville," said McCardell, who played for the Jaguars from 1996 to 2001. "In Tampa, when it came to crunch time, we all could look in each other's eyes and ask a lot of each other and we delivered for each other. I have a whole bunch of friends who live in Tampa who were on that team."

McCardell credits Gruden for improving his game. "He has probably the best football IQ that I've ever seen," McCardell said of the coach.

But it's not as if McCardell didn't already know a thing or two about the game. He ranks eighth all-time in receptions with 874, in large part because of his longevity.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs can speak to McCardell's staying power. Gibbs has coached him twice - once during his first stint as Redskins coach and now in his second.

"We drafted Keenan when I was here the first time (in 1991). He's the only guy still alive in the league, I think," Gibbs quipped. "Everybody else is dead, it's been so long ago. Normally, when guys play that long, they're normally great character people, which he is. They really take care of themselves, which he does. They're obviously gifted athletes, but I think it's more what they put into it and their preparation."

There's one more factor, McCardell says.

"You guys all think that age is the thing," he told Tampa Bay reporters. "It's not really that. It's your passion and your love for the game. Jon (Gruden) always used to say, 'Do you love football?' I used to think he said it too much. But when I went home and thought about it, it's the truth. You've got to love it to play this game."

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@sptimes.com or 813-226-3377.

A historical season

Keenan McCardell's 2003 season remains among the best by a Bucs receiver

Receptions

Keyshawn Johnson 2001 106

Mark Carrier 1989 86

James Wilder 1984 85

Keenan McCardell 2003 84

Joey Galloway 2005 83

Michael Clayton 2004 80

Keyshawn Johnson 2002 76

Kevin House 1984 76

Micahel Pittman 2003 75

Keyshawn Johnson 2000 71

Yards

Mark Carrier 1989 1,422

Joey Galloway 2005 1,287

Keyshawn Johnson 2001 1,266

Michael Clayton 2004 1,193

Kevin House 1981 1,176

Keenan McCardell 2003 1,174

Keyshawn Johnson 2002 1,088

Joey Galloway 2006 1,057

Bruce Hill 1988 1,040

Kevin House 1984 1,005

Touchdowns

Joey Galloway 2005 10

Mark Carrier 1989 9

Bruce Hill 1988 9

Kevin House 1982 9

Keenan McCardell 2003 8

Keyshawn Johnson 2000 8

Jimmie Giles 8 1985

Joey Galloway 7 2006

Michael Clayton 7 2004

Reidel Anthony 7 1998

Jimmie Giles 7 1979

[Last modified November 23, 2007, 17:44:54]