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Young Bucs feel welcomed and overwhelmed in their indoctrination to the super-fast, hard-hitting National Football League.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2001
TAMPA -- A number of times during the three-day minicamp, Bucs rookie left tackle Kenyatta Walker looked around and it dawned on him just where he was.
Whether he was sitting in a meeting room with 12-time Pro Bowl player Randall McDaniel or trying to stop Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice, Walker's sail into the NFL was at times on a dream boat, at times on a shipwreck.
It was the same for cornerback Dwight Smith, safeties John Howell and Than Merrill and guard Russ Hochstein. It was same for tight end Dauntae Finger, running back Jameel Cook and defensive ends Joe Tafoya and Ellis Wyms.
"They (pumped) me up and destroyed me at the same time," Walker said of his indoctrination at One Buc Place.
This explains why the Bucs waste no time getting rookies and free agents into the thick of things by hosting a mandatory minicamp, just six days after the NFL draft.
"The biggest thing rookies have to understand, and I think they got a taste of it, is how tough life is in the NFL," coach Tony Dungy said. "It's fast-paced, they are a little bit behind and they've got to do more than the veteran guys to catch up.
"They have a little youth and enthusiasm on their side and they have to use that to their advantage. But, it's not easy. They've been used to being the best in their junior high, best in their high school, best in their college and now, you come where everybody is good."
Across the board, the draft picks said they were inspired and humbled.
Smith, a beefy corner who has a chance of playing on special teams, said he realizes how much work he needs to do before training camp starts July 29.
"I came in just trying to learn the system, getting to know the coaches and the other guys on the team," the third-round pick said. "This weekend was about learning. The system is new so that when I get everything down and come back at the end of May (for more work), everything isn't completely new anymore. I can come in and start working, no more learning, just working."
The first revelation for most rookies is the speed with which pro players run and plays develop.
"Without question, I would say that the first thing is catching up to the speed," Hochstein said. "Everybody in this league is top-notched. They wouldn't be in the league if they weren't. So the first thing that you have to do is find out which speed everybody is running at.
"As a rookie guard, I'm not used to seeing that speed. The (defensive) linemen have super-fast hands and moves and all kinds of things like that."
Added Howell: "You understand that everybody is going to be stronger, but you have no idea how much faster they'll be. The speed of the game is unbelievable. In college, things are like in slow motion because you can read plays, see them developing. Out here, you don't have time to think, you have to react. If you stop to think, the play's over and the man's behind you."
Rookies also must contain their awe of being in locker rooms with veterans such as Keyshawn Johnson and Warren Sapp.
"I think the best word would be 'overwhelming,' " Howell said about sitting next to All-Pro safety John Lynch during a meeting. "You've been watching them for years and you've been idolizing them and all of a sudden you're in the same locker room with them, same meeting rooms, all that stuff. At first, you're standing around and it's, 'Wow!' It's an amazing feeling.
"But, you get that out of the way when you step on the field. Once you get out on the field and start playing with them, everything starts coming together. Your nerves are gone and it's football again."
Even in this era of talkative and confident college stars, nervousness is still a common malady.
"I was very nervous," Hochstein said. "You come from college and you never think you're going to play much. When you get here, it's like being a freshman all over again. It's kind of a nervous feeling because you remember how it was when you came into college."
But for Walker, expected to start on opening day, there is no place for nervousness, no time for second-guessing.
"I just wanted to know, can I at least compete with these guys," he said. "When you look on the board, you've got Rice, you've got Sapp, you've got all these guys who terrorize quarterbacks on television. I just wanted to know if I could compete. I knew it was going to be tough. They tell me if I think I'm feeling bad now, wait till November when I think the season's over."