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Brad Johnson's absence from the early days of camp haven't changed the mind-set of last year's starter.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 26, 2001
TAMPA -- He's not going to strut around training camp with a how-do-you-like-me-now look, but Bucs quarterback Shaun King is still very much in the mix.
And confident he can be the starter.
Projected starter Brad Johnson could miss 10 workouts with a cut above his knee, but don't expect King to approach the first week of camp any differently.
It's business as usual.
"It's really not that unusual or different a situation and I have to approach it the way I approach (the game) every time I go on the field," said King, 15-9 as a starter in the NFL. "You have to prepare, always, to be the starter. That's been my approach and will be my approach (in training camp).
"I always look at any opportunity I have as a chance to show that I belong, regardless of who's (on the roster)."
A second-round draft pick in 1999, King, 24, was thrown into the league in his rookie year when injuries sidelined Trent Dilfer and Eric Zeier. The former Gibbs High standout piloted the Bucs to the NFC Championship Game that season.
But the storybook script ran into a snag in his second season. Playing for new offensive coordinator Les Steckel, King and the Bucs offense struggled to make strides. Ultimately, the Eagles bounced the Bucs from the opening round of the playoffs as the offense failed to get into the end zone.
In the off-season, Steckel was fired and the Bucs signed Johnson to a five-year, $28-million deal, which immediately made him the front-runner for the starting spot.
Johnson sustained the cut Tuesday while moving furniture at his Tallahassee home. Suddenly, the man who lost his starting spot in April is back practicing with the first team.
"I wouldn't call it (ironic)," King said. "All that shows you is that whether you're the No. 1, No. 2 or whatever, you have to be ready to go in and play. You have to be ready to do a good job. We're going to go in and do a good job."
King, who started every game last season, said he has exchanged phone messages with Johnson since the injury and expects Johnson to be ready by the start of the second week of workouts.
King said though he likely will see a few more reps with the starting team, Johnson's absence will have more of an effect on Ryan Leaf and Joe Hamilton, third- and fourth-stringers, respectively.
"Truthfully, I don't think there is a big difference in the number of snaps in training camp between the first and second quarterbacks," King said. "Where there is a difference is between second and third and so on. But we're all going to get our chances to do what we do."
King said he has been busy conditioning in the off-season.
"I'm in great shape," King said. "I don't know what I weigh, I haven't even gotten on a scale to see. I weighed about 218 pounds at the start of training camp last year and I'm probably right about that right now. I feel great."
Linebacker Derrick Brooks said King's attitude toward preparing and fighting for the starting job is what the Bucs need.
"You can't write Shaun off just yet," Brooks said. "It's his job until he gets to Dallas (for the Sept. 9 regular-season opener). Like he says, 'May the best man win.' He's ready to lead and I think that says a lot about Shaun."
Bucs coach Tony Dungy said he expects King to adjust to being the backup but that he does have a chance to win the starting job.
"It is a different situation for Shaun," Dungy said. "We've got four guys we think can play and we'll try to sort that picture out. I think his mind-set is to work hard and practice hard, and it's practices and preseason games that determine where (the quarterbacks) fall."
As for Johnson, Dungy said he wasn't too concerned with the severity of the cut and even joked that time lost to injury has been known to lead to record streaks.
"It's unfortunate for him because he's disappointed," Dungy said. "But we don't think he's going to miss much time. We'll see. It wasn't good for Wally Pipp. It was good for Lou Gehrig."
- Staff writer Rick Stroud contributed to this report.