Sports: QB Johnson plays role of a spectator at camp

QB Johnson plays role of a spectator at camp

By ROGER MILLS and RICK STROUD

TAMPA -- He showed up with a broad smile, a slight limp and a ton of optimism.

Free-agent quarterback Brad Johnson, who signed a five-year, $28-million deal in the off-season to become the Bucs' starting quarterback, reported to training camp Sunday looking like a veteran ready to play.

Except he's going to have to watch for now.

Johnson will miss the first four or five days of camp while waiting for the cut on his left knee to heal.

"I'm able to throw the football and I'm able to walk, but right now, I just have to let those (15 stitches) heal themselves," Johnson said. "It's just unfortunate that this happened the way it did. But I'll be ready as soon as I can. I feel like I'm in great shape. I've been throwing all summer and I'm ready to get going."

Johnson shed some light on the specifics of the injury and said he has braced himself for some ribbing from teammates.

"I was actually moving a patio table (which weighed about 20 pounds) and it was drizzling outside and I slipped on the step and that's what happened," Johnson said. "It seemed like there's 10,000 comedians at work. I'm going to get me a little endorsement with U-Haul, 'We deliver!' You kind of have fun with it the best you can."

Johnson, who cut his leg Tuesday, said he's not sure when he'll be back on the field.

"I don't think you can put a timetable on it," he said. "When the stitches heal, you move on from there. Right now, the big thing is to take care of that, study the playbook, watch the film, watch the practices and then when it's time to go, I'll be ready."

Coach Tony Dungy said the team won't put a date on Johnson's return.

"We don't know for sure when he'll play," Dungy said. "We don't think it's going to be anything to set him back, but he is going to miss a couple of days of work."

EASY DOES IT: All-Pro strong safety John Lynch is eager to get on the field but he may have to keep a grip on the reins because of off-season surgery.

Lynch, who was second on the team last year with 110 tackles, had his left shoulder scoped the week after the Pro Bowl and has been cleared for full contact. But Lynch didn't participate in any live drills during minicamp and said the Bucs have given him the freedom to pace himself.

"Coach Dungy wants to trust my instincts on it," Lynch said. "(They) may keep me a little slower in games. In practice, where we don't do a ton of hitting, I'll probably do some experiments and see how it is there. But in games, we'll take it a bit slow."

CHAMPING AT THE BIT: With the talk of Super Bowl swirling around the Bucs this season, the players reported Sunday with the usual twinkling in their eyes. Or was it a lack of rest?

"I don't know about the other guys but I didn't sleep last night," defensive end Marcus Jones said.

Jones has had a full summer juggling minicamp and the birth of his second child.

"I just want to hit somebody," Jones said. "I've been bottled up inside my house. I'm ready to hit somebody and take some of my frustrations out. I think everybody lied to me. They said if you have one it's great and if you have two they can play with each other. They don't tell you about the first year when he's real small and he cries all the time."

BUCS BITS: Receiver Reidel Anthony is still recovering from a left ankle injury in the off-season. Anthony said his ankle is feeling "better" but he didn't give a timetable for his return. ... Running back Rabih Abdullah was a no-show at camp but was excused in order to deal with a family issue. ... Defensive tackle Warren Sapp stunned media and onlookers when he reported to camp looking considerably trimmer than this time last year. Sapp seemed not a pound over his reported weight of 294 pounds. Last season, Sapp admitted playing at about 330 pounds. "I think it's his most effective weight, right around 300 pounds," Dungy said. "I think he'll be close to that all year."