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Offense sharp in short drills

By DARRELL FRY, ROGER MILLS and RICK STROUD

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 2, 2001

TAMPA -- The Bucs gave a crowd of about 5,000 at Pepin/Rood Stadium on Wednesday night a snapshot of their offense in a series of two-minute drills.

Shaun King quarterbacked the first unit and engineered a drive capped by a Martin Gramatica field goal.

If Wednesday is any indication, the offense will operate with more effort and efficiency, making frequent use in the passing game of Keyshawn Johnson, Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott.

"I thought our quarterbacks were sharp," coach Tony Dungy said. "It's probably the best we've been offensively in two minutes. The first day, we got three drives where we actually moved into scoring position and that was good to see. We got a look at Martin kicking the ball a little bit. But we were sharp. I thought we rushed well, too, defensively, and that was good to see."

King, starting with the first unit for injured free agent Brad Johnson, said he hoped Wednesday night's practice built some confidence.

"Considering we just put in the two-minute (offense), I thought we did well in that period," he said. "A lot of your games come down to that, so I think it was good to go out and build that confidence."

The Bucs will take this morning off before returning for a special-teams practice from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

"It was good to finish the way we did," Dungy said. "I thought we had a real spirited practice. I thought our guys were much sharper, the sharpest we've been. It was good to see us have a good practice in front of a nice crowd."

PEP RETURNS: Looking 35 pounds lighter, former Bucs nose tackle Brad Culpepper returned to Tampa Bay's training camp as a spectator and was greeted warmly by players and fans.

Culpepper, who was released by the Bears earlier this year, said he has retired.

"I'm through," Culpepper saud. "I'm looking to join a law firm here in Tampa. Actually, I might make a comeback as an outside linebacker."

MURPHY'S LAW: This training camp was supposed to be receiver Frank Murphy's chance to make a big hit. Instead, he took one.

Murphy, who spent the bulk of last year on the practice squad, injured his right shoulder during a special-teams drill in the morning. He was returning a punt when he slammed into rookie linebacker Marq Carqua. He sprained his right AC joint but returned to practice at night.

"He had a little bit of a tough night catching the ball," Dungy said. "But just the fact that he was out here I think says a lot."

A LEG TO STAND ON: Punter Jason Malecki was signed, two days after starter Mark Royals went down with a knee injury. Malecki, who is 6 feet 2 and 182 pounds, has a one-year deal. He played at Boston College and was allocated to NFL Europe by the Eagles during the off-season.

A HELPING HAND: The Glazer Foundation donated $25,000 to 18 charitable organizations around the Tampa Bay area as part of its Summer Grant 2001 program.

THE INJURY FRONT: Receiver Alex Willis suffered a mild concussion during the morning session and did not participate in the night practice. Receiver Reidel Anthony (left ankle sprain), guard Russ Hochstein (right hand fracture), quarterback Brad Johnson (right knee laceration) and Royals remain sidelined.

Others who sat out Wednesday's workouts: receiver Frank Rice (right hamstring), cornerback Terrance Parrish (right Achilles' strain), running back Jamie Wilson (left hamstring strain).

Receiver Jacquay Nunnally and linebacker Nate Webster returned from the injured list.

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