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By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 31, 2001
With final roster cuts expected Sunday, the rookies and free agents vying to make this year's Bucs are hoping tonight's final impressions are lasting ones.
It is the last preseason game, and for some, it will be the last time they play for Tampa Bay. The truth is, when you're trying to make a team many are picking to reach the Super Bowl, the pickings are slim.
"I try not to look at the numbers because you have to control what you can control," rookie safety Than Merrill said. "If you have eight snaps, you have to make the best of the eight snaps. If you have 16 snaps, you make the best of the 16 snaps. Worrying is not necessarily going to help you do your job. You'll have a screw-up somewhere, make a mistake somewhere, and that will only hurt you more."
Entering tonight's preseason finale in Atlanta, the coaching staff is faced with a number of intriguing decisions about final roster spots.
Will Ryan Leaf's wrist injury play a part in the decision about their third-string quarterback? Has Frank Murphy, who had a steady camp but a critical drop in the end zone against the Patriots, locked up the position as the fifth receiver?
With Merrill, John Howell, Eric Vance and David Gibson backing up starters John Lynch and Dexter Jackson, are there too many safeties?
"You have to prepare like you do every week and not get caught up in if you're going to be here next week or not," Howell said. "You have to go out and read your keys and play like you know how. If not, you're steering away from what you know how to do."
The bottom line is at this point it is a numbers game. Last year, the Bucs 53-man opening day roster consisted of 26 offensive players, 24 defensive players and three special teamers.
Even after tonight's game, little likely will change with respect to the special team's personnel. Martin Gramatica will kick, Mark Royals will punt, Sean McDermott will snap the ball.
On the offense, the Bucs carried 10 linemen, three quarterbacks, five receivers, three tight ends and five running backs.
The most glaring decision comes at the third quarterback spot. Leaf is expected to warm up with the team tonight, but he has missed the past two practices with wrist problems and it is uncertain if he will play.
Asked how much of a factor Leaf's wrist will play in the decision, Bucs coach Tony Dungy said not much. "You would like to see the games and that type of thing, but this was a week where Joe Hamilton was going to get a lot of time, so depending on how much Brad (Johnson) and Shaun (King) play, he may not have had that many snaps."
Rookie fullback Jameel Cook seems to have filled the void left by the season-ending injury to backup fullback Charles Kirby. The other four running backs from last year are Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott, Aaron Stecker and Rabih Abdullah. That makes a roster spot for Pepe Pearson a long shot.
Keyshawn Johnson, Jacquez Green, Reidel Anthony and Karl Williams will be on the team, leaving Murphy, Khori Ivy, Robert Kilow and Gerald Harris to fight for the final spot.
Free agents Damian Vaughn, Randy Palmer and Mike Roberg are vying for the third tight end spot behind starter Dave Moore and second-year player Todd Yoder.
On the offensive line, starters Kenyatta Walker, Randall McDaniel, Jeff Christy, Cosey Coleman and Jerry Wunsch are locks, as is backup center Todd Washington, who could start the season opener. Pete Pierson, DeMarcus Curry and George Hegamin are likely returners from last season. That leaves rookies Russ Hochstein, Leon Hires, Wilbert Brown and free agent Kendall Mack in the running for two spots.
Christy's injury presents an interesting challenge for the organization on cut day. If he is going to be out for more than just the opener, the Bucs will have to keep a backup center, like Hires, as insurance. The team then might decide to enter the season with one less position player, like a running back or a defensive back.
"It will definitely factor into our decision making because center is not like offensive guard or weakside linebacker where you can move a guy around and get through," Dungy said. "By snapping the ball, you're going to handle the ball every play if you're in the game. So, obviously, you have to have someone there who can do the job."
For the bulk of last season, the Bucs carried eight defensive linemen, seven linebackers and nine defensive backs. Barring a shuffle for an extra offensive lineman that should not change.
The defensive front is set with Warren Sapp, Anthony McFarland, Marcus Jones and Simeon Rice as the starters, with returners James Cannida and Steve White coming off the bench. Second year tackle Chartric Darby, who Dungy describes as a clone of former Vikings tackle John Randle, has led the team in sacks in the preseason and should make the team. That leaves on open spot.
There appears only one spot vacant in the linebacking corps since everyone but Don Davis is back from last year's team. The Bucs tried to trade former starter Jeff Gooch to the Rams in the offseason, but he appears to have re-established himself as a solid backup. It leaves free agents Marq Cerqua, Al Rice and Byron Thweatt to fight for the one position.
"I'm not going to lie, it is a little bit stressful and I look at the 65 players now and I look and see who I think is ahead of me and who is not," Cerqua said. "We have to make 12 more cuts and I look and think that I'm better than at least one of those 12 guys. It's human nature and it's hard."
In the secondary, the Bucs will start John Lynch, Dexter Jackson, Donnie Abraham and Ronde Barber. Fourth-year nickel back Brian Kelly has had a steady camp and rookie Dwight Smith has been impressive at corner and can return punts. It means three spots are open for Howell, Merrill and returners Eric Vance and David Gibson.
"If you try to read between the lines in this business over what they are thinking and what's going to happen, you'll go crazy," Howell said. "You have to go out and not worry about the rest. If things don't work out here, may be it's a blessing in disguise. May be you go somewhere else and have a good career."