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By DARRELL FRY
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 3, 2001
TAMPA -- Sunday's final cuts left the Bucs thin at several positions, including tight end, nose tackle and offensive line.
Coach Tony Dungy said nose tackle is the area that concerns him the most. Anthony McFarland is the only healthy player at the position with backup James Cannida (knee sprain) out at least four weeks. Free-agent rookie Terry Jolly was cut Sunday.
"We've got to work some guys in there because (McFarland) can't take all the reps," Dungy said. "We've got to get somebody ready to play those spots."
Dungy said the team likely will ask rookie Ellis Wyms, free-agent Chartric Darby or veterans Steve White and Marcus Jones to practice at nose tackle.
"We'll just have to look at what's the best for us and what's going to cause the least amount of chaos. ... I would figure Marcus would be one of the last options," Dungy said.
As for tight end, where the Bucs only have Dave Moore and Todd Yoder, Dungy said long-snapper Sean McDermott might get some work at that position.
NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE: With free-agent rookie Robert Kilow cut and rookie Dwight Smith (sprained right foot) injured, kick- and punt-return duties figure to fall to veterans Karl Williams, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green. There are indications they will share the duties.
"We're going to have to see who's active (for Sunday's opener at Dallas)," Dungy said.
That none of those veterans had any returns during preseason isn't a concern to Dungy.
"Not really," he said. "Karl has done a ton of them. We put Reidel back there in a playoff game his first year when he hadn't returned one all year. So those guys can do it."
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF: It's not every day that a rookie makes the roster of a Super Bowl contender. But that's what linebacker Marq Cerqua did, joining a unit that includes Derrick Brooks, Shelton Quarles, Al Singleton, Jamie Duncan, Nate Webster and Jeff Gooch.
"I think it just speaks to our coaching staff," Dungy said of Cerqua making the squad as a long shot. "Those guys just work with the guys we have and they don't have any preconceived ideas, and the guys who play well end up coming to the top. And Marq did that.
"He played well. Did a good job on special teams, very similar to a lot our guys, probably similar to Jeff Gooch when he came and caught everybody's eye with his speed and his tenacity. I think he's going to be a lot like Jeff where he's going to learn his way through the defense, but he's got a lot of speed and a lot of attributes that we can use."
Cerqua was signed in April as an undrafted free agent out of Carson-Newman. Another long shot who cashed in was second-year defensive end Ron Warner, who played at Kansas and was signed as a free agent.
WAIT AND SEE: Dungy said Mark Royals will be closely watched this week after the veteran punter showed little pop on his kicks Friday against Atlanta. It was his first action since sustaining a knee injury to his kicking leg early in training camp.
Royals punted four times for a 39-yard average in the preseason finale. His longest was 45.
"Mark punted pretty well during the week and didn't punt as well in the game," Dungy said. "Whether that's because it was Astroturf, whether it was because it was a live rush, because it was his first time, I don't know. (Trainer) Todd Toriscelli and Mark tend to think it's not the injury per se that's causing it, so we'll look at it. Mark knows he's got to punt better.
"Had he not punted well during the week, it would have been more of a concern."