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Keyshawn keyed up to go against Jets

Bucs receiver takes shots at old team, saving special contempt for coach Al Groh.

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By RICK STROUD

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 19, 2000

TAMPA -- Keyshawn Johnson's hand won't be extended. He hopes the Bucs' unbeaten streak will.

Winning the showdown against the New York Jets is more important to Johnson than showing up his former team in Sunday's revenge game at Raymond James Stadium.

Johnson reiterated Monday that he will not shake hands with Jets coach Al Groh, whom he feels is most responsible for his trade to the Buccaneers in April for two first-round picks.

In his first of three news conferences scheduled this week before his first meeting with the Jets, Johnson said he has been looking forward to the Sept. 24 game since he was dealt to Tampa Bay.

"Obviously, we all know it was there," Johnson said. "It was obviously a game that we were going to take note of when that time came, or else you all wouldn't be sitting here if it was just some normal game. I'm excited to have an opportunity to play against them. It'll be fun. It'll be real fun.

"I'll just do my normal deal. But one thing in this normal deal is that this is considered a big-time game. And big-time players show up in big-time games. And according to my past history, I've done well in big-time games."

Johnson, who had eight catches for 84 yards in the Bucs' 31-10 victory at Detroit on Sunday, said the fact the Jets also are 3-0 makes the game more intriguing.

But while embracing all the media attention attached to the game, Johnson said he felt the extra hype was unnecessary.

"It's silly to me, to be honest with you. I think it's a big joke," Johnson said. "A guy got traded, so what? It's over with."

Yet Johnson agreed to spend about 30 minutes answering questions from the media, including a large contingent from New York, to discuss his feelings over parting ways with the Jets.

Johnson even took a few shots at Groh, receiver Wayne Chrebet and center Kevin Mawae.

Of Groh, Johnson made it clear he would not shake hands with the Jets coach, whom he says showed him no respect by mishandling the trade to the Bucs.

"When you're a head football coach, coach Tony Dungy is not going to just jump up and allow someone to get rid of Mike Alstott," Johnson said. "You're just not going to do it. He's going to fight to the end, and if it doesn't happen, then he has to go with what Rich McKay says. That's the same way in the Bill Parcells-Al Groh thing. I don't think Al Groh fought to the end like Bill Parcells was fighting to the end to try to get a new contract done when he was still the head coach. Once (Parcells) stepped down, it was the 53 guys Al Groh considered his best players."

On Monday, Mawae said the Jets proved they can win without Johnson.

"We've moved on. We moved on in training camp. Some people stay in place and keep running on a treadmill," Mawae said. "He's just another player, a great player. He wasn't the entire team here, and he's not the entire team there."

Johnson warned that Mawae should spend more time focusing on the Bucs offense than their Pro Bowl receiver.

"If I didn't know Kevin, I would tell him to worry pretty much about 99 (Warren Sapp) and 92 (Anthony McFarland). Because I play offense and he plays offense. He needs to start worrying about (the Bucs) defense, wouldn't you think? Seven sacks last week. Six before that. I think six again. He's trying to protect Vinny (Testaverde). To me, I think that's what they should worry about."

However, it was Johnson who escalated the war of words with Chrebet with his comments that appeared in Monday's Newark Star-Ledger.

"There's no beef with him," Johnson said. "You're trying to compare a flashlight to a star. Flashlights only last so long. A star is in the sky forever. He's not even close to me and anyone who knows football, knows that."

Mawae said he didn't understand Johnson's preoccupation with Chrebet.

"The guy continues to make plays and continues to get dogged, whether it's a sense of jealousy or insecurity," Mawae said. "Wayne is a great guy. He makes plays. He's a locker room guy, and guys really stand behind him. There's no need to say anything bad about anybody else. If you're going to be a professional athlete, be professional about it."

If there is one person Johnson has no use for on the Jets, it's Groh. According to Johnson, Groh did not show him any respect during his handling of the trade with Tampa Bay.

"Maybe Al felt like he couldn't talk to me and Coach Parcells could. I don't know," Johnson said. "Maybe that's why he traded me. Maybe he felt like he couldn't control this outrageous receiver who may just go berserk so let's trade me, if Parcells could, because I'm such a bad character. And I kill a locker room and all that stuff."

Bucs coach Tony Dungy said he was warned by Parcells that the Bucs might have trouble handling the emotional receiver.

"You wouldn't want him. He's a bad guy. But it would take three No. 1's to get him," Dungy said he was told by Parcells. "That's what he said. He's got some bad faults, but he'd take three No. 1's and we finally talked him down to two No. 1's. He said we might have to bring him down to handle Keyshawn. He didn't know if I could handle him or not."

So far, so good. With Johnson, the Bucs have enjoyed the most points during a three-game streak in club history with 93.

"I felt that we were probably going to be the front-runner for the Super Bowl in New York," Johnson said. "Now, being here in Tampa, it shifts. I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a legitimate shot to do it all if we continue to play the game the way we know how."

However, Dungy said he was not concerned about Johnson becoming too worked up over Sunday's game.

"I think it's going to be a normal reaction to a guy playing against his old teammates," Dungy said. "He's going to want to win and want to do well.

"The thing about it is I think it's much more important for him to win the game than just to put up some big numbers. The last thing I know he wants to do is lose."

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