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Crashing his way up Bucs' depth chart

Safety John Howell, accustomed to a physical style, could start vs. Steelers.

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 20, 2001

TAMPA -- Growing up in Mullen, Neb., there wasn't much in the line of entertainment for Bucs rookie safety John Howell other than riding bulls on the weekend.

By age 15, Howell had been battered and bruised by 1,000 pounds of beef and, in the years since, has participated in a number of rodeos.

[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] Rookie John Howell worked in a similar defensive scheme in college at Colorado State.

Which might explain why, on the eve of what could be the first start of his pro career, the Bucs' fourth-round pick isn't too nervous about facing the No.1 running offense in the NFL.

"The Cowboy" is about to meet "The Bus." "I think by this point I have been acclimated enough to the speed and intensity of the game in the NFL," said Howell, a 5-foot-11, 204-pounder. "There was training camp and then I got a taste in preseason. So I'm not overwhelmed. I feel pretty comfortable. Look, it's a gut check, you have to be ready, there's no choice."

With starter Dexter Jackson hobbled by a deep thigh bruise and uncertain of his status for Sunday, Howell could start and/or play significantly against the Steelers. It won't be baptism by fire, because Howell played last weekend against Tennessee after Jackson was injured in the first half.

Howell might best be remembered for getting flagged for holding on the overtime kickoff, but the coaching staff, after reviewing game films, has assured him no penalty should have been called.

"I was fortunate it happened that way in that it was so fast I didn't have time to think about it," Howell said of his first dose of NFL action. "I got thrown to the wolves and just had to go out and play ball. If I had time to think about it, that's when you start to overanalyze and get butterflies and things like that.

"I'm preparing like I'm the starting free safety. At the same time, I have to know the strong safety rules in case Dexter plays and John (Lynch) goes down. But you have to prepare like a starter. The second you don't, you start to lose ground. If you go out and prepare like you're the guy, nothing will take you by surprise."

The fact that the Bucs think he's ready is quite an accomplishment. At the start of training camp, the Colorado State product was so far down the depth chart he was uncertain if he would make the team. In front of him were Eric Vance and David Gibson, in their fourth and second years, respectively. The Bucs also drafted Yale safety Than Merrill and talked about giving muscular cornerback Dwight Smith a shot or two at the position.

All Howell has done is convince the coaching staff that he is as capable.

"He's got talent," first-year defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin said. "Every day you see him getting better and you have to give him the opportunity. "I think the most important thing, in terms of where he is right now, is that you realize how important football is to him. He works so hard at his job."

Howell said he appreciates moving ahead of Vance and Gibson on the depth chart, but added that he owed a lot to them for pushing him.

"It's ugly that it works out that way," said Howell, who had 233 tackles in college. "It's tough to deal with it. Those guys have given me the advice that in this business you have to look out for yourself, take care of yourself and not worry about whose job you might be taking.

"Worry about your job. But you sit there and wonder, "Why am I getting a shot and he's not? What am I doing that he is not?' But you can't get caught up in that."

Another reason for Howell's quick rise up the depth chart is his familiarity with the defense. Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick is a close friend of Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and employs a defensive scheme similar to Kiffin's. Over the summers, Lubick's coaches have spent time at One Buc Place interning with Kiffin.

"In some ways it helped but in some ways it kind of hurt a little bit," Howell said. "It sounds funny, but while the terminology is the same, the names are almost the same, the calls are almost the same, there are some slight nuances. So when I got here, instead of having a completely clean slate and starting from new, I had to separate the things that were similar from the subtle differences."

Jackson has not practiced all week and the Bucs say they will wait until before Sunday's game to decide whether to activate him. If they don't, Lynch said he won't have any increased responsibilities playing alongside a rookie.

"The thing I have learned about this game is that we spend a lot of time together watching film and practice and going over the game plan," Lynch said. "But once we're on the field and the game starts, it'll be like anybody else. It'll be just like if Dexter's out there.

"I don't know if I really know John enough as a player right now, to tell you the truth. But the thing I see is a player with great ball instincts. John is a very fluid athlete and he's a hard-hitting sucker too. And for this week, that's not a bad thing."

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