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King's rule grows more benevolent

Bucs QB is winning respect by becoming less critical and more composed in the huddle.

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By RICK STROUD

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 14, 2000

TAMPA -- He has passed for more yards, thrown more touchdowns and defeated teams with better records.

But after leading the Bucs to a 20-15 win over the Green Bay Packers, Shaun King was determined to make a good win sound great.

"I thought it was the best win of the season," King said Monday. "Because that's the game we lost when we lost those four in a row. That's the game we played good in spots, had a little lull, then we had to step up on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter and we did.

[Times photo: Kevin White] A calm Shaun King takes advice from his quarterbacks coach along the sidelines of Sunday's game.

"That's the game we normally lose, and we came out and won."

Sunday's win also represented a coronation for King as the Bucs leader on offense.

After throwing a pair of touchdowns to stake the Bucs to a 14-3 halftime lead, King and the offense produced 10 total yards in the third quarter and actually trailed by a point when Martin Gramatica hit a 54-yard field goal with 10:12 left in the game.

At one point, King missed on five straight passes. But even while the Bucs offense fell apart, the second-year pro from Tulane did not unravel.

That hasn't always been the case this season for King, who wore his frustrations on his sleeve and routinely chastised players for mistakes or missed assignments.

"Those (four straight) losses taught him a lot, just that guys will respect you if you respect them," running back Warrick Dunn said. "You have to criticize yourself before you criticize someone else. He understands now that physically, you're not always going to dominate and beat your guy. But if you don't know what to do, everybody is going to have a problem with you, not just the quarterback."

King admits he had a tough time controlling his emotions during the Bucs' losing streak.

"That's one of the harder parts, too, is not getting upset at guys, not showing your frustrations when things aren't going right," King said. "One of the things you learn as a quarterback is you really have to pick your spots when you chastise. I think it's a lot more important to be positive and get everybody believing in what's going on.

"The alternative part is walking with your head down, you go and sit by yourself. So you know, guys see that."

Tackle Jerry Wunsch said King's poise and presence in the huddle Sunday during the rough second half was a departure.

"He had an opportunity to become shaken in this last game, where before in the past, he might have," Wunsch said. "You never saw it. And that weighed big-time on the offense, the look in his eyes.

"The importance of how Shaun carries himself is huge. Whether he even says anything, the look in his eyes, the way he's carrying himself speaks volumes."

What King couldn't do with his arm in the second half -- he passed for just 35 yards after going 11-of-14 for 129 yards in the first -- he made up for with his legs.

It was King's two third-down scrambles in the fourth quarter that set up Gramatica's dramatics.

"I think one of the keys to being a leader is being self-critical," King said. "They know I'm that. When I throw a bad pass, when I play bad, I put the blame on me. That pass to Quez (Jacquez Green, which was intercepted in the third quarter)? You could easily put that one on someone else, but I've got to put that pass right in his stomach where he can't drop it. And I'm fine doing that. I think guys respect that because they know you're critical of yourself before you're critical of them."

Sunday's game at Chicago marks the equivalent of a full NFL regular season for King, who is 10-5 as a Bucs starter.

"Guys look at that," King said. "And I'm proud of that because, okay, I've been able to help our team win. Even though I haven't played up to the level that I know I'm capable of playing because I'm still learning. That motivates me because when I get to the level I've always been, then just imagine what I can do during a 15 or 16-game stretch."

If the past three games are any indication, King will do just fine. The Bucs' past nine touchdowns have come on King passes to four receivers.

Not only has King evenly distributed the football, now he shares the blame.

"I think they respect me because of that," he said. "I don't put myself on a pedestal. I let them know they're just as important to the offense as I am.

"I think I'm becoming a better leader, a better quarterback ... every aspect."

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