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Rick Gosselin: Bucs paying price for tony over Tony
11:25 PM CDT on Saturday, September 25, 2004
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt they hit a wall with Tony Dungy as their head coach. He put together one of the best defenses in the NFL and a perennial playoff contender at the turn of the decade.
But the new breed of NFL owner wants yards, points and excitement – and the Glazer family decided the Bucs would need an offensive explosion to get where they wanted to go.
Tired of Dungy's low-scoring, ball-control offense that protected his defense, the Glazers fired Dungy after the 2001 season and paid a steep price to hire offensive whiz kid Jon Gruden away from the Oakland Raiders – four premium draft picks and $8 million.
It turned out to be a superb short-term move by the Glazers. But the long term doesn't look nearly as bright.
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The instant dividend came when the Bucs won the first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2002. But there was a distinctive defensive stamp on that team. With 10 starters inherited from Dungy, the Bucs led the NFL in defense. The high-tech Gruden offense struggled, finishing 24th in the league.
But that was with many of Dungy's offensive players, including primary ball handlers Brad Johnson at quarterback, Mike Alstott at fullback and Keyshawn Johnson at wide receiver.
By 2003, Gruden had placed seven of his own players in the offensive lineup, and the Bucs made a quantum leap up the rankings. They finished 10th in the NFL in offense – their first top 10 finish since 1984. Excitement, yards and points were up ... but victories were down. The Bucs, at 7-9, failed to qualify for the playoffs.
This season, Gruden added running back Charlie Garner, wide receiver Tim Brown and three new blockers – tackles Derrick Deese and Todd Steussie and guard Matt Stinchcomb. Only three starters remain from the offensive unit Gruden inherited from Dungy.
Yet the ability to generate yards and points has disappeared. Through two games, the Bucs have failed to score an offensive touchdown and rank 30th in in yards. The Bucs are winless and gasping.
There is a quarterback controversy brewing between the veteran Johnson and youngster Chris Simms. And Tampa Bay's most reliable offensive weapon, Keenan McCardell, continues to hold out. He wants to be paid like an elite wide receiver, not the 34-year-old pass catcher that he is.
Meanwhile, Dungy is coaching a Super Bowl contender at Indianapolis with the AFC's top-ranked offense. And the Raiders parlayed those draft picks acquired for Gruden into three starters (cornerback Philip Buchanan, defensive end Tyler Brayton and offensive tackle Langston Walker) and a future starter (center Jake Grove).
In Dungy's first crack at his old team, the Colts riddled the Bucs for 455 yards and 38 points in a Monday night victory at Tampa in 2003. Now the Raiders get their shot at Gruden. The Bucs visit Oakland today. If Gruden doesn't bring any offense, it'll be another long day for the Glazers.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
11:25 PM CDT on Saturday, September 25, 2004
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt they hit a wall with Tony Dungy as their head coach. He put together one of the best defenses in the NFL and a perennial playoff contender at the turn of the decade.
But the new breed of NFL owner wants yards, points and excitement – and the Glazer family decided the Bucs would need an offensive explosion to get where they wanted to go.
Tired of Dungy's low-scoring, ball-control offense that protected his defense, the Glazers fired Dungy after the 2001 season and paid a steep price to hire offensive whiz kid Jon Gruden away from the Oakland Raiders – four premium draft picks and $8 million.
It turned out to be a superb short-term move by the Glazers. But the long term doesn't look nearly as bright.
NFL Report
Gosselin: Bucs paying price for tony over Tony
Around the NFL
NFL rankings
More NFL
The instant dividend came when the Bucs won the first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2002. But there was a distinctive defensive stamp on that team. With 10 starters inherited from Dungy, the Bucs led the NFL in defense. The high-tech Gruden offense struggled, finishing 24th in the league.
But that was with many of Dungy's offensive players, including primary ball handlers Brad Johnson at quarterback, Mike Alstott at fullback and Keyshawn Johnson at wide receiver.
By 2003, Gruden had placed seven of his own players in the offensive lineup, and the Bucs made a quantum leap up the rankings. They finished 10th in the NFL in offense – their first top 10 finish since 1984. Excitement, yards and points were up ... but victories were down. The Bucs, at 7-9, failed to qualify for the playoffs.
This season, Gruden added running back Charlie Garner, wide receiver Tim Brown and three new blockers – tackles Derrick Deese and Todd Steussie and guard Matt Stinchcomb. Only three starters remain from the offensive unit Gruden inherited from Dungy.
Yet the ability to generate yards and points has disappeared. Through two games, the Bucs have failed to score an offensive touchdown and rank 30th in in yards. The Bucs are winless and gasping.
There is a quarterback controversy brewing between the veteran Johnson and youngster Chris Simms. And Tampa Bay's most reliable offensive weapon, Keenan McCardell, continues to hold out. He wants to be paid like an elite wide receiver, not the 34-year-old pass catcher that he is.
Meanwhile, Dungy is coaching a Super Bowl contender at Indianapolis with the AFC's top-ranked offense. And the Raiders parlayed those draft picks acquired for Gruden into three starters (cornerback Philip Buchanan, defensive end Tyler Brayton and offensive tackle Langston Walker) and a future starter (center Jake Grove).
In Dungy's first crack at his old team, the Colts riddled the Bucs for 455 yards and 38 points in a Monday night victory at Tampa in 2003. Now the Raiders get their shot at Gruden. The Bucs visit Oakland today. If Gruden doesn't bring any offense, it'll be another long day for the Glazers.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***