Desperate Measures For A Desperate Team

By ROY CUMMINGS The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 13, 2007

TAMPA - These truly are desperate times at One Buc Place. The proof is in the string of seemingly desperate moves the Bucs have made in recent weeks.

The string began on the first day of the draft, when the Bucs used their first pick on Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams, one of three prospects who had admitted to experimenting with marijuana.

It continued a few picks later when the Bucs chose Syracuse defensive back Tanard Jackson, who was stabbed during a frat fight as a junior and suspended from the team as a senior for contract detrimental to the team.

Then, within minutes of completing the draft, the Bucs signed free-agent tight end Jerramy Stevens, who dropped off the radar of almost every other team in March when he was arrested on a DUI charge.

As if that wasn't enough, the Bucs then granted a tryout to Olympic gold medal sprinter Justin Gatlin, who is serving an eight-year ban from the track and field circuit for his involvement in a 2006 doping scandal.

Now, we're not against giving people second chances. And Adams, who is paying a high price for simply being honest, seems truly conciliatory regarding his lapse in judgment.

But it seems odd that during a period in which the NFL is clearly trying to erase the soiled image the public has of some of its players, the Bucs have added several players with legitimate character concerns.

That they've done all this in the wake of releasing linebacker Shelton Quarles, one of the league's model citizens, only adds to the curiosity.

The Bucs will deny it, of course, but unlike the Jacksonville Jaguars, who cut cornerback Ahmad Carroll just two days after he was arrested on weapon and drug charges, they seem to be overlooking character.

It seems that skill, ability and winning are what matter most to the Bucs, and that's understandable. This is, after all, a bottom-line business, and this regime is running out of bottom lines.

As best as anyone can tell, this team is in a must-win-now situation. Still, it would be nice if the Bucs won with a roster full of players they can truly trust to be there when they need them and be proud of.

WARNING SHOT: A lot of Bucs fans and several of the team's quarterbacks are genuinely excited about the possibility of the team utilizing the shotgun formation next season.

One person who still doesn't seem sold on the formation, however, is the man who will ultimately pull the trigger on it - Coach Jon Gruden.

Gruden recently said the Bucs are continuing to work the shotgun into their offense, but he didn't sound at all like a man who has fully embraced the idea of using it on game day.

"We've had it in every year, and we're going to continue to work at it and see what happens," Gruden said. "We'll see how the roster finishes itself off and if Jeff Garcia has a shotgun comfort level.

"We'll see if any of our other quarterbacks do or not. We'll continue to work on it, but we're not going to make any more of a big deal about it than we have in years past."

CAMP BATTLES: An interesting battle to watch come training camp will be the one for the backup running back spot featuring veteran Michael Pittman and rookie Kenneth Darby.

Darby, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama, doesn't figure to challenge Cadillac Williams for playing time as the starter, but he has the tools to take snaps away from Pittman on third down.

"He's an outstanding receiver," Gruden said of Darby. "He's a very instinctive runner, and I think when the pads are put on you're going to find a guy who knows how to play.

"I believe he had some real problems with his dad's health last season, and there were some things off the field that really distracted him, but this is a good football player."