BUCS

UF Staff Visits Bucs Practice

By IRA KAUFMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2007

TAMPA - Gators football coach Urban Meyer and the staff of the 2006 national champions attended Thursday's voluntary workout session for the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.

When he wasn't recoiling from the booms of pirate ship cannons, Meyer chatted with Coach Jon Gruden and spent a few moments with third-year wide receiver Paris Warren, who played for Meyer at Utah.

"Great coach, great staff, great program - we're pleased to have them here today," Gruden said of the BCS national champions. "They sat in on our meetings and maybe we'll learn a few tricks from the Gators."

Meyer said the visit to the Bay area already has been productive.

"We're not down here just to enjoy the stadium," he said. "We came to steal something, and we did."

Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan saw enough of Meyer to be impressed - and jealous.

"I didn't get the privilege of speaking to him, but I saw a championship ring on his finger and that made me really envious," Hovan said.

Several Bucs were absent from the club's final OTA session in May. Free agent Luke Petitgout, expected to start at left tackle, is the best man at a wedding this weekend, and defensive end Simeon Rice is rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Derrick Brooks' mother, Geraldine Mitchell, died Monday after a lengthy fight against breast cancer.

"Our hearts and prayers are with Derrick and his family," Gruden said.

With Jeff Garcia taking the majority of snaps at quarterback, the Bucs experimented with the shotgun formation and the execution was predictably sloppy, given the unorganized setting.

"We had a couple of bad snaps today on the shotgun," Gruden said. "For all those people out there who want the shotgun, we'll send that play to them. We work on the shotgun every year. We've had so many different quarterbacks and so many different centers around here, we're having a hard time getting snaps from underneath."

Gruden praised the work of wide receiver David Boston, who almost made the team as a free agent in 2006, and said Arron Sears, a second-round pick out of Tennessee, has made a favorable first impression at guard.

"We like Sears," he said. "He's a big, athletic powerful guy and he's a quick study. He's going to make things very interesting inside. I do know this - with him and Davin [Joseph], we've got two very good young prospects at guard."