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Tuesday, March 25
Updated: March 26, 12:43 PM ET
 
Gruden talks, coaches a good game

By Greg Garber
ESPN.com

The last time we saw Jon Gruden was the morning after the Bucs' 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. He did not waste the media opportunity.

"We have got some free agents that we need to sign, and I do believe that there's a lot of eligible free agents that would like to be a part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," he said, flashing his trademark smile/grimace. "So, if you're listening, we'll be talking to you."

Jon Gruden
Gruden
It was a transparent, brutally self-aware infomercial. And, not surprisingly, it worked. The Bucs, who may have the best chance to repeat as champions since the 1997-98 Denver Broncos, have been busy in the offseason. While they lost free safety Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl MVP, to Arizona and linebacker Al Singleton to Dallas, most of the Bucs' major objectives have been met.

After defensive end Simeon Rice agreed to a restructured contract, middle linebacker Shelton Quarles signed a new deal. Free agents John Wade (Jaguars) and Jason Whittle (Giants) will give the offensive line some added strength. And while quarterback Brad Johnson has balked at the Bucs' position in restructuring talks, one senses that Gruden will find a way to finesse that one, too.

He is, he mentioned several times during the week before the Super Bowl, a salesman. He arrived in mid-February 2002 -- the Raiders traded him to the Bucs for two first-round draft choices, two second-rounders and $8 million and gave him a five-year contract worth $17.5 million -- bearing an impossible burden and worked hard to sell the players and the entire organization on his personal integrity and his system.

The bottom-line results suggest he succeeded. When he first sat down with defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Gruden gave him his intimidating scowl and Sapp laughed. By the end of the season, most of the defensive players seemed to genuinely like their cocky coach.

The defense, built around Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks and strong safety John Lynch, has been effective for years, but Gruden was hired with a mandate to improve the offense, which he did. The Bucs scored at least 27 points in each of their three playoff games, something they didn't do in any three consecutive regular-season games.

Gruden cleverly diffused some friction between the defense and the offense by installing Sapp as the third tight end in goal-line situations. And while there are still some lingering issues in his relationship with wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, even Gruden has gotten through to the moody athlete.

Part of Gruden's success comes from his ability to motivate his players without completely antagonizing them. He is, on some levels, their peer. Even though he never played in the NFL -- he was a quarterback at the University of Dayton -- there is a connection. Gruden, believe it or not, won't turn 40 until Aug. 17.

"We're not going to do anything but to try and keep this defense and this football team together," Gruden said after becoming the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. "We've got a very good nucleus of players and we plan on improving in all phases of our play."

Rest assured, whatever Gruden is selling this year, the Bucs' players will continue to keep buying.

Greg Garber is a senior writer at ESPN.com.






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