Rich Gannon To Mentor Tampa Bay's Quarterbacks....

[Angry Pope]

During offseason activities....

Former Viking Rich Gannon has been brought in by Bucs head coach Jon Gruden to mentor the team's quarterbacks during the offseason activities in Tampa.

 

[Angry Pope]

More on Gannon....

Gannon To Visit One Buc Place

By: Scott Reynolds
May 14, 2006 6:09PM EST


When Tampa Bay's OTAs (organized team activities) resume on Tuesday, May 16, the Buccaneers will have a special guest in attendance. Former Oakland Raiders quarterback and Jon Gruden pupil Rich Gannon will be in attendance to help Tampa Bay's young quarterbacks. Gannon was invited to attend by Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen. Read more about Gannon's visit in this PewterReport.com story.


The Buccaneers will be having a very special guest on Tuesday, May 16 when the team’s OTAs (organized team activities) resume. Former Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon is expected to attend at the request of his good friend and former head coach Jon Gruden, who coach Gannon from 1999-2001.

“We’re going to have Rich Gannon out here on the 16th to help out our quarterbacks,” Gruden told PewterReport.com at Tampa Bay’s rookie mini-camp.

Gannon, who lost Super Bowl XXXVII with the Raiders at the hands of the Buccaneers during the 2002 season, turned into a Pro Bowl quarterback after mastering Gruden’s offense and will help tutor Tampa Bay’s very young stable of quarterbacks. The Bucs’ collection of quarterbacks is among the youngest in the league, with Chris Simms (12 starts), Luke McCown (four starts), Tim Rattay (16 starts) and Bruce Gradkowski (zero starts) combining for just 32 NFL starts.

Ironically, Gannon’s playing career was ended against the Buccaneers in 2004 during a nationally televised Sunday night game in Oakland. A collision with Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks in the third game of the 2004 season fractured vertebrae in Gannon’s neck.

Gannon retired from football last year and has worked at NFL Network. He will begin his NFL color commentary career next year with CBS.

Last year, the Buccaneers had legendary Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh, the mastermind of the West Coast offense, visit the team during the OTAs. In 2004, Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones met with the Buccaneers in the offseason.

 

[Angry Pope]

I was interested in the visit by Bill Walsh at Gruden's OTA last season and accidently found out that Jack Tatum appeared there last year as well....

Jun 24, 2005

Guests Special To Team


TAMPA - Even as Bucs players and coaches exchanged goodbyes Thursday at the close of minicamp, friendly greetings also were in evidence as the 30-year-old franchise continued its recent open-door policy.
Former Raiders S Jack Tatum, who met with the team Wednesday at Raymond James Stadium, mingled on the porch at One Buc Place, along with former Buc teammates Jimmie Giles and Scot Brantley, Storm coach Tim Marcum and former Tampa Bay assistant coach Howard Tippett.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh addressed Buc players last week and Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones was invited to Tampa a year ago to share his thoughts.

``That's one thing that has been pretty cool since Jon Gruden's been here,'' Bucs LBs coach Joe Barry said. ``Jon's a football junkie who loves the history of the game. It's neat that he's brought guys in to let current players and coaches be around these special people.''

For Bucs S Dexter Jackson, the opportunity to meet Tatum was an unexpected privilege.

``I'm a student of the game and I know Jack Tatum left everything on the field,'' he said. ``He was a punishing player who owned the middle of the field and made receivers pay. A lot about the NFL is so commercial right now, but guys like him played for the love of the game.''

Gruden has characterized Tatum, who earned three consecutive Pro Bowl berths in the early 1970s, as one of his few friends.

Tatum said he enjoyed his brief stop in Tampa, which included a conversation with fourth-year S Jermaine Phillips.

``Jon doesn't B.S. much,'' Tatum said. ``If it's red, it's red, and if it's black, it's black.

``I like Phillips - he's a good kid who wants to learn. I told him the basic game hasn't changed: If you can cover and tackle, you can play DB.''

GOOD VIBRATIONS: Gruden said he liked the collective ``vibe'' surrounding the team before training camp begins July 29 in Lake Buena Vista.

``I feel good about it,'' he said of Tampa Bay's team chemistry. ``Last year, obviously, we had a situation where we had a contract problem and it hurt us. A team captain [WR Keenan McCardell], it was hard to swallow for a couple of days and certainly throughout the season.''

Barry shares Gruden's enthusiasm, but he cautioned players Thursday to maintain the unity built in the offseason.

``This time of year two years ago, coming off the Super Bowl, we were as fired up as we've ever been,'' Barry said. ``Then we went to Philadelphia for the first game and I don't know what happened after that. All of this we have right now is awesome, but the key is to carry it over to camp and through the season.

``All this chemistry will mean nothing if we don't keep it going for four weeks while we're off. We can't lose any momentum in the next month.''

 

[Angel]

You go Rich!!!

 

[Angry Pope]

Gannon's visit....

Rich History

Rich Gannon, the 2002 NFL MVP, threw 180 touchdown passes and amassed almost 28,000 passing yards in 17 pro seasons

May 17, 2006 -

Rich Gannon strolled out onto the back porch of One Buccaneer Place wearing multiple layers of Tampa Bay Buccaneers garb, even though he was only visiting for one day.

The wardrobe selection was by necessity. Gannon had just soaked in – literally – a two-hour Buccaneers practice conducted under a steady rain on Tuesday morning, and he came inside in need of some dry clothes. The former NFL MVP drew the line, however, at a certain selection of t-shirts printed up about three years ago.

“They tried to slip some Super Bowl clothes on me,” said Gannon of his Buc hosts. “I thought that was a little much.”


One can understand Gannon’s distaste for that line of clothing. His Oakland Raiders were on the losing end of Super Bowl XXXVII against Tampa Bay, which followed Gannon’s 2002 MVP season. It’s not an evening he’s fond of remembering, nor one he could easily escape during his visit to Tampa and the Bucs’ headquarters. Several of the large pictures hanging in the One Buc hallways depict Gannon being sacked by Buc defenders, and his stop by the Buccaneers Golf Classic on Monday brought him into close proximity with the Lombardi Trophy.

Despite those predictable reminders, Gannon was more than willing to accept Head Coach Jon Gruden’s invitation to come to town and speak with the Bucs’ current quarterbacks. It was an opportunity to return the favor to Gruden and Quarterbacks Coach Paul Hackett, who, at various stops in Gannon’s 17-year playing career, aided immensely in his development. He learned many lessons during three years with Hackett in Kansas City and three with Gruden in Oakland that he now believes he can pass on to Chris Simms and company.


" Your biggest value to a football team as a quarterback is lining up under center every Sunday...[being] a consistent performer, a guy who takes care of himself physically and mentally and is ready to play."



“Jon asked me just to come down and talk with them a little bit,” said Gannon. “I’m going to share some things that have helped me over the years play the position. I got a chance to play 17 years, so I think along the way you pick up some things, some valuable tips and some keys that could help these guys, I hope. I’m happy to do that.”

A starter for most of the 1990-92 seasons with his first team, the Minnesota Vikings, Gannon was considered something of a journeyman during the middle part of the 90s when he spent five seasons as mostly a backup in Washington and Kansas City. However, after making 10 starts for the Chiefs in 1998, Gannon joined Gruden’s Raiders in 1999 and was transformed almost immediately into one of the league’s most prolific passers. Starting all 16 games from 1999-2002 (the last year under Head Coach Bill Callahan), Gannon averaged 26 touchdown passers per season and steadily inflated his passer rating from 86.5 to 97.3. In leading the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, Gannon compiled enormous numbers: 4,689 yards, 67.6% completion rate, 26 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions and a career-best 97.3 passer rating.

Besides such gaudy numbers – he eventually finished with 132 career starts, 28,743 passing yards and 180 touchdowns – Gannon is best remembered for his outstanding mobility, in terms of both running for extra yardage and throwing accurately on the move. It is in this area that he might be of particular use to Simms, the Bucs’ starter, particularly if the team continues to build on Gannon’s tips throughout the offseason.

“Adding that dimension to his game can certainly help him,” said Gannon of Simms. “If it’s a point of emphasis, if it’s something you work on in the offseason, it’s usually something you do better the following season. It means taking care of the football and not turning it over, or helping your football team by pulling the ball down on a couple of occasions and maybe running for some first downs. That’s something that can help round out him and make him a more complete player.”

Gannon was impressed with Simms during Tuesday’s two-hour field session, after which he planned to sit down with all of the Bucs’ passers to pass on his hard-earned expertise.

“The thing that really impressed me was just his command in the huddle, his communication between the players and the way he processed the information in the plays,” said Gannon. “There’s a lot of verbiage in this system and he takes it and he handles it and it seems like it’s not too much for him. That’s the most impressive thing for me. I mean, physically, you look at him and he’s got all the tools. He’s a big, strong guy, he can make the throws, he’s got good feet, he’s good out on the edge.

“I think it’s just a question of him getting more and more experience and more playing time, and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

One of the main lessons Gannon will look to impart to Simms and the rest of the Bucs passers is that durability is as important as mobility, and that the latter shouldn’t jeopardize the former. Though his 4,700 yards and 26 touchdowns probably won him the MVP in 2002, Gannon would probably point to his 16 starts as being the key statistic. Again, over those first four seasons in Oakland he never missed a start, and the Raiders’ offense steadily progressed up the league’s charts, not coincidentally.

“That’s one of the things I’m going to talk to him about,” said Gannon. “Your biggest value to a football team as a quarterback is lining up under center every Sunday. If you were to ask 20 people on the street – if you were to ask 20 players in the National Football League – who are the two or three best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, most people would probably say, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, maybe Brett Favre.

"If you look at all three of those guys, what they have in common, they always line up and play every week. Not only that, but they’re always out here on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday taking all the reps in practice. That’s really your value to a football team to be a consistent performer, a guy who takes care of himself physically and mentally and is ready to play, and a guy who understands not only his strengths but his limitations.”

Gannon’s own career eventually wound down due to injuries. A shoulder injury cost him all but seven games in 2003, and his final game played was a Week Three win over the Buccaneers in 2004, during which he sustained a season-ending neck injury on a hit by Derrick Brooks.

Gannon is now a NFL game analyst for CBS, and he made it clear on Tuesday that his playing days were over. He also doubts he will give coaching in the league a try due to that profession’s rather severe time demands. Gannon enjoys his new gig and feels quite satisfied with his 17 years in the NFL.

Still, there is one night during those 17 years at which he’d like to have another shot. On Tuesday, Gannon chatted with Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin and showed him two pages of notes he had prepared for Kiffin’s defense in the Super Bowl. Much of it went unused when the Bucs snared five interceptions and built a 34-3 third-quarter lead.

“I went and showed [Kiffin] some of the things that I had ready for him in the game and I said, ‘It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get to some of this stuff because of how the game went,’” said Gannon. “Jon and I have had a chance to talk about the game and the way it went and the things that happened. Hey, the best team won that night. We did not play our best football. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it works sometimes.”

 

[Angry Pope]

More on Gannon...

Gannon gives Bucs QBs a pep talk
Former Raiders QB reminded of worst day of his career

JIM BROCKMAN
Herald Staff Writer

TAMPA - It didn't take much for the bad memories to come flooding back. They are never that far from the surface anyway.

Rich Gannon needed only one foot in the door Tuesday at One Buccaneer Place when he got smacked in the face again with the worst memory of his illustrious 17-year career as an NFL quarterback.

"I walked in the building here, and there are pictures of me getting sacked in the Super Bowl," Gannon said Tuesday after the Bucs finished an offseason workout. "I stopped by (a Bucs charity golf outing) Monday, and they had the Super Bowl Trophy there."

It's the only Vince Lombardi trophy the Bucs own. The trophy landed in Tampa following the 2002 season at Gannon's expense. The Bucs demolished his Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Gannon's regular season performance in 2002 earned him the title of the league's Most Valuable Player. But that trophy offered little comfort as the Bucs sacked him five times and intercepted five of his passes. Three of those were returned for touchdowns.

"It will always be a sore spot," Gannon said. "I've gotten over it. I shouldn't say I've gotten over it. You never get over it. My counselor says . . . "

The part about the counselor was a joke. The part about never getting over it was not.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden became the youngest coach (39) to win a Super Bowl on Jan. 26, 2003. He spent the previous four seasons as head coach of the Raiders.

Gannon, 40, spent three seasons (1999-2001) playing for Gruden in Oakland. They were the first three Pro Bowl seasons in Gannon's career. His fourth and last was in 2002.

Gannon was in town at the request of his old coach.

"Jon just asked me to come down and talk with the quarterbacks a little bit," Gannon said. "I'll share some things that helped me play the position over the years.

"I got a chance to play 17 years. Along the way you pick up some things, some valuable tips and keys that can help these guys. I'm happy to do that."

Gannon likes what he sees in Tampa Bay's young starting quarterback Chris Simms.

"What really impressed me was just his command of the huddle, his communication with the players," Simms said. "He takes it and handles it.

"Physically, you look at him, and he's got all the tools. He's a big strong guy who can make the throws. It's just a question of him getting more and more experience and playing time. I think the sky is the limit for him."

Simms is not known as a scrambler, while scrambling is how Gannon made his living for 17 seasons.

"Adding that dimension could certainly help his game," Gannon said. "If you work on something during the offseason, you usually do better with it the following season. Pulling the football down and running for some first downs is something that can help a team. It can make him a more complete player."

Gannon stressed he wasn't in the market for a coaching job. He said he was content calling games for CBS and being able to spend lots of time with his wife and family. He's just in Tampa three days helping Gruden and Bucs quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett.

But in less than three days, reminders of his nightmarish Super Bowl weren't the only downers for Gannon. He talked to Tampa Bay's No. 55 on Tuesday.

It was Bucs Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks who brought Gannon's career to an abrupt end in September 2004. Gannon made the awful mistake of lowering his head and challenging Brooks in a game at the Coliseum in Oakland.

Going head-to-head, Brooks won the battle. Gannon suffered a fractured vertebra in what would prove to be the last play of his pro career.

"Derrick Brooks is the guy who almost single-handedly ended my career," Gannon said. "I have nothing to be ashamed about. I'm happy with the way my career went."

 

[Angry Pope]

Gannon puts hurtful past aside to aid Bucs QBs

Rich and Gruden picture at minicamp....

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
Published May 17, 2006

Ex-NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, right, in town to help Bucs quarterbacks, chats with Jon Gruden, his former coach.

TAMPA - Retired quarterback Rich Gannon still hasn't gotten over the beating the Bucs gave his Raiders, and him especially, in Super Bowl XXXVII. Nor has he forgotten the hit by Derrick Brooks that essentially ended his career.

But he's here to help.

Honest.

Gannon, who ran Jon Gruden's version of the west coast offense with precision in Oakland, is spending two days in Tampa tutoring the Bucs' crop of young quarterbacks. Gannon attended meetings and a light practice Tuesday and will do so again today as the team continues with offseason workouts.

"It's good to be here and good to get a chance to work with the quarterbacks a little bit," said Gannon, who played 18 seasons before retiring in August 2005.

"Jon asked me to come down and talk to them a little bit and share some things that have helped me play the position over the years. You pick up valuable tips and keys that can help these guys, I hope. I'm happy to do that."

Gannon has more NFL experience than the five quarterbacks on the Bucs bloated offseason roster combined. Starter Chris Simms, whose father, Phil, was a Super Bowl MVP, values Gannon's insights because Gannon excelled in Gruden's offense.

"It's awesome," Simms said. "If there's anybody who's perfected this offense in the last 15 years, you'd probably say him and Steve Young. It's just tremendous to hear his view on things and I look forward to picking his brain because he has so much to offer."

Gannon, 40, played three seasons under Gruden in Oakland and three under Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett when Hackett was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City in the 1990s. Those ties were enough to overcome any discomfort he felt being at One Buc Place.

"I walk in the building and there's pictures of me getting sacked in the Super Bowl," Gannon said. "It will always be a sore spot. ... But it's funny, I was just showing Monte Kiffin my notes from the game. I told him it's unfortunate we couldn't get to some of this stuff because of the way the game went."

A journeyman until he signed as a free agent with Oakland, Gannon was an instant success with Gruden. He threw for more than 3,400 yards and went to the Pro Bowl three straight seasons. In 2002, Gannon was named league MVP for leading the Raiders to the Super Bowl, but they were soundly beaten by the Bucs with Gruden on the opposite sideline.

Gannon retired because of a neck injury sustained in a regular-season game against the Bucs in 2004 during a helmet-to-helmet collision with linebacker Brooks. Gannon was scrambling for positive yardage and slid into Brooks. He never played again.

Gannon said he has no intention of reviving his playing career as a veteran backup for the Bucs or in becoming a coach, prefering the schedule of his current job as CBS analyst to an 80-hour work week.

Among the points Gannon is emphasizing with Simms, Luke McCown, Tim Rattay and sixth-round pick Bruce Gradkowski is the importance of staying healthy. A big part of that is knowing when, and how, to scramble, something that made Gannon effective.

"Your biggest value to a football team as a quarterback is lining up under center every Sunday," said Gannon, citing the durability of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre. "That's really your value to a football team, to be a consistent performer and be a guy who takes care of himself physically and mentally, a guy who understands not only his strengths but also his limitations."

Impressed with Simms' physical tools, grasp of the system and command of the huddle, Gannon suggested Simms could round out his game by becoming more elusive in the pocket.

"Adding that dimension to his game can certainly help him," Gannon said. "If it's a point of emphasis, something you work on during the offseason, it's usually something you do better with the following season, whether it's taking care of the football, not turning it over, or helping your football team by pulling the ball down on a couple occasions and maybe running for some first downs. That can make him a more complete player."

In sharing insights gained during his 18 NFL seasons, Gannon was glad to return favors to Gruden and Hackett for the positive impacts they had on his career. He drew the line, however, after a rainy morning practice when he was offered dry clothing.

"They tried to slip some Super Bowl stuff on me," he said. "I thought that was a little bit much."

 

[Angel]

However, after making 10 starts for the Chiefs in 1998, Gannon joined Gruden’s Raiders in 1999 and was transformed almost immediately into one of the league’s most prolific passers.

I was so upset by this, I almost stopped being a Chiefs fan!!!

 

[Angry Pope]

Gannon from training camp in 2004...

08/04/04

Things are going well so far in training camp. We're all getting settled in and learning this new system. And I feel great, physically. I think I'm off to a good start and my arm feels good and I'm just having fun again. I need to move around a lot more. That's why I came into training camp at 203 pounds -- about 10 pounds lighter, and I feel great. I'm running more and moving around, and I feel quicker. I think that's really going to pay huge dividends for me during the course of the season.

I'm really looking forward to competing and trying to help this team win some more games. I feel like my contributions to this organization are out there for everybody to see. I've been to four straight Pro Bowls and was the league MVP before I got hurt a year ago. And now all of a sudden everybody thinks I can't play anymore. To me, I have no idea where it comes from, but that's just the nature of this business. It never fazed me one bit. I knew I was going to be back and be even better. I was going to be stronger and more dedicated and more committed to not only trying to play at the high level that people are accustomed to me playing at, but also doing everything I could to help turn this thing around for this organization.

 

[Angry Pope]

Gannon throws himself into helping Bucs

By Victor Contreras
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, May 21, 2006

The Raiders can't be too thrilled with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers these days.
First, coach Jon Gruden goes from Oakland to Florida, followed by team executive Bruce Allen. Now, former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon has gone to the other side.

Actually, Gannon hasn't joined the Bucs. He's in his second year as a pro football analyst for CBS but has offered to tutor quarterbacks for his old coach.

All of which is a nice gesture of loyalty, given that Gruden haunted Gannon by beating him and the Raiders 48-21 in the Super Bowl the season after leaving -- 2002. Moreover, Gannon's career was basically ended two years later by the Bucs on a blow to the neck from Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Be that as it may, Gannon spent Tuesday and Wednesday attending minicamp-style practices and meetings in Tampa.

"Jon asked me to come down and talk to (his quarterbacks) and share some things that helped me play the position over the years," Gannon told Florida reporters after the sessions.

Gannon's 18 years in the NFL are more than the five Bucs quarterbacks combined have. Tampa Bay starter Chris Simms, whose father Phil was a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player with the New York Giants, intends to use Gannon's insights and mastery of Gruden's West Coast offense.

"Of those who have perfected this offense the last 15 years, you'd probably say (Gannon) and Steve Young," Simms said.

Gannon, 40, played three seasons under Gruden in Oakland and three under Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett when Hackett was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City in the 1990s. Those links, Gannon said, helped him overcome any awkwardness he may have felt showing up at Bucs headquarters.

"I walk in the building, and there are pictures of me getting sacked in the Super Bowl," Gannon said. "It will always be a sore spot. But it's funny. I was showing (Bucs defensive coordinator) Monte Kiffin my notes from that game and told him it's unfortunate we didn't get to some of (our offensive plays) because of the way the game went."

 

[Angel]

Dang it.....beat me again!!

 

[Rupert]

He didn't leave any marks did he?

 

[Angel]

He didn't leave any marks did he?

Not this time!