That ought to be interesting.

Simms is probably only a notch or two above Rich McKay on Jon Gruden's Christmas card list. Once the club's starting quarterback in a playoff game, Simms can't even get an audience with a coach. According to Simms, Gruden wouldn't return calls during the offseason and even ducked out of the office early to avoid addressing a coach-player situation deteriorated beyond repair.

And yet here comes Simms to camp. Should be interesting -- and really disingenuous.

With Jeff Garcia (who will arrive to camp Sunday), Brian Griese (acquired by trade from Chicago), Luke McCown (promising backup from last year) and rookie Josh Johnson (still unsigned fifth-round pick), Simms will be lucky if he's allowed near a huddle.

Despite the fact Gruden wants nothing to do with Simms -- didn't much when he was starting, either, but that's another story -- the two will have to put on their diplomat hats and make nice until this whole ugly and unnecessary deal sorts itself out. Remember, Simms boycotted every offseason workout in hopes of angling his release or trade, knowing he was not in the team's plans for the 2008 season. He hasn't taken a regular-season snap since Sept. 24, 2006, the day he suffered a ruptured spleen against Carolina.

"I talked to Chris last week," General Manager Bruce Allen said Tuesday. "I think the great part about training camp is that you focus on the football team. I explained to Chris that we believed it was in the best interest of the Bucs -- and the best interest of Chris Simms -- that we all focus on getting better every day."

Simms, 27, obviously took the advice to heart. In a conversation with the St. Petersburg Times, Simms squealed that Allen, during that conversation last week, asked him how quickly he thought Brett Favre might be able to pick up Gruden's offense.

I've said this before. Simms has given everything he has to the Bucs organization, including an organ. He probably should have been cut last year -- certainly, Gruden wanted him to be -- but the team opted to keep four quarterbacks on the regular season roster, then eventually stashed him on injured reserve after insisting over and over he wasn't injured.

Simms has benefitted financially, thanks to that $14.5 million extension the club signed him to in December 2006, three months after his splenectomy. It took nearly 18 months for his body to come around, and during that time Tampa Bay and its coach moved on.

Now, it's time for Simms to move on.

Still.

Who needs a sideshow this time of year?

Elsewhere from the NFL in FLA:

- Joe Theismann, always good for a sound byte (especially now that he's out of a job), says Favre is coming to the Bucs -- no doubt. Coming tomorrow: Theisman on Obama's overseas trip. 

- Fromer UCF star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, now in Denver, has been called to the principal's office for being a bad boy.

- In Miami, Ronnie Brown is going to be eased back from his season-ending knee injury.

- Jacksonville's top picks, first-rounder Derrick Harvey and second-round Quentin Groves, are still unsigned.

Green Bay officials reportedly began Tuesday making calls and gauging interest in the icon quarterback who retired in March but has had a change of heart and now says he wants to play in 2008. The Packers, who commited during the offseason to fourth-year pro Aaron Rodgers, have ruled out Favre returning to the club as a starter.

Two obvious QB-needy teams are Minnesota and Chicago, but the Packers do not want Favre playing for a NFC North Division rival. After those two teams, the Bucs are said to head the list of suitors. It's a good theory, based on Coach Jon Gruden's affinity for collecting quarterbacks.

Especially, since he's never collected one like this.

"I can't keep up with all those reports," Bucs General Manager Bruce Allen said Tuesday. "We'll let Green Bay discuss their business."

Last week, though, Allen reportedly discussed Favre with one of his own quarterbacks: Chris Simms.

Simms, who hasn't played in a game since September 2006 and has asked to be traded or released, told the St. Petersburg Times that Allen called him and asked questions specifically about Favre.

"He asked if I felt Brett would be able to come back and be good here if he didn't have a lot of reps in training camp," Simms told the Times. "I said I thought he would but there would have to be some compromise with Coach Gruden. He'll just want the play called and to drop back and throw it in there.

"But it's something we talked about."

The Bucs report Friday to Celebration for training camp, which opens Saturday at Disney's Wide World of Sports. From the Strange and Awkward Timing Department, starting QB Jeff Garcia, coming off a Pro Bowl season, has been excused from the first two days of practice to attend a function in California.

In the interim, Favre-to-Tampa speculation won't stop until the story ends.

(Forget the fact the Bucs had no first- or second-round draft choices, which were traded to get Gruden to Tampa in the first place) 

Said employee was eventually fired.

Now comes word that Gruden has excused Jeff Garcia from the first two days of training camp to attend the 35-year anniversary of Gavilan College being crowned with the mythical national junior college football championship in 1973. The team was coached by Bobby Garcia, Jeff's father.

"Oh, a reunion?" Gruden surely said. "Sure. Go ahead. Take three or four days, if you want."

Are you kidding?

The starting quarterback?

Just a thought, but what would have happened if, say, Chris Simms had asked out of the start of camp.

Oh, that's right he has. Bad example.

How 'bout Chris Hovan?

Or Arron Sears?

Or even Derrick Brooks?

A family matter is one thing. Funeral another. There are plenty of circumstances that would warrant an excused absence from what Gruden has called the most crucial time of the season.

But a reunion of a bunch of guys Garcia knew as a 3-year-old ballboy?

It just doesn't make sense. 

"Jon's got an excellent relationship with Jeff's dad," Bucs General Manager Bruce Allen explained. "That national championship was quite an achievement and they want to share that together."

It should be pointed out that Garcia, 38, had perfect attendance at all voluntary and mandatory offseason workouts, despite airing disappointment and frustration -- more than once -- with the Bucs' unwillingness to meet his demands for a contract extension. Garcia's dedication and work ethic are admired by his teammates, especially after the role in played in getting the Bucs to the playoffs last season. He has certainly banked some good will with his coaches and cred with his teammates.

But a reunion?

I've been to Gilroy, Calif., the Garcias' hometown. The family is royalty there. Why didn't they plan this reunion for -- Oh, I don't know -- BEFORE training camp? 

Instead, Garcia is leaving Thursday, enjoy Friday and Saturday festivities before taking a red-eye to Orlando late Saturday night, and presumably be on the field for Sunday morning's practice.

Meanwhile, Brian Griese, Luke McCown and rookie Josh Johnson will take the snaps the first two days, while Simms (who's another whole story/saga we'll get to later, by the way) watches and wonders what he did in a previous life to deserve his situation.

Did I mention Garcia will be at a reunion?

Somehow, I just can't help but wonder -- while Garcia is raising a toast to his father's team -- how many phone calls Allen will place around the league to monitor the Brett Favre situation. Reports out of Green Bay have the Packers putting feelers out seeing who's interested.

There are rumblings from Florida to Mississippi that Gruden is.

Duh.

Allen was asked Tuesday about Favre.

"We'll let Green Bay discuss their business," he said. 

Seriously, folks. Would anybody really and truly be surprised if Garcia, after attending a social function during training camp with the blessing of his coach, showed up at practice and found his former Pro Bowl teammate -- the guy who happens to top the NFL's all-time in passing yardage and touchdowns lists -- waiting for him?

What a reunion that would be.

The Washington Redskins, I thought, were the perfect landing spot for Taylor.

But nothing happened.

Until Sunday night.

After watching 12-year veteran Phillip Daniels go down with a knee injury on the first day of training camp, the Redskins dialed up the Dolphins and acquired Taylor for the extremely reasonable price of 2009 second- and 2010 sixth-round draft choices.

Washington, under new Coach Jim Zorn, went to camp either settled or stacked at virtually every position -- if anyone wants to quibble about quarterback Jason Campbell, I'll understand -- with the exception being the defensive line; specifically, a stud pass rusher.

In Taylor, who turns 34 in September, the Redskins now have arguably the best defensive end in the NFL. His 117 career sacks rank 14th in league history -- second among active players behind unsigned Simeon Rice -- and the guy still has some football left in him. Last year, Taylor had 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception.

It's reasonable to question Taylor's desire to play the game, given the song and "Dancing With the Stars" he played with new Dolphins VP of Football Operations Bill Parcells during the offseason.

But is anyone that has watched this guy play -- and who knows anything about his character -- believe Taylor is not going to put his all into every snap? Please. Taylor is a football player, but he's also one of the most respected individuals in the league; the consummate professional.

And now he's a Redskin.

Washington is better for it.

Miami, coming off a 1-15 season with Taylor, is worse for it ... if that's even possible.

While I was on vacation the previous three weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made some news or been thrown into the speculation pile.

With 10 days to go before the team reports for training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports, I figured I'd address a few things -- be them real or imagined -- relative to the Bucs.

Starting with Brett Favre.

Please note the changes in this year’s training camp schedule. The majority of morning practices will be outside and open to the public, but on certain dates a portion of the afternoon session that follows will be moved inside a tent and closed to the public. There are also certain dates in which a full practice session could possibly be moved inside the tent and closed to the public.

The Buccaneers will also hold their first ever night practice session at the Wide World of Sports Complex on Thursday, August 7 from 7:30 – 9:10 p.m. The night session will be open to the public.

The Buccaneers will open their preseason schedule on Saturday, August 9 at Dolphin Stadium against the Miami Dolphins at 7:30 p.m.

2008 TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE

PLEASE NOTE: Practice schedule and all times are subject to change

Day Date Morning Practice Afternoon Practice
Saturday July 26 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. 2:45 - 4:55 p.m.
Sunday July 27 8:30 - 11:05 a.m. 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. (outdoors)/4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (inside tent/closed)
Monday July 28 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. (outdoors)/4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (inside tent/closed)
Tuesday July 29 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 3:55 p.m. (ST)
Wednesday July 30 8:30 – 11:05 a.m. 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. (outdoors)/4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (inside tent/closed)
Thursday July 31 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. 2:45 - 4:25 p.m. (WT)*
Friday August 1 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. 2:45 - 3:55 p.m. (ST)
Saturday August 2 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. None
Sunday August 3 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. (outdoors)/4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (inside tent/closed)
Monday August 4 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:40 p.m. (WT)*
Tuesday August 5 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday August 6 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:30 p.m.
Thursday August 7 9:45 - 10:55 a.m. (ST) 7:30 - 9:10 p.m.
Friday August 8 9:15-10:15 a.m. (WT) None
Saturday August 9 Tampa Bay at Miami - 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday August 10 None None
Monday August 11 None 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday August 12 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday August 13 8:30 - 11:10 a.m. 2:45 - 4:30 p.m.
Thursday August 14 8:30 - 9:55 a.m. None
* Possible practice inside tent, which would be closed to public (ST) – Denotes special teams practice (WT) – Walk-through

A little over the top, but then again Michael Clayton has only reached the end zone once in the last three years, so blast away.

After practice, the Bucs went back to team headquarters and then were required to meet at Pinchasers, a bowling alley about two miles away. There, the entire squad (and some coaches) took part in what Coach Jon Gruden likes to call "camaraderie time," when the players are split into teams and compete in something other than 7-on-7 or red-zone drills.

For what it's worth, Earnest Graham had the high game of the day, rolling a 243. I guess we don't have to wonder what Graham was doing while staying away from voluntary workouts during the offseason in protest for a new contract.

Anyway, here's what Gruden had to say to reporters following the morning practice.

(Are you happy with the team’s execution so far?)
“I’m happy, really. Sometimes the defense executed, too. The two-minute drive on offense was good; we got a game-winning field goal. The second time around the defense stopped it. Some really good patterns and plays in the red zone on both sides. I don’t expect it to be a lopsided butt-kicking ever. The defense will dominate here and there and I expect the offense to compete. We got a lot done today and you can be the judge of where we are.”

(What did you think of coming to the stadium?)
“I think it’s good. This is where we play; this is where it all happens. We’ve got a lot of new guys that are getting acclimated to their surroundings as we said earlier in our offseason program. This is a good way to kind of wind down right here at home.”

(Talk about the upcoming bowling event?)
“We’re going to get together. We had two practices yesterday. We had tremendous turnout. I think now is the time where we mix the players up, maybe these four guys are bowling or eating a hot dog with four guys they may not know or been around much. We call it ‘camaraderie time’ and it’s a mandatory event, and we’ll have some fun in the process.”

(Could BJ Askew be more involved in the passing game this season?)
“We’re going to try to do that. He’s an integral part of our offense and he does have pass-receiving skills and running skills and we’d like to use all our backs. We’ve got a number of backs and he’s certainly a guy we’re going to use.”

(Can you give one word to describe the offensive line?)
“I don’t have one word for these guys. They’re a sophisticated bunch. The offensive line is very young. We’ve got a new center that we’re breaking in, which is easier said than done. He’s learning all the calls and he’s a disciplined guy. We’re talented, I’ll say that. Whether we can get the production is another story, but we are talented.”

(Ike Hilliard had offseason surgery, how's he coming along?)
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming off surgery – Galloway and I don’t know how many other guys. [Hilliard] is not really 100 percent right now; he’s just coming back to help and hopefully Joey and Ike will be ready to go as we hit training camp. They’re our 1-2 punch in the receiving corps in terms of catches and it would be nice to have those guys out here. But Ike is valuable to us. He does a lot of things well.”

(He's been a guy you can depend on)
“He played on a lot of division championship teams. He was a No. 1 draft choice. Steve Spurrier was just here the other day; he’s known as his all-time favorite player, so he’s got a lot going for him. For whatever reason some of the gurus don’t think he’s in the fantasy football team, but he’s still a very good player.”

(Is the team is where he’d like it to be at this stage?)
“I don’t know. We like certain aspects and there are other aspects where we have a long way to go. That’s why we have training camp. So far the NFL hasn’t called training camp off. We’re going to have a good camp and try to be creative to get the reps where we get everybody acclimated. But we’ve got a long way to go in some areas and I think we respect that.”

(How is Jeff Faine looking?)
“I love him. He’s very quiet, which is a change. I’m not used to a center that’s quiet, but he’s very athletic. When you put the pads on, let’s be honest, I think our offensive line is going to look better, I think. He’s an athletic guy, a second-level guy, he’s smart, a leader and tough as hell.”

(What do you hope the players do in the month before they arrive at camp?)
“They know what to do. They have to take care of themselves, obviously, stay in shape, and they’ve got to get some rest and at the same time, they’ve got to get away from it some and get rejuvenated. They have to remember you’re living in a glass house, so be smart. Enjoy the time, because they’ve really invested a lot. They’ve put a lot into this and don’t blow it now. Come to training camp where you can showcase your best stuff, because that’s what we’re going to need to win.”

(How is the wide receiver battle shaping up?)
“I’m still learning who we’re playing with. Maurice Stovall hasn’t taken many snaps here in the offseason, nor has Joey or Ike, and we’ve had a lot of injuries. So I’m still learning about Cortez Hankton and Antonio Bryant and Dexter Jackson. We have talent, we have some speed, we have some different kinds of receivers and it’s going to be a grueling process. It’s going to be very competitive, and we might add another receiver or two before camp, you never know.”

(Will you get more out of the receivers due to the competition at the spot?)
“I hope so. Competition, at least in my eyes, has always been the best motivator. It’s not salaries or whatever, it’s competition.”

(How is Donald Penn doing?)
“He’s had his spots. He’s gotten a lot stronger, I’ll say that for him. He’s really increased his strength, a credit to our strength coaches. He’s doing some good things. He still has some plays here and there that he’s got to eliminate, but he’s making progress.”

(What about John Gilmore?)
“Pretty good. He wasn’t really showcased as a receiver in Chicago, but he has functional speed. He’s got disciplined route-running ability, he’s got good awareness, he sees man and zone, and he’s a reliable hands guy. He’s been impressive here. He’s really stood out and Ben Troupe has really caught my eye. He’s done some good things too.”

(Dre Moore shown you anything his first couple months?)
“He still has a long way to go, I think, to master playing pro football in this area of the country. It’s hot. He’s going to have stamina issues until he gets himself in great shape. I think every defensive lineman, every 320-pound guy will tell you that, but he’s working at it. He’s a good kid and it means something to him and he’s in good hands with Kurtis Shultz and Mike Morris.”

(What about the cannons going off?)
“It scared me to death. We got down in a tight red zone and we were able to get four or five of them in there. It’s hard to throw the ball down there against this defense. A lot of different zone combinations and we’d like to hear those cannons roar a little bit this year.”

(How did the red zone offense look?)
“We work at it hard as we always do. Looking back at it, we had some horrific things occur. We dropped touchdown passes, we fumbled the snap on the 1-yard line, and statistically speaking, those things, if you just read stats, catch up to you. But we did have some very good executions, sustained drives, and our goal-to-go offense was pretty good. But to be one of the top teams in football, you’ve got to score touchdowns there and it’s getting harder and harder every year.”

(The roster limits trouble you, don't they?)
“It’s concerning. I don’t know why we have 80 guys. I don’t know why it can’t be 180, but we’ve got 80 guys. I’m sure there are going to be a couple guys on every team that are going to be PUP. Probably going to have a few kickers and long snappers and three or four, five, six quarterbacks or however many we end up taking, who knows. But it limits the amount of guys that practice and therefore the number of reps you can get. When you’re out there with a 100-plus heat index it’s something you’ve got to keep your eye on. Still, repetition is the mother of learning. That’s the way I’ve been brought up in this business. We have to get the work done, but we have to do it creatively. Some of the reps might not be full-speed reps, but we’ll have to do the best we can.”

(You have a good idea who the 80 guys will be or if do you need more time?)
“We’ve got some tough calls. We don’t have any more time. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions. When the rookies sign, they obviously have to have room on the roster to come to camp, so there are some tough decisions. It’s emotional for me, because you haven’t seen these guys out here in April, May and June, but they’ve been out here working hard. You’d like to afford them an opportunity to benefit from the hard work.”

(Are you going to tweak the training camp schedule?)
“We tweak it every year. Everybody remembers last year, seven or eight or 12 or 15 guys had individual schedules. That’s just the way it is. Guys at certain stages of their careers will have a different schedule than a guy at another stage of his career. But we are tweaking and hopefully we have a training camp schedule that gets our football team ready for the regular season. But there have been some modifications.”

(Maybe some night practices?)
“Yeah, we’re going to have a night practice this year. I want to see our new punt returners and kick returners handle the ball in the lights. We’re going to play a Monday Night game; we’re going to play against Miami in the lights, so we’ll go out there and let our returners and receivers handle the ball. It’s part of our evaluation. Some guys can’t find the ball in the nighttime as well as they can in the daytime. I was one of those receivers.”

(How's Jeff Garcia looked so far?)
“Yeah, he’s been exceptional here the last two days. You saw him earlier in seven-on-sevens. He’s had a great camp for us. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of where he was this time last year.”

(How much stock do you put in minicamps before going to training camp?)
“It’s hard. Practicing against each other is hard. The offense knows the defense’s calls, the defense knows the offense’s calls and the audibles. After a while these guys need to get the hell out of here and get away from each other where they forget all the terms they learned, so we can come to training camp and have a legitimate practice again. It’s been tough and very competitive. These guys have a lot of pride and that’s one of the reasons that I’m very proud of this team.”

But maybe the best way to get everybody caught up on what's going on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is to just let Jon Gruden tell you for himself.

Here's the question-and-answer transcript from Tuesday's interview session with the Bucs coach following the club's morning workout at mandatory mini-camp.

(So Earnest Graham is here and Chris Simms is not?): "We're happy to see him. He's obviously a heck of a player. As I said a couple days ago, these matters have a way of working themselves out and he's a key member of our football team. I don't know where Chris is. As I said, I like him a lot and I wish him the best in this situation, but I'm going to coach the guys that are here."

(Is Chris a story that needs to be resolved?): "Nah, I’ll let you guys handle that story. I don’t have any comment. I don’t have much knowledge other than he said what he said. I don’t agree with all the things that he said, but I can only comment on the guys who are here working. His situation will take care of itself.

(Chris ... ): "I’m not going to talk anymore about it. You can talk to [General Manager} Bruce Allen. He’ll be happy to fill you in on all the particulars. Again, I haven’t seen him, nor have I talked to him in a while. I can comment on the four guys that participated today." 

(What jumped out at you during the first practice of training camp?): "Well, the weather is warming up. And we've had a really good turnout. It's been very competitive. Somehow, someway we've got to reduce our roster to 80 men and there are going to be some tough calls here in the next week or so. I'm really impressed with the work ethic and the turnout, and we are picking things up. We've got a number of different combinations working on both sides of the ball and we like some of the progress we're making."

(Have you decided how many quarterbacks the Bucs will take to camp?): "Bruce will decide all that stuff. I'm just trying to find the quarterback, trying to get our Pro Bowl quarterback to play even better. We're really excited to have [Brian] Griese back; he's been outstanding here on the practice field. Luke McCown is doing some great things too. We'll keep working with our youngster and we'll focus on the quarterbacks I just mentioned."

(How did the rookies look?): "They look good. They've been put in a tough situation, getting used to this weather, getting themselves in shape. Aqib Talib has just flashed and been consistently good here. Dexter Jackson has had his moments. He's made a lot of splash plays and there are some things he's got to get worked out, obviously learning the offense. [Jeremy] Zuttah, our third-round draft choice, is playing a position he didn't really play in college but he's shown promise. The other guys are hanging in there."

(Graham look like he was in good shape?): "Yep, he sure did. He's always in shape. You know Earnest – he's going to be ready to go. As I said, these matters will find a way to work themselves out, whatever the workout status is. We'll find out."

(What are the priorities for this week?): "We just keep looking at our team, trying to fit the best 80 guys into a roster that can give us depth and some versatility during training camp. The guys that earned it are the guys that will go. And keep an eye on the other teams, too. There are some other teams that have to release players, so we're going to continue to look at other players that become available."

(Are you thinking about tweaking the training camp schedule?): "We have tweaked it the last couple years and we'll have to continue to do so. If they want to continue to reduce the number of players in camp and the weather continues to get hotter we're going to have to make some concessions. We'll have to be a little bit more creative in terms of how we get our work done, but I think that's a standard quote around the league, really."

(Has any progress been made on working out indoors at Disney during camp?): "They are going to have some kind of indoor facility up there and we're anxious to check it out. Hopefully it's high enough where we can get some film. No matter what anybody tells me, I still believe that repetition is the mother of learning. We still need to get our reps, although many of the reps might not be full speed as they've been in the past."

(Do you think people forget that you're trying to win football games, rather than trying to be everybody's best friend?): "I don't go there. This is a tough business. When you have 93 guys on the team, it's a tough business. I get criticized for carrying John Daly's bag for four holes. I'm not going to say these are easy matters. It's an emotional time this time of year and there's a lot of disenchantment around the league, if you pay attention carefully. We're going to do the best we can to win. We owe that to our fans and our players and that's what we're going to do."

(How confident are you that a game-breaker will emerge at receiver opposite Joey Galloway?): "Well, I don't know all those things. I'll tell you, Antonio Bryant has really been impressive. I said some things before that maybe I haven't been able to back up so I'm going to be reluctant to say much else. But we like the things Antonio Bryant has done here. Dexter Jackson gives us a threat to go down the field. He can do some things but he does have a long way to go to learn this stuff. We'll see, we'll see."

(Is Jeff Garcia further along with a year in the system under his belt?): "It's nice to have the same quarterback two years in a row. We haven't had that luxury. This guy here is special above the neck – very smart, very instinctive and a great competitor. Just being able to call the plays, feeling the rhythm of the offense and understanding some of the options that he has – everything's quicker, everything's easier for him right now and I think that will show in his play."

(Are you surprised with what Chris Simms said about you?): "You know what? I’m not surprised by much. I’m disappointed in some ways. I like the guy. I want him to have a chance to compete and that’s all I’m going to say. I wish him well. I hope it all works out for him. Again, I can only comment on the guys that are here, and we can only play one quarterback. That’s what we’re focused on doing at this point."

(He thinks he was just discarded): "I don’t really have anything else to say. You can write his autobiography yourself. I don’t have any other input at this point. It’s not personal for me. Not at all. I like the guy a lot. I spent a lot of time with him and I wish him well."

(Anything you would tell him if he’s listening?): "You guys are killing me. We’ve got 90 other guys I’ll be happy to talk about."

(Are you confident rookie Dexter Jackson can win the kick return jobs?): "Well, we'd better be real confident, okay? That's one of the big reasons that he's been brought here. Ball security, decision-making – all those things can only be evaluated in game situations. So the preseason will have a real determination on that, but the guy really has shown an ability to do that in college. He is extremely quick and fast and we're excited to have him here."

(What about the potential rotation on the defensive line with some of those new guys?): "That's another area where we've added some players. [Jimmy] Wilkerson comes in here, [Marques] Douglas is here, there are some guys that are good players. We think Greg Peterson in his second year has a chance to develop into something. We drafted a big guy in the fourth round [Dre Moore]. Who knows what will happen? But it's very competitive there and you have to really take a lot of time to evaluate it and study the players' performance. But, again, it's going to be a tough call for us."

(Can you update us on Carnell Williams and his potential availability this year?): "I don't know. He ran great today. It's one of the most amazing comebacks I've seen. He hasn't come back yet, but he is banging on the door. You'd be proud of him. Our fans would be proud of him."

(How does Williams look?): "He's running fast; he's running real fast, I do know that. He's putting himself through an unbelievable workout routine and I've never seen anything like it. It rivals some of the great Rocky Balboa movies that you've seen on TV. This is very important to him and God bless him and his work ethic. I think it's really stimulated our whole coaching staff and football team as we've seen him go step-by-step in his return here."

(Do you think Williams will be ready for training camp?): "He's ready to go now if you ask him. He's really putting some good tape together in individual workouts. He's not allowed to be a part of the team activity at this point, but the explosive movement appears to be coming back, the change of direction, the confidence and the stamina. All those things, day after day after day, that a running back has to do are coming to him. That's what's really exciting. He doesn't appear to have any setbacks at this point. I just keep my fingers crossed and hope it continues because it's exciting, it really is exciting."

(Did he want to to practice in this camp?): "He's been asking to come out here, I tell you, since this program started in April. He doesn't want to miss a rep. If there's one great story to come out of here today, it's Carnell Williams. It's a work ethic that this team has right now. I'll just say I'm really proud to see it and witness it."

(Does he have to be a little cautious not to push himself too hard?): "He's in the trainers' care, really. The doctors and trainers handle all of that, and when he's released to go he'll go. Again, we're going to do what we think is in his best interest and we're going to be solid and united in our process."

(How did rookie quarterback Josh Johnson look?): "He's just starting to take reps. He's been reprogrammed here; he has to re-acclimate himself to the terminology. Luke McCown is a guy who can play, and really play, and he deserves a lot of reps this time of year. Obviously Jeff is our starter and a veteran quarterback needs time with his new teammates. So it's been hard to get [Johnson] reps, but [Quarterbacks Coach] Greg Olson has really made a difference. I think he came out here and completed all five of his throws today and was sharp."

(How would you compare this team to the way it was a year ago?): "Well, I don't know. Last year we were 4-12 and we were at that point not very good. Who knows? I really like our team. I guess every other coach feels the same way this point in the year."

(How's offensive tackle Luke Petitgout coming back from his knee injury?): "He's good. He's in his stance, he's getting in and out of easily and he's much like Carnell where he's had a serious injury. We really need him back and we're really encouraged with the way he feels and the way he looks."

(How has Jerramy Stevens held up the last couple weeks, with all the negative media fanfare?): "He's hung in there. All I can say is, we're going to give him another opportunity to get it together. I said similar things last season. I'm eager to put him in this environment with our leaders, our football team, and I'm confident he can be a great guy and a great member of our community here, and I think he can prove that."

The team announced the signing of the 6-foot-1, 230-pound rookie from Jackson State. Giles was one of four players who participated in Jacksonville's two-day minicamp last weekend on a tryout basis.

He outperformed Terry and former Florida standout Ciatrick Fason, who also tried out. Giles had 514 yards rushing and five touchdowns as a senior last season.

Terry signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2007 from Sam Houston State and spent the season on the practice squad.

In the interim, I'll leave you with some other words from the NFL in FLA:

-- The Buccaneers and their webmaster want to make the Jerramy Stevens controversy go away by penalizing fans who dare mention it on their team website.

-- Could a change of scenery be the answer for new Jags wideout Troy Williamson?

-- The Dolphins are digging their new defensive system under Paul Pasqualoni. 

-- Miami Coach Tony Sparano gets questions and gives answers, courtesy of The Sun-Sentinel, South Florida.

-- The guy who had Scott McClellan's job is a Fins fan and paid a visit to Davie.

-- Big Jake is the man in Miami.

Countdown to Florida training camps: 47 days.

(And if you come across some good reading about the Bucs, Dolphins or Jags, please let me know and I'll post it for others to see, too).