Rewarding Core Players Is Overdue If we were to hop into our Way Back Machine and take a short trip back in time to this day in 2007, we would find that we have landed upon a desperate time at One Buc Place. Jon Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen are on the hot seat, their jobs on the line as a result of a wretched 4-12 campaign in 2006 that marked their third losing season in their last four as Bucs leaders. Traveling back to the present, we find that Gruden and Allen are safe and secure again. Having navigated the Bucs through a division championship season in 2007, each is resting easily atop a cushy new three-year contract extension. It was a team effort that made the Bucs' latest division title and those contract extensions possible, but everyone knows that a handful of individuals played bigger roles than most in the rebound. Jeff Garcia, who stabilized the quarterback position and energized the entire team with his grit, is one of them. Earnest Graham, who came off special teams to run for nearly 1,000 yards and salvage the rushing attack, is another. Greg White, who came from obscurity in the Arena Football League to lead the Bucs in sacks, is on that list, too. So is Jovan Haye, a previously unknown under tackle who has conjured memories of Warren Sapp. These men didn't just help resurrect a team. They saved jobs. In particular, they saved Gruden's job and Allen's job. The Bucs might be under new management if it were not for them. For their part in the resurrection, Garcia, Graham, White and Haye have asked for a reward. None seem to have asked for anything extraordinary, just a salary hike that reflects their place among their peers and some respect from a team that has more than $20 million of salary cap room. So far, only Haye has been rewarded, but he has not been given what he really wants. He accepted a one-year deal worth a little more than $2 million, but that is far less than what he has asked for. As for Garcia, Graham and White, they have been given a lot of lip service, but none seem close to getting the deals or the respect they believe they deserve. And none of them are happy about it. That might be the worst part of this. A team that last year was as tight and tough as an angry fist is already showing signs of splintering. Graham has not showed up for any offseason workouts, and Garcia is considering skipping some. This is not how this championship team was built. It was built on faith, and now that the players the Bucs put their faith in have delivered, their just rewards are being withheld. It could be that a power greater than Allen is calling the shots, but that doesn't seem likely. Rather, it seems Allen has been slow to reward the very players who helped keep the Bucs afloat. We should again note the date here. It's May 22, which means it's early, very early in terms of the NFL calendar. Allen even suggested as much last week, saying that more than two months remain until training camp starts. That means he has two months to reward these four players for what is clearly a job well done. And the likelihood is he will meet that deadline. The problem is, it might already be too late. The damage, it seems, is done. Graham, who would normally be working out with the Bucs, bonding with teammates and getting better, is not out there. Garcia is concerned about losing his focus and is contemplating skipping workouts as well. White and Haye seem committed to the offseason workouts, but neither seems completely satisfied with his situation. It's logical to conclude that this charade has gone on far too long. We know because we are already at a point where some players - Garcia in particular - are starting to wonder if it's in their best interest to continue laying their bodies on the line for this team. That's scary. What's scarier is that feelings like that aren't likely to dissipate over time. The only thing that is likely to erase them is a reward. In the case of these four players, it seems a just reward. We're not talking about the last four players on the roster here. We're talking about the team MVP, the leading rusher and the leading pass rushers. We're talking about a part of this team's core. Bottom line, we're talking about doing what's right. Without the contributions they received from Garcia, Graham, White and Haye last year, the Bucs might not be the reigning NFC South champions and a team seemingly on the rise. Take it a step further, and without the contributions they received from Garcia, Graham, White and Haye last year, the Bucs might no longer be under the direction of Allen and Gruden. At the very least, it seems the Bucs owe those four a little something. And for a variety of reasons, what they owe them is long overdue Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune 18 May 2008