Before he could focus on drive-blocking, Jeremy Trueblood first had to adjust to the driving.
"You move from Boston to Tampa, and here they're going 15 miles per hour when the speed limit is 30," he cracked. "I got used to Boston, the craziness of it. Things have slowed down a lot."
Thankfully for the former Boston College standout, the roads aren't the only place he has experienced a slowdown. It's happened on the field, too.
After a dizzying 2006 rookie year in which he was inserted into the starting lineup after just three games, Trueblood has found a much greater comfort level. He's started all 16 games at right tackle for the resurgent Buccaneers, anchoring one of the NFL's youngest but more promising offensive lines.
While few could dispute that the identity of the Buccaneers is their swarming defense, the 6-foot-8-inch, 320-pound Trueblood has helped establish a mean streak on the opposite side of the ball. Scouts describe his style with the ultimate compliment for offensive linemen: Nasty.
Today, he faces perhaps the toughest test of his young career as the Buccaneers host the Giants in an NFC wild-card matchup. The Giants totaled a league-high 53 sacks this season and if it isn't Michael Strahan (9 sacks) trying to plow through him, it could be Osi Umenyiora (13) or Justin Tuck (10).
Trueblood is relishing the challenge as the Buccaneers attempt to win their first playoff game since the 2002-03 season, when they defeated the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Entering the season, the Buccaneers faced an uncertain future, having posted a 27-37 record since that Super Bowl, a span that included just one playoff berth (2005), a quick one-and-done exit. Coach Jon Gruden was on the hot seat, and if the Buccaneers were to rebound, they'd have to reestablish defensive dominance, get more consistent quarterback play, and develop some bite on the offensive line.
All three things fell into place during the team's 9-7 season, and perhaps most satisfying has been the revamping of the line.
It's essentially been a two-year process, with general manager Bruce Allen utilizing the draft to secure building blocks. In 2006, he used a first-round pick (23d overall) on Oklahoma's Davin Joseph, who starts at right guard. Trueblood was the team's second-round pick (59th overall), and then this year, Tennessee's Arron Sears was plucked in the second round (35th overall) and inserted as the starting left guard.
Three high selections, three pillars to build around.
"We have a lot of young players, and we still have a long way to go, but we're pretty excited about where we could go," Trueblood said. "Quite frankly, the young guys on the team are just like me. We just take a lot of pride in being tough, not taking any crap, and trying to set the tone by not getting pushed around."
Center John Wade is the elder statesman of the group, a 10-year veteran whom Trueblood called "the glue who holds it all together." And with veteran left tackle Luke Petitgout lost to a season-ending injury in early October, little-known Donald Penn - who entered the league as a rookie free agent out of Utah State in 2006 - has filled in the last 12 games.
Since sizzle sells in the NFL, the Buccaneers' focus on the line hasn't necessarily excited the team's fans, but the results speak for themselves.
Tampa Bay finished 24th in rushing average last season (3.8 avg.), but was ninth this year (4.2 avg.) despite losing running back Cadillac Williams to a season-ending knee injury after four games. The team had six rushing touchdowns last year, but totaled 15 this season. And after ranking 31st out of 32 teams in points last year (13.2 per game), they were up to 18th this season (20.9 per game).
While the free agent addition of quarterback Jeff Garcia has been perhaps the biggest change, improvement on the line is not far behind. And as history has shown, teams looking to bolster an offensive line can do worse than tapping into the BC pipeline.
Trueblood is one of nine former Eagle linemen on NFL rosters, a group that includes starters Chris Snee (Giants), Pete Kendall (Redskins), Dan Koppen (Patriots), Marc Colombo (Cowboys), and Tom Nalen (Broncos), as well as reserves Damien Woody (Lions), Josh Beekman (Bears), and James Marten (Cowboys). In addition, Pat Ross is on the Colts' practice squad.
A native of Indiana, Trueblood acknowledged that he chose to attend BC because of its offensive line tradition, and two years into his NFL career, he thinks he understands why the school has been so successful churning out pro linemen.
"I didn't have a very good answer when I was in college but now that I'm in the NFL and I watch a lot of these guys work and look back at Boston College players, it's a state of mind," he said. "Every offensive lineman I played with at Boston College is tough as nails, just a gritty guy who likes to get after it and really enjoys football.
"Once I got away from Boston College, that's what I noticed the most, just how much the linemen enjoy playing."
These could be the bright men for the job
The Dolphins, Falcons, and Ravens are conducting head coaching searches, and a few names have come to the forefront:
Jim Caldwell - The 52-year-old Caldwell, who has experience as a head coach with Wake Forest from 1993-2000, has been a top aide to Colts coach Tony Dungy since 2002. His official title is assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach and he's received a solid endorsement from Peyton Manning. Caldwell was scheduled to interview with the Falcons and Ravens before the end of the weekend.
Rob Chudzinski - Following his first year as Browns offensive coordinator in which he directed one of the league's most explosive attacks, Chudzinski is scheduled to interview with the Ravens. The 39-year-old was part of a winning tradition at the University of Miami (1986-90), where he played tight end, and spent a decade as a coach at his alma mater. He joined the pro ranks in 2004 with the Browns, and moved on to the Chargers for two seasons before returning to Cleveland.
Jason Garrett - A Princeton graduate who played quarterback in the NFL from 1993-2004, primarily as a backup, Garrett has exploded onto the coaching scene. This season marked only his third as a coach, but Dallas thought enough of the 41-year-old Garrett to make him offensive coordinator.
Rex Ryan - The charismatic Ryan, who most recently served as Ravens defensive coordinator, is expected to interview with the Falcons, Dolphins, and Ravens. The 45-year-old Ryan, who had a nine-year-run in Baltimore as an assistant, grew up around the game as his father, Buddy, was a longtime coach.
Tony Sparano - The 46-year-old Sparano spent the last five years as a Cowboys assistant, most recently focusing on the offensive line and serving as running game coordinator. He was given the title of assistant head coach by former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, and his head coaching candidacy seems to have been born from Parcells's strong feelings for his work. He interviewed with the Dolphins yesterday and also was expected to meet with the Falcons.
A pungent sniff of ammonia can lead to the sweet smell of success
In the moments before kickoff between the Patriots and Giants last Saturday, television cameras from NFL Network panned to the New England sideline and locked in on the bench area, where quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Randy Moss were sitting side by side, sniffing into a cup held by receiver Donté Stallworth.
What exactly were Brady and Moss sniffing?
In the cup was an ammonia inhalant, a white, thumb-sized packet that turns pink when crushed. One former player explained that sniffing ammonia before games has been commonplace for players across the NFL, and goes back decades.
"Especially at the beginning of a game, when you wanted to set a physical tone and you wanted to be as alert as possible, you'd see a lot of players doing that," said former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson. "It's been around forever. In football, you need to get up now. The assumption is that the ammonia will give you that alertness immediately that you're looking for. You feel like your brain wakes up."
The NFL has no rules banning the use of the ammonia inhalants; used cartridges are often scattered on NFL sidelines.
One of their intended uses is to awaken a player who has been knocked unconscious.
"You always count on trainers having two things - bubble gum and ammonia packs," Johnson said.
Etc.
Head-scratching process
One of the perplexing aspects of each NFL offseason is how the list of top head coaching candidates is formulated, and how one year's hot prospect becomes yesterday's news the next. Take the case of Chargers linebacker coach Ron Rivera. In his final two seasons as Bears defensive coordinator, 2005 and 2006, Rivera had six interviews for head coaching jobs. He didn't land one, but at each stop he was described as a sure-fire head coach of the future. So how is it that Rivera hasn't even been mentioned as a candidate for any of the three head coaching openings this year? Has he suddenly lost his coaching touch? Of course not. It's another reminder of how bizarre and unpredictable the process has become.
Returning heroes
It was a season of happy returns. This season's 42 kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns set an NFL record, bettering the mark of 39 in 2002. Of those 42, a whopping 25 came on kickoff returns, smashing the record of 18 from 1998. Once again, dynamic Bears returner Devin Hester set the standard. He finished the year with six kickoff returns for touchdowns, breaking the record of five he had established one year earlier as a rookie.
Jones frees Ireland
Say what you will about Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his self-promoting ways, but he was classy last week in the way he handled Jeff Ireland's departure to become Dolphins general manager. Jones could have held Ireland in Dallas through April's draft - after all, Ireland had a prominent role as director of college and pro scouting - but decided to let him leave immediately. Jones said he didn't want to play hardball, in part because he didn't want Ireland to lose the opportunity, and also because the Dolphins didn't stand in Jones's way when he hired assistant coach Jason Garrett away from them last January.
Time to catch up on the Bills
The Bills have some important decisions to make this offseason, starting with a general manager to replace Marv Levy, who resigned last week. But perhaps more important is how coach Dick Jauron will fill the offensive coordinator position now that Steve Fairchild has departed for a head coaching job at Colorado State. The Bills finished with only 20 offensive touchdowns, a franchise low for a 16-game season. Their 252 points were the second fewest in team history since 1978.
Secret to their success
Looking for a common thread among the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs? As first pointed out on NFL Network, it's scoring defense. The top eight teams in that category qualified (in order from 1-8): Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, New England, San Diego, Seattle, Green Bay, and Tennessee. The other four playoff teams weren't far behind: Jacksonville ranked 10th, Washington 11th, Dallas 13th, and the Giants 17th.
An unproductive give-and-take
The Eagles finished a disappointing 8-8, and one reason was a lack of turnovers created by their attacking defense. Coordinator Jim Johnson is known for bringing the pressure, but the Eagles had only 19 takeaways, fewest in the league. It was also the fewest for an Eagles team since 1940. The team's minus-8 turnover differential was the worst in Andy Reid's nine years as coach.
Extra points
Seven quarterbacks threw for 4,000 yards, the most for a season in NFL history: New England's Tom Brady, New Orleans's Drew Brees, Green Bay's Brett Favre, Detroit's Jon Kitna, Indianapolis's Peyton Manning, Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, and Dallas's Tony Romo . . . There was an average of 428.6 passing yards per game this year, the highest since 1995 (441.6) . . . There were 81 300-yard passing performances, tying 2004 for the most in a season since the 16-game schedule was introduced (1978) . . . The Colts became the first team in league history to post five consecutive seasons of at least 12 wins . . . This marked only the third year in history that four quarterbacks threw at least 30 touchdown passes: Brady (50), Romo (36), Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger (32), and Manning (31) . . . For the first time since 1981, three tight ends recorded more than 1,000 yards receiving: Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, Cleveland's Kellen Winslow, and Dallas's Jason Witten . . . The top four teams in the league - New England (16-0), Dallas (13-3), Green Bay (13-3), and Indianapolis (13-3) - combined for an .859 winning percentage, tying 1998 for the highest mark among the top four teams since 1970 . . . Of the 256 regular-season games played, 47 percent were decided by 8 points or fewer, 43 percent were decided by 7 points or fewer, and 21 percent were decided by 3 points or fewer.
Did you know?
A record 11,104 points were scored this season, with games averaging 43.4, the highest average in 25 seasons.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, and league sources was used in this report.
