You Better Work

Sporting News went to the trouble of ranking the difficulty of each team's training camp on a scale of 1-5, 1 being the most difficult. Where do the Bucs rank? Let's read the introductory paragraph.

There aren't any more Lombardi-style, pound-'em-'til-they-drop training camps in the NFL, but there is Camp Gruden. And it's plenty tough -- at least by today's standards. Although the league trend is to reduce the number of two-a-days, Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden will administer 17 double doses in 21 days this summer. Unlike many coaches, who hold one of their two-a-days at night or occasionally practice inside, Gruden goes for maximum steam: 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. practices in the searing Orlando sun. After Gruden's afternoon meltdown, a parade of players always heads for the trainers room and an IV.

The Bucs share this distinction with the Jets, Lions and Saints, all teams that had rookie head coaches last year and were trying to make an impression on their team that "things are gonna change around here!" and had plenty of motivation to drive their players extra hard. Gruden just does it because he's Gruden. And that's extra awesome.

But Gruden isn't as big a tyrant as the article makes him out to be. These days when he's drilling his quarterbacks on the playbook, their nipples aren't even hooked up to anything anymore. Buncha pussies.