McKenzie goes from Bucs' practice squad to offseason leader

A new leader has emerged for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason -- and he wasn't even on the 53-man roster until December.

Such is the rise of linebacker Tyrone McKenzie from practice-squad member to Bucs workout organizer during the NFL lockout, The Tampa Tribune reported Tuesday.

"Tyrone is a different kind of dude," said quarterback Josh Freeman, another driving force behind the Bucs' workouts at the University of South Florida. "From the day we picked him up, he's always had that confidence, the sort of qualities leaders possess. He came in humbled, worked as hard as he could, and this offseason has been a great opportunity for him to step up and show his leadership skills."

McKenzie organized defensive workouts for the Bucs, including scripting drills with help from safety Sean Jones for the team's three-day minicamp last week.

McKenzie's path to such influence is anything but conventional.

He missed the 2009 season because of a knee injury sustained after the New England Patriots selected the former South Florida player in the third round of that April's draft. He spent the first half of the 2010 season on the Patriots' practice squad before asking for, and receiving, his release. The Bucs scooped him up Nov. 9 and placed him on their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster Dec. 14.

"I reached out to Josh a few months ago when we were (working out) at USF, and I told him I thought it would be a great idea if we contacted the guys that are NFLPA reps -- Maurice Stovall, Davin Joseph -- and get the emails for all the guys on the team and have a little minicamp," McKenzie said. "I saw what Freeman was doing and I thought this would be a great time for me to step up and show my leadership as well."

McKenzie went to great lengths -- literally -- to gain a better grasp of the Bucs' playbook. He reached out to fellow linebacker Barrett Ruud, but Ruud's schedule wouldn't allow him to return to Florida. So McKenzie flew to Nebraska to meet with the veteran.

"I flew up to Nebraska and met with Barrett and he was nice enough to sit down with me," McKenzie said. "We went over the defense. I had a good grasp of it with (linebackers) coach (Joe) Baker during the season. It was good to sit down with somebody and talk about football.

"I flew up to Omaha and he drove from Lincoln to Omaha to see me. Me and him met in the lobby and went over tape. That shows the type of classy guy Barrett is and leadership he has."

McKenzie said he simply saw an opportunity and seized it.

"How I was raised playing Pop Warner, anybody can be a leader," McKenzie said. "I can be a leader, Josh (Freeman), to the last guy on the roster. As a young team, I feel like it's a great opportunity for me to step up and just try to help this team win."

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Alumni leader feels NFLPA's Smith hasn't communicated well

George Martin was in a celebratory mood this weekend as he attended a 25th anniversary celebration of the New York Giants' 1986 Super Bowl championship team. But the former standout defensive end and current director of the NFL Alumni Association had tough words for NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith.

Martin has been vocal in his displeasure with the lack of communication between the players union and the former players that Martin represents.

"When you don't have a conversation with the recognized leader of the NFL alumni, how can you say you have the best interests of retired players at heart when you won't even sit down and talk to their leadership," Martin told The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) in Sunday's edition. "That to me flies in the face of that rationale."

Martin's frustrations stem from a now more than one-and-a-half year fruitless effort to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Smith. Earlier this year, Martin resorted to outside help to facilitate a sitdown, getting three congressmen -- including former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler -- to send a letter to Smith calling for a meeting with the alumni association.

Martin speculated in March that the NFLPA viewed the alumni association as "a pawn of the league," according to the New York Daily News.

“I’ve never been given the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about some of the similarities or some of our objectives,” Martin said. “I really resent the fact that that opportunity hasn’t been presented to me despite his pledge to do so. You have to be a man of your word. You have to have the integrity. I think that calls into question where Mr. DeMaurice Smith resides.”

The NFLAA continues to have a strong relationship with the league, something Martin isn't afraid to admit. Martin told The Star-Ledger the NFLAA has met with Commissioner Roger Goodell at least 20 times.

“When that’s the only open door to you, when that’s the only receptive door to you, you have a tendency to take full advantage of it,” Martin said. “We’ve done that and we are doing that. It seems instead of DeMaurice Smith following suit and saying let’s do likewise, he has criticized those meetings -- which I think is deplorable.”

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Bucs' Winslow aims to play with 'leader' Freeman until the end

It didn't take long for Josh Freeman to win over his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates.

Quarterback Josh Freeman has emerged as the Bucs' clear-cut leader this offseason. (Kim Klement/US Presswire)

The young quarterback has taken charge during the NFL lockout by organizing his own player-only practices in Tampa. 

He made a special request of veteran tight end Kellen Winslow, who spent last offseason rehabbing in Southern California, to be present at the workouts. Winslow didn't hesitate.

"There is no question he is the leader of this football team," Winslow told The Tampa Tribune this week.

Said Winslow: "He's the dude. I'm not leaving him. If it's my decision, I'm never leaving him. I want to play with him until he retires. I wouldn't want to play with anybody else."

Freeman's daily workouts have brought in more than 30 Bucs, something coach Raheem Morris is thrilled about from a distance while forbidden from communicating with his players during the lockout.

"I'm fired up for Freeman," Morris said. "That's the type of leader we brought here and I had no doubt in my mind he would be doing that type of thing. It's not shocking to me. It's kind of expected from the standpoint of business as usual for that guy."

Freeman repeatedly brought his team back in tight games last season, throwing 25 touchdown passes and just six interceptions while guiding the Bucs to a 10-win campaign and narrowly missing the playoffs.

Five surgeries later, Bucs TE Kellen Winslow is learning to cope with his battered right knee and hoping for his best season yet. I feel as ready as I can be right now," he said. More...

Following his 2009 rookie season, Freeman made the decision to embrace his leadership role, according to The Tribune. He logged hours with Bucs coaches, watching film daily and learning the position.

"I took it upon myself to have no reason not to be a leader," Freeman said. "I wanted to take that role upon myself. You have to step in and do the work. As a leader, you have to clean up your yard before you start talking about other people's yards. I made sure to have all my stuff in order.

"I was hoping to put a good product on the field. Guys followed that. If I'm not playing good football or taking care of business, how can I be a leader? I just feel like it's my job as a quarterback to take care of business."

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Jackson becomes Rams' all-time rushing leader vs. Bucs

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