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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Players miss precious little things about offseason training

David Goldman / Associated PressThe lockout forced Jason Campbell to work out with fellow Raiders at an indoor pool in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud entered a high school practice field in suburban Atlanta for a seven-on-seven session a few weeks ago carrying the pink-highlighted cleats that many players wore to raise awareness for breast cancer research last season. He said those happened to be the only shoes he nabbed from his locker before the NFL lockout kicked in -- and kicked him out of the team facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.

p>San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers said he bought his own case of water for team workouts. I had to lend my hand towel to Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain to wipe his brow before he did an on-camera interview because he didn't have one. The Carolina Panthers hired a cop to keep the media way from their private sessions. The New England Patriots reportedly did the same.

Not since high school have NFL players had to fend so much for themselves -- even to get in a glorified game of touch football. Watching these players arrive to a workout with bags, balls -- their kids -- has been like witnessing soccer dads haul coolers of foil juice packs and granola bars to the recreation fields for a tournament.

For an NFL player, that's slumming.

Usually this time of year, players are at their respective facilities, getting stretched by trainers, having batting gloves brought to them and asking medical staffers to add another round of tape around their wrists. Fields are lined with jugs of water and bottles of flavored sports drinks. Machines zip balls to receivers and punt returners, and trainers are there for every muscle tweak.

There is no need for Jason Campbell or Matt Ryan to carry a playbook into the huddle because they've gone over scripts in meetings rooms and know the plan. Plus, coaches have the play sheets. When the workouts are over, lunch, showers, weight rooms, air conditioning and massage therapists await.

What a difference labor strife makes.

NFL players, Richard Seymour included, are training their own way during the lockout. (David Goldman/Associated Press)

When the Raiders gathered in suburban Atlanta recently for a three-day minicamp, Campbell went into the huddle with a folder filled with loose-leaf paper and the team's offensive plays. A wind gust could have sent his belongings awry and made some wayward observer some coin on eBay. Ryan and other quarterbacks, including Minnesota Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, have had playbooks, too, and spent time before workouts scripting drills.

At least the Raiders had personal trainers from Competitive Edge Sports run their sessions. Staffers filmed positional workouts. They provided ice and water bottles and lugged dummies, balls and other training gear in trailers. Other players might not even know where to go to buy cones to run through since they probably haven't had to in years. That leads to another subject: cost.

Players -- or their agents -- have to pay to train. The cost could range upwards of $2,000 or $3,000 per player per month if players don't live where they train and have to rent apartments. Top-shelf facilities such as CES, Athletes Performance and Tom Shaw's camp in Orlando aren't cheap. Some agents have told me they've put the onus on the players because the agents have to feed their families, too.

Travelle Gaines, who runs AP's training staff and is based in Los Angeles, along with CES founder Chip Smith, told me the lockout has been good for business. Usually they'd be training high school or college athletes this time of year or in Gaines' case, "this is when I'd usually be fishing in Louisiana." Now they have dozens of professionals coming in nearly every day looking for help.

There's a flip side, though. Some players have retreated from those workouts or not come at all because they're sticking to a tight budget in case of a lengthy lockout. Gaines, Smith and other trainers have said they're worried that those players who aren't training might not be disciplined enough to train on their own and, when football starts, resort to crash diets or diuretics to cut weight.

There's also another face to this: the undrafted free agents. Most of these guys don't have deep-pocketed agents to front them money to train or eat properly. They'll also have a much shorter window to catch coaches' attention once football resumes. Keep in mind, they're also the guys who are worked the hardest in training camp because they're the ones spelling the veterans who get to rest one of the twice daily workouts.

They can't miss a snap. These are the guys desperate to train.

At least one of these guys is quite resourceful -- and there probably are plenty of others. A rookie free agent who shall remain unnamed is one of 30 or so players who trains daily with Smith at CES. In lieu of payment, Smith has allowed him to work at the facility in the afternoons and evenings behind the front desk, cleaning up the weight room.

Whatever needs to be done.

An added benefit: The player also gets free beverages, snack bars and locker-room facilities. He also gets to train, which could make the difference between him playing football or working at one of the facilities full time in the fall.

Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter @wyche89

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Crowder: Strange offseason will 'mess up integrity of the game'

Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder believes football fans are in for a different brand of football once the lockout ends -- at least out of the gate.

"It’s going to be real simple football," Crowder told the South Florida Sun Sentinel last week. "It’s going to mess up the integrity of the game because we’re used to having those OTAs, minicamps, offseason workouts ... it’s hurting the NFL now."

Crowder said the Dolphins are "behind the ball" due to the work stoppage, and while veterans understand how to keep in shape during this unusual offseason, younger players and rookies are in for a challenge once play begins.

"Mike Pouncey, he doesn’t know what the offense is going to do. Brain Daboll, he wants to get with his offense and get Chad Henne and those guys ready. And we’re already behind the ball on a regular NFL season," Crowder says. "So the lockout is already hurting ... (when) we could be getting better."

About 20 Dolphins gathered last week for player-only workouts at TEST Football Academy at Florida Atlantic University, which Crowder says illustrates how much his teammates "want to work," adding that it costs the players money to practice.

"This is not free -- they’re not doing it for free. It’s an academy, so they’re charging us money to come out here and charging us (for) any supplements you want to get, protein shakes, you have to pay for anything," Crowder said. "So we’re doing this willingly to prepare for an NFL season and the owners won’t let us do it in our regular capacity so we have to do supplement it in some way."

Dolphins wideout Brian Hartline echoed Crowder's words, telling The Palm Beach Post that installing a new offense during a lockout is a challenge.

"We’ll probably need a little extra time," Hartline said. "We can function on the level where the fan, and the average eye, might not understand. But the comfort in the huddle, and ... being on the exact same page, is going to take a little longer time."

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Vikings DE Griffen wants to put offseason issues behind him

Everson Griffen won't deny that his offseason has been unacceptable. Now the Minnesota Vikings defensive end is trying to show his team that he's back on the right track.

Griffen was arrested twice in the Los Angeles area in January, but he relocated to Minnesota last month to focus on training for a new season, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Saturday.

"I had a little rough stretch," said Griffen, who works out daily with linebacker E.J. Henderson, linebacker Jasper Brinkley and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. "Coaches want me back, and that's the place for me to be. ... I'm just trying to make changes. I've got big years coming up. I'm just trying to show the Minnesota Vikings I'm here for good."

Griffen was arrested for allegedly being drunk in public and resisting arrest over the course of one week (the charges were later dropped, he said). When the 23-year-old later announced that he was hosting a Facebook-advertised party in Las Vegas, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier intervened. The party was called off after Frazier delivered a clear message on what's expected from Griffen both on and off the field.

"He said, 'Know what you're here for,' " Griffen said. "I'm here to play football. I'm here to represent the Minnesota Vikings, and I want to represent them in a good way, not a bad way."

Griffen was a fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings last year after skipping his senior season at USC, and the team acknowledged his penchant for inconsistent play. But Griffen saw more playing time toward the end of his rookie season and finished with 11 tackles, also playing on special teams. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder in line to compete for a more significant role in 2011 with starter Ray Edwards on the verge of free agency.

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