Let's give credit where it is due: During the mostly ham-handed pursuit of a head coach after the dismissal of Tony Dungy, executive vice presidents Bryan and Joel Glazer were frequently portrayed by the media as Tweedledum and Tweedledummer. But that was before the Bucs sent a passel of draft choices to Oakland to free Jon Gruden from the final year of his Raiders contract.

So after the clumsy firing of Dungy, and being once again jilted by Bill Parcells, the Bucs came out all right in the coaching switch. Or so the early results would indicate. Gruden will energize a stodgy offense and, even if his crossing patterns are predictable, Tampa Bay ought to be more productive on the scoreboard this year. And in retaining creative defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and his entire staff, the Bucs kept the status quo on their high profile unit.

So why is there this somewhat pervasive feeling that, even with Gruden aboard, the Bucs will once again fall short of a Super Bowl berth? Well, all one needs to do is scrutinize the track record that this underachieving bunch of whiners and apologists. Remember the first-round playoff game at Philadelphia, before which some Bucs players vowed to save Dungy's job? Uh, nice effort there, guys, in that 31-9 embarrassment.

Truth be told, Dungy may have allowed a bit too much freedom, permitting a situation where the inmates gained too much control of the asylum. The in-your-mug Gruden, whose own facial contortions suggest he knows something about asylums himself, the dynamic is at least altered. The true test, though, will be whether Gruden can coax out of this big-talk-small-results bunch something more than Dungy was able to get.

If words were wins, the Bucs would have been in a Super Bowl years ago, but that's not how the game is played. Ironically, as Gruden needs to open up the offense, he needs to muzzle a player or two. Yeah, everyone knows who they are, Gruden included. The time has come for the Bucs to back up bombast with brilliance. The window of opportunity on this team is closing and, while Gruden might prop it open for a few more years, the cast of characters that has been around seemingly forever in Tampa Bay can now hear the beat of the NFL's biological clock.

	CAMP AT A GLANCE
	Jon Gruden is still the youngest head coach in the NFL.
	Location: Disney Wide World of Sports Rookies report: July 28 Veterans report: July 28 Preseason schedule:    Aug. 12: Miami    Aug. 17: at Jacksonville    Aug. 24: Miami    Aug. 30: at Houston

What will this bring the Bucs?

One would hope that Gruden will bring an attitude and a commitment to one another that has not been a part of the Bucs locker room at times in recent seasons. Positioned now in the hardly-daunting NFC South after realignment, the perception is that the Bucs will run away with the division. On paper, Tampa Bay is indeed the class of the division, but no one will concede the title just because the Bucs feel they are bully-boys. New Orleans is a team that will surprise people, if Jim Haslett has regained control, and the Bucs can't count on just coasting into the playoffs.

For all the talk of offensive shortcomings, it was the Tampa Bay defense that contributed more to the team's decline in 2001. The numbers looked good enough, with Tampa Bay rated No. 6 statistically in overall defense. But when the Bucs needed a key stop, and in particular when they needed to shut down the run, they too often couldn't do it. Neither did they rush the quarterback as well as in the past or create as many turnovers.

The cast of characters remains mostly the same on defense, so there is reason to believe the Bucs can be dominating again. On offense, Gruden will get the ball to big, physical receivers like Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius, and should turn tailback Michael Pittman, buried in Arizona, into a star.

Man in the spotlight
While there are a number of players who will invite scrutiny, no one will be more dissected than Gruden, viewed as a savior by the fans, but a guy who failed to take the Raiders to a Super Bowl during his tenure there. Gruden is far more colorful than Dungy and, given his pedigree, the offense can't help but get better under his stewardship. He understands the expectations, knows that the Bucs invested heavily to land him and can't immediately replenish their talent base in the draft, because of the high-round choices that were surrendered. For all his coolness, Gruden has to feel some pressure to produce, and to produce quickly, in his new surroundings. He has family in Tampa Bay, considers his arrival there a homecoming, and doesn't seem undone by the lofty predictions.

Key position battle
There are two positions on defense, middle linebacker and left cornerback, where the competition should be pretty heated. The Bucs announced in March that they would move starting strongside linebacker Shelton Quarles into the middle, to replace the departed Jamie Duncan. That acknowledgement aside, the coaches still expect Nate Webster to push Quarles hard for the starting spot. Webster is a squat defender, but a solid player against the run, a guy who plays under everyone else's pad level and is usually around the ball.

Brian Kelly ousted all-time franchise interception leader Donnie Abraham for the left cornerback spot five games into last season, and was rewarded with a new contract in March. But second-year veteran Dwight Smith, a roly-poly corner with deceptively strong cover skills and good leaping ability, is coming off a tremendous spring in which he really helped himself in the eyes of the coaches. He will get a chance to beat out Kelly now for the starting job opposite Ronde Barber.

Injury update
The Bucs really don't have any players coming back from debilitating injuries. Third-year quarterback Joe Hamilton, who would have had a difficult time earning a roster spot, blew out his knee in the NFL Europe league and will miss the entire season.

Rookie report
Tampa Bay didn't have first- or second-round choices this year because they were part of the compensation paid the Raiders to free Gruden from his contract. Third-round wideout Marquise Walker is big and physical but doesn't run particularly well. In time, fourth-round tailback Travis Stephens could challenge for a third-down role. One late-round pick to watch is defensive end John Stamper, a workmanlike lineman with a big heart.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.