This is the house that Chucky built The transition is nearly complete, and the 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a team molded in Jon Gruden's image. Seven years after inheriting Tony Dungy's ready-for-prime-time squad, Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen have performed that most difficult of juggling acts: Deconstruction and rebuilding while simultaneously still fielding a competitive team. In the past two seasons alone, the Bucs have brought some 20 players aboard through free agency and trades; at least seven of these served or will serve as starters and all, barring injury, will get playing serious time in 2008. And though an ESPN headliner can be spotted here and there among the recent additions (think Cato June and Warrick Dunn), Gruden has chosen to beef up his hand-picked squad with caulk guys, roster-pluggers like John Gilmore who in specialization can bolster the first string while playing to their own strengths. With a little success in 2008, Gruden's new Buccaneers may someday be held as a textbook example in creating depth in the age of the salary cap. A quick tour in nursery-rhyme fashion (sorry, living with a pair of pre-kindergarten daughters will do that to you) of Gruden and Allen's moves. Could be scary . . . This is the house that Chucky built. Jeff Garcia's the man who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. It may or may not "all start at quarterback," but for Buccaneers a la Gruden, it's certainly true. After the chaos in Tampa Bay at the position, culminating in the debacle that was the Bruce Gradkowski-"led" passing offense of 2006, Gruden clearly needed a football-smart, gutsy, experienced (read: old) QB at the helm again like, say, Rich Gannon or Brad Johnson. Or Garcia, who compensates for far less arm strength than Gannon with excellent mobility. Garcia got mixed marks in 2007: Looking mostly excellent through 10 games (180 of 278 for 2,026 yards, 11 TDs against three interceptions, QB rating 95.09), Garcia was knocked out in Week 12 against Washington. After missing a couple of games, combined with Gruden's strange decision to play laissez-faire ball and garner lots of rust for the playoffs in Weeks 16 and 17, Garcia never displayed brilliance again. At 38 (but only nine years in the NFL), you'd think Garcia would have a little left in the tank in 2008; he can ill afford any injury this season, however. Jeff Faine is the man who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. The biggest offseason signing for the Bucs in 2007 figures to be a prescient one indeed: At just 26, Faine is a nice trade up from now-unrestricted free agent John Wade. Former first-round draft choice Faine has started 66 games in his five-year career and represents a major coup for the Tampa Bay front office. (Incidentally, check out Faine's official player photo: Now that's what all OL headshots should look like.) Dunn is the man who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. Welcome back, Warrick Dunn! Having departed the Buccaneers just before the Lombardi Trophy came to Tampa Bay, Dunn is surely still fondly remembered by fans and front office. The attack at halfback now includes Dunn, Cadillac Williams, Earnest Graham and Michael Bennett -- not too shabby at all. John Gilmore will be blocking the path for Warrick Dunn, who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. Kudos to Tampa Bay for the astute move in signing blocking specialist Gilmore, thereby creating a scary two-headed monster at the position with Alex Smith. B.J. Askew will see some runs behind Gilmore, who'll be blocking the path for Warrick Dunn, who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. If there's one glaring weakness on this team, it's at fullback. Gruden snagged Askew in the free-agency period of 2007, but was clearly a bit disappointed early on. Askew did start nine games last year and caught a few passes but did not amass a single carry. One could argue that the stack at halfback will carry the load this season even if Garcia's only throwing the ball 25 times a game; truth is the Bucs are still razor-thin here, though. Cato June is the name on the defensive side, which supports the 'O', including Askew, who will see some runs behind Gilmore, who'll be blocking the path for Warrick Dunn, who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. Last year's big-deal signing, former Colt June was a bit inconsistent until getting on a roll in November, followed by Gruden's odd decision to ... ah, you know the rest. All in all, June racked up 74 tackles in what amounted to 13 games; figure Cato to be playing in Honolulu in 2009, though, now that he's got this game plan sussed. Teddy Lehman is there to back the line with Cato June, the name on the defensive side, which supports the 'O', including Askew, who will see some runs behind Gilmore, who'll be blocking the path for Warrick Dunn, who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. Potentially a great under-the-radar signing here. Lehman busted into the NFL with a huge 103-tackle rookie season with Detroit; injuries dogged him through 2005 and 2006, however, and Lehman was never really made a key part of Detroit's 'D' in 2007. Can the man return to form? Gruden's hedging his bets (and reputation) on the affirmative. Eugene Wilson's the guy who picks the pass behind the pressure from Teddy Lehman, who's there to back the line with Cato June, the name on the defensive side, which supports the 'O', including Askew, who will see some runs behind Gilmore, who'll be blocking the path for Warrick Dunn, who runs with the ball from Jeff Faine, who snaps the ball to Jeff Garcia, who leads the team, the front of the house that Chucky built. Again, excellent grab, like a Wilson interception itself. Some trepidation regarding Patriot Syndrome, i.e. the reputation of New England free agents to experience a drop in performance when outside the Belichick system, may dog Wilson for a while, but tell you what: A super-aware, speedy coverage defender like Wilson will thrive in Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 scheme. Wilson could well thrive in Florida, making the next proverbial leap. This is the house that Chucky built; is it a house of cards? Os Davis, RealFootball365.com 25 March 2008