Buchanon A Changed Man

LAKE BUENA VISTA - The chip on the shoulder is gone. The limo and the pajama suit are history.

The "Showtime" nickname? Old news.

Meet Bucs cornerback Phillip Buchanon, loving life one snap at a time since the day of his rebirth, Oct. 17, 2006, when Tampa Bay quickly signed him after the exasperated Texans called an audible and dropped him off at the nearest NFL curb.

Buchanon displays the same grin he flashed out of the University of Miami in 2002, when the Raiders selected him with the 17th overall pick.
But make no mistake, Buchanon isn't the same player. For one thing, he's willing to tackle someone.

"Phillip was a young guy when he made a couple of interceptions and Deion Sanders called him 'Showtime' on TV," said Bucs secondary coach Raheem Morris. "It kind of went to his head a little bit. Now he's a more disciplined player and he's a junkie in the film room. ... I can't ask for a better guy."

Once again, Monte Kiffin's Cover 2 has turned a career around.

"If you want to play defense in the NFL, this is the spot," said defensive tackle Chris Hovan, once labeled an unchecked free spirit in Minnesota. "If you love football, this is it because they're going to coach the heck out of you. Then it's up to you to do the rest."

Buchanon, 27, played three years with the Raiders before he was dealt to Houston for a pair of high draft picks. By the time he left Oakland, he had already forged a reputation as a prima donna.

Arriving at 2003 training camp in a limousine, sporting party pajamas, proved to be a garish fashion statement Buchanon couldn't shake.

"Phillip came into the league with the typical Hurricanes chip on his shoulder," said Tampa Bay tight ends coach Bob Casullo, who coached special teams for the Raiders when Buchanon broke into the NFL. "He goes to Houston and he's really a non-factor, then he comes here and he's been revitalized."

Buchanon started 13 games for the Bucs in 2007, and he's enjoying a standout camp, holding off first-round pick Aqib Talib at left corner.

"My whole motto now is keep pushing," Buchanon said. "Keep watching film, keep listening to coaches and keep doing the right thing. I've matured as a player, but I've always had the same personality - I always wanted to be the best."

Buchanon's quickness marked him as a dangerous punt returner for Casullo in Oakland, and he has scored seven touchdowns as a pro, bringing back four interceptions for scores.

His last trip to the end zone came in 2004, when Brad Johnson floated a pass and Buchanon brought it back 32 yards against the Bucs during a nationally televised Sunday night game in Jon Gruden's return to Oakland.

"Phillip Buchanon covers grass in a hurry, and he loves football," Gruden said. "We believe in giving guys from other teams an opportunity, and we have a group of men here who can coach anyone up."

Despite their investment in Buchanon, the Texans quickly grew disenchanted with his chronic injuries and a perceived aversion to physical play.
Within a day of Buchanon's release, Bucs GM Bruce Allen brought him to Tampa.

"We traded up to get Phillip in Oakland," said Allen, a Raiders executive from 1995-2003. "He was a little down when we got him and there were some knocks on his play, but we saw a dynamic playmaker with rare ball skills."

It didn't take long before Buchanon was having fun in pewter. As that smile returned, Buchanon's frustrations faded.

"They let me be me here," he said. "It's not one of those situations where they want me to be a robot."

Like Hovan, Simeon Rice and Greg Spires before him, Buchanon serves as a testament to Tampa Bay's coaching staff.

"Phillip tackles for me and he works hard for me," Morris said. "He said when he came here that he wanted to re-establish his identity. Having Talib here will make him better, but believe me, Phillip Buchanon was already on a mission."

(tbo.com)