Corner happy to be in Tampa

Had Phillip Buchanon sprung from his sofa or strung together a row of expletives, no one could have blamed him.

The cornerback's first full season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a fruitful one, the sort of campaign that establishes equity between player and team.

But a few months after it ended, the Buccaneers added another face to their defensive backfield - and a talented one in Aqib Talib, who Tampa Bay took with the first pick of the 2008 NFL Draft in April.

Hurt? Angry? Vexed? Pick an emotion, any emotion, Phillip.

His choice? None of the above.
The Fort Myers native is too happy in Tampa Bay to complain. He looks at Talib and doesn't see a kid waiting to take his spot - he sees a player stuffed with potential who can only make the Buccaneers better. He sees a respectful rookie that Buchanon, a first-round pick himself in 2002, will make himself available to whenever Talib has any questions.

And he sees this offseason just as every other - a chance to prepare and make Phillip Buchanon a better football player.

"I always took pride in pushing myself, and I'll continue to push myself to be the best," Buchanon said Monday afternoon at One Buc Place. "My goal, ever since I came into the league, was to be one of the best players at my position. I still have that same drive, so nothing has really changed."

Why change? An injury to Brian Kelly opened the door for Buchanon in 2007, and he finished with 63 tackles and three interceptions in helping Tampa Bay win the NFC South.

"I can't say enough positive things about him, to be honest with you," said defensive backs coach Raheem Morris. "I always kind of expect the guys I put out there to play well, so it would be hard for me to tell you I was surprised. Did he make plays that I've seen that have surprised me? Yes.

"He's got enormous ability, unbelievable movement and some of the stuff he does on tape you just look at it and go, 'Wow.' "

Apparently, Buchanon hasn't missed a step since last year.

"No one's talking about him," said head coach Jon Gruden, "but Philip Buchanon is having a great camp."

Buchanon credits his coaches. Morris and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin know when it's time to work - but they also know how to keep things fun, too.

And there's a degree of freedom and openness in Tampa that Buchanon said he didn't taste while playing with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans.

"They tell you the truth. In certain situations I've been in, in Houston and Oakland, they don't really tell you the whole story," he said. "(The Bucs') teaching tools make sense. . . . Since I was young, I was always the guy that asked questions. And the one thing I like about playing here is they always give you the freedom to say how you feel."

Back in his native state and comfortable on the field, Buchanon is happy to be wearing pewter - regardless of what happened last April.

"Ever since I got here, they said, 'Go out here, do your stuff and we'll tweak you a little,' " he said. "They don't hassle me as much, they don't deal with me like a high school kid.

"I think they over analyzed when I was in certain places. Whenever you overanalyze, you think too much. . . . And you don't feel comfortable."

(bradenton.com)