Evil Genius at Work in Buccaneers’ Run

TAMPA, Fla. —  The defenders, who had already been made into a formidable unit by former coach Tony Dungy, sound like high school kids when they talk about Jon Gruden.

“He brings us energy,” cornerback Brian Kelly said.

“He’s all about enthusiasm,” end Simeon Rice said.

“He’s been re-energizing,” linebacker Derrick Brooks said.

“Don’t forget,” said tackle Warren Sapp, “that he got the offense to learn how to score.”

It doesn’t happen much in sports any more, that a man is worth the millions of dollars he is paid.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers paid the Oakland Raiders $8 million and four high draft picks just for permission to talk to Gruden after last season. Then the Buccaneers gave him a five-year, $17.5-million contract to be their coach and figure out a way for them to score enough points so that the defense didn’t have to pitch shutouts in the playoffs.

Gruden has been worth every cent.

You don’t often hear NFL players talk about a coach giving them enthusiasm or energy or much of anything else. You hardly ever hear NFL players say things like, “Coach brought sunshine into this locker room.” But that’s what cornerback Ronde Barber said about Gruden. “He lightened things up,” Barber said Sunday after the Buccaneers had advanced to the NFC title game by beating the San Francisco 49ers, 31-6. “He showed us the possibilities and we had to believe him.”

It wasn’t that these men were knocking Dungy, who brought respectability to the Buccaneers, who made them proud of being fearsome defenders and formed them into regular participants in the playoffs.

The problem with being regular participants, though, is that when you don’t win in the playoffs after a year or two, everybody expects more. The owners do, the players do, the fans do.

Mostly, the coach is supposed to draw up plays that work and stay out of the way.

What Gruden has done is much more.

“He has energized this whole darn football team,” Monte Kiffin said.

Kiffin has been Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator for seven years. Because the Buccaneer defense is ranked No. 1 in the NFL, Kiffin doesn’t have to throw around praise for any head coach. But he does.

“He made us a better team because he brought creativity to this offense,” Kiffin said. “Our whole mind-set is different now. Everything is up to us.”

“We have a great offense,” Rice said. “Do you see Brad Johnson out there? He’s one of the top-rated passers in the NFL. We have a potent offense now. Potent, man. What do you think of that? You know where that came from? That came from Gruden.”

Gruden knows how to handle quarterbacks. He knows how to handle prickly personalities. He knows how to be diplomatic about the circumstances of his leaving Oakland and arriving in Tampa. He knows that eyebrows were raised at the Buccaneers’ giving up draft picks for his genius. He knows that Dungy was respected.

“I know why I was brought here,” Gruden said. “I was brought here to advance and win championships. I’m very sensitive to all the realities here. I know there was a guy here who did a tremendous job before me. I know what happened to bring me here. And that’s all I care to say about it.”

There’s nothing more to say. Throughout his time in Tampa, he will face high expectations because he came at a high price.

This burden doesn’t faze Gruden even if he tires of talking about it.

Nor do the expectations of certain players bother Gruden.

Even on the afternoon of Tampa Bay’s most important playoff triumph, a decisive home win over a historically great team that propelled the Buccaneers into the NFC championship game, Gruden took a jab at Keyshawn Johnson.

Johnson has been grumpy lately because he thinks Brad Johnson is not finding him enough or at the most important times. Joe Jurevicius has become Brad Johnson’s more reliable go-to guy. Keenan McCardell and Mike Alstott get their share of throws.

“Brad has been distributing the ball evenly,” Gruden said after six Buccaneers caught passes against the 49ers. “Some people are happy, others are unhappy. But Brad just throws to the guy that’s open.”

Then Gruden smiled. Just a little. A bit wickedly. Gruden’s nickname is “Chucky,” after the evil little doll of movie fame. Tampa Bay fans bring “Chucky” dolls to Raymond James Stadium. In the movies, Chucky never dies. He can’t be killed or slowed or stopped from committing mayhem. Movie Chucky has the evil grin. So does Gruden.

Keyshawn Johnson caught five passes Sunday for 85 yards, but no touchdowns. He made a quick and silent exit from the exuberant locker room. So probably Keyshawn wasn’t ecstatic. In Gruden’s offense, though, it doesn’t matter. Tampa Bay scores enough. Brad Johnson has a plan.

“Gruden brought in fresh faces and a fresh attitude,” Kelly said. “It’s hard to explain but we have a new mentality here. There’s a love for the game Gruden has and we’ve caught it. All I can call it is enthusiasm. Is that corny? Maybe. But that’s what we have.”

Bringing enthusiasm to an NFL team isn’t always easy and it’s not cheap. But so far the Buccaneers aren’t asking for their money back.

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Diane Pucin can be reached at diane.pucin@latimes.com.