Johnson Settles in With New Tampa Bay Team

Keyshawn Johnson worked out with his new team for the first time Thursday, joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a minicamp the club hopes will lay the groundwork for its first Super Bowl appearance.

The high expectations don’t bother Johnson, who was acquired from the New York Jets in exchange for two first-round picks in last weekend’s NFL draft.

He joins a pair of Pro Bowl offensive linemen, Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel, as the highest-profile additions to a team that believes it can get past the NFC championship game.

Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowl selection in four seasons with the Jets, shrugged off a question about him being the final piece of the puzzle.

“I think that’s more media attention than anything,” he said. “Coach [Tony] Dungy doesn’t feel that way and neither does the team. It’s a 53-man roster, so it’s 53 key members to the team.

“Obviously, they were in a position to go to the Super Bowl. They are not in a rebuilding stage, they are in a stage of trying to challenge to go to the Super Bowl again this year. They picked up a couple of pieces to add to the puzzle. Hopefully, those pieces will allow them to accomplish that goal.”

Dungy said the importance of adding two linemen like Christy, a center who has started the last two Pro Bowls for the NFC, and McDaniel, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, should not be underestimated.

“I think that’s going to help us more than a lot of people realize,” he said, “and might have as big an impact as Keyshawn.”

Shoring up the offensive line was the top priority this winter. Upgrading the receiver corps with a proven playmaker became an option when the Bucs learned Johnson was available and the club considered who they might be able to select with the 13th and 27th picks in the draft.

Offensive coordinator Les Steckel has begun installing the team’s new offense, and Johnson said it won’t be long before he begins to feel comfortable in the system.

“I’ve run some of these things in New York over the past couple of years. It’s just the terminology that I have to pick up,” he said. “Once I pick up the terminology and put it all together, I’ll be right where everybody else is.”

Quarterback Shaun King said Johnson brings a presence and air of confidence to the huddle that will help the team. He added that like running backs Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott, the 6-foot-3 receiver inspires by performance.

A defense that carried the Bucs last season welcomes the additional support, too.

“I think the one thing now is Shaun has somebody he can work with who wants the ball. If you’ve got somebody who says, ‘Give me the ball, I can get it done for you and go out and do it,’ it’s big,” defensive tackle Warren Sapp said.

“It’s one thing to say it and another to go out and do it. And that’s one thing he’s been able to do in this league. If he’s going to perform the same way he’s been performing, we’re going to put up some points. And putting up points with this defense, it’s going to be fun. He says: ‘Give me the damn ball.’ I say, ‘Give me the damn lead.’ We’ll keep it nine times out of 10.”