TAMPA - Dre Moore is wearing a different jersey number this year, swapping 67 for 92. It's a fitting change. After all, Moore is a different person.

No longer is the Bucs' 2008 fourth-round draft pick the overweight, out-of-shape roster long shot he was a year ago. In shape and determined to make the most of the opportunity the Bucs have offered him, the sophomore defensive tackle out of Maryland is fast becoming a player the Bucs could count on in 2009.

"I'm not ready to say just yet that I'm counting on him, but hopefully, by the next time I talk to [the media] about him, I'll be able to say I can count on him," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said Saturday. "I'm really starting to see signs of light with him."

Moore only offered up signs of frustration last year. He arrived at camp well over his announced playing weight of 305 pounds and was so out of shape that he had trouble finishing drills. Now he's serving as an example of how drills ought to be run.

That should be the case, of course. Moore, who didn't make the Bucs roster but spent all of last year on their practice squad, is participating in his second rookie minicamp. It's a humbling situation, but Moore has clearly taken ownership of it.

"It's real simple," Moore said. "I had a chance to prove myself last year and I didn't do it. I dropped the ball. So this is another chance for me to show them the work I did last year and the work I've done so far this offseason and prove myself."

Moore said the hardest part of the 2008 season came late in the year when he was left out of the changes the Bucs were forced to make after injuries decimated the middle of their defensive front. The way he's going this year, Moore won't be left out of anything.

"Right now he's doing positive things," Morris concluded. "He's showing flashes. And I know it's rookies and he's got a little advantage but hopefully he'll get with those vets and it's the same type of attitude. I'm just looking forward to seeing an angry big man come out of that man. That's what I'm looking for."

Smooth transition

Making the transition from college to the NFL is always tough, but players coming out of USC have a bit of head start, according to former Trojans defensive end Kyle Moore.

"At USC they treat everything like it's the NFL," said Moore, whom the Bucs drafted in the fourth round (117th overall). "The way we practice, the way we run to the ball, the way we're on time.

"I mean, we had to be on time for everything, just like the pros. So it does make the transition easier, because I know not to be late to meetings, because if you're late to a meeting at USC, you're fined.

"They don't make you pay money, but they'll make you pay in some way. It really is just like the NFL. That's the atmosphere they try to present there."

Stroughter impresses

One of the players who impressed the Bucs coaching staff the most in this rookie minicamp is former Oregon State WR Sammie Stroughter.

The seventh-round pick missed most of the 2007 season because of personal issues and a kidney injury, but he bounced back to have a big 2008 season and he's carried that over into this camp.

"He's been one of the pleasant surprises of the camp," Morris said. "You talk about mental toughness, a guy that can go inside and make plays and be physical, get vertical. He's impressive; I love everything abut him."

Straughter wound up being redshirted as a senior in 2007 after he was diagnosed with depression following the loss of three uncles in a six-month period.

Coming and goings

Whether they quit on their own or were simply asked not to return, two tryout invitees - WR Co-Eric Riley (Mississippi State) and OL Michael Gates (Mississippi State) - did not return for Saturday's workout. Five players, meanwhile, were added to the roster: WR Pat Carter (Louisville), OL Jake Griffin (USF), TE Ryan Purvis (Boston College), DE Adam Oliver (Georgia Tech) and DT Paul Griffin (FSU). All but Purvis are tryout invitees.

Roy Cummings

Photo credit: News Channel 8 photo by INDRA LEVINE

Photo: A number of Tampa Bay Bucs warm up for the second day of rookie minicamp Saturday.

Photo: Dre Moore

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