Tampa Bay has very few play-makers on its roster and the Bucs feel that since they re-started Bryant's career, there's no sense in letting him go somewhere else and produce at a high level.

The designation also gives the Bucs a chance to work on a long-term deal.

According to receivers coach Richard Mann, Bryant is as talented as any player to have caught a pass for him in 30 years of coaching in the NFL and college.

Relying heavily on Mann's recommendation, the Bucs placed the franchise player tag on Bryant Wednesday, agreeing to pay him $9.88-million for 2009 -- the average salary of the top five highest-paid receivers in pro football.

That decision was reached after Bryant set career highs for catches (83), receiving yards (1,248) and touchdowns (7) in just one season with the Bucs.

"He's as good as anybody I've coached," Mann said Thursday, upon arriving in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. "I've had a lot of them, I think, and I'm starting to put him right up at the top of the list with the ones I really thought were great. I haven't been around him as long as some other guys, but this will solidify it for me as soon as we get going again. But going into the season, there's no doubt in my mind, he'll be there. He'll probably be better than last year."

Mann, who is beginning his eighth season as the Bucs receivers coach, spoke to Bryant by telephone yesterday, shortly after the team placed the franchise tag on him.

Bryant, who played for the veteran minimum of $730,000 last season after sitting out all of 2007, was understandably excited about the financial commitment the Bucs made Wednesday. But Mann said Bryant was just as stoked about returning to Tampa Bay.

"I think he's looking forward to it," Mann said. "He had a lot to prove -- not to himself, but the other people -- that he could do it and handle all that comes along with it. And I think he did that.

"He seems to be excited. I thought they were going to put the (franchise) tag on him. When I got the word, that's when we spoke. He was in Dallas at his home and he was real excited. And that's a good thing. It's going to be interesting. It really is.

"It's a situation now where we've got a new coordinator, it's basically a new staff. I think the offense, there's some carry over there, but I still don't know yet. We're still messing around with it a little bit. But if I understand it, I can coach it up. He'll fit in nicely to what I've seen so far. I think he's excited. He was excited when I talked to him. We've got to wait and see what the other part of it is. If I had all the guys I had coming back in my (receivers) room, I'd be excited but I really don't know."