Jake, where ya been?

Look who popped up over the weekend: Bucs quarterback Jake Plummer.

He attended the Idaho Celebrity Alzheimer's Benefit in his native state on Saturday and answered a few questions from the Idaho Statesman newspaper.

Now, long after announcing his retirement when the Bucs acquired his rights in a trade with the Broncos in March, football still sounds like it's a long way from Plummer's mind.

"I have a little bit of time on my hands," he said. "I'm filling it up with things I want to do, not things I have to do."

He still hasn't officially informed the league of his decision to retire (he must send an official letter to the commissioner's office) but Plummer said he already has closed the book on the last chapter of his life.

"Everything I would need to play again," he said, "I hung 'em all up in a box in storage."

Leaving the game when he has his health also seems important. "I want to be able to play golf when I'm 55. Heck, I want to play when I'm 40."

Of course, Plummer can say all the right things for now, but there's still that little matter of the approximately $7-million the Bucs could attempt to recover from Plummer -- a prorated amount of the guaranteed money he received after signing his last contract. He still has the right to report for training camp in the fall, at which point the Bucs would have to pay him his $5.3-million salary or release him.

But at this point, with training camp less than two months away, you have to wonder whether Plummer could do the Bucs any good. Who knows if he's in football shape. And it certainly doesn't sound like he wants to play football, even if he could.

Comments

[James]

Take the money...he's through..at least we can get something financially..

[Jason]

This hole situation is a waste of time and effort.
He doesn't want to play. We don't need anyone with his attitude to play for our team. So what's getting accomplished?
What now? Wait till camp to see if he shows? Then file suet to regain money's that we didn't orignally shell out. I guess that would justify the lose of a draft pick.
What if he does show, he's already missed the offseaon program. He would be sitting at third string for an entirer year while he learned the offense.
Is it starting sound like a waste of time, or just a waste cap space.
There is one thing being created here and that's drama...

[Cindy]

What a tool. Take the money back and send Jake packing...may he bogey every hole he plays!

[Joe]

Jake is a distraction this team does not need any more distractions. The team has been fortuniate to have been able to stayout of the news for all of the wrong reasons. Good bye, Jake you are a has been that never was going to live up to your potiential.

If Jake doesn't want to play I respect that. He has been a starting quarterback in the NFL for 10 years and came 1 game from getting to the super bowl breaking John Elway records. In Denver Jake was never able to live up to the Elway comparison and there was a constant Quarterback controversey. When Shanahan drafted Cutler to breath down Plummers neck last year that was a no win for Plummer. Jake gave us in Arizona alot of enjoyment when he took ASU to the Rose bowl in 97. If Ohio State doesn't drive to score in the last minute ASU goes undefeated and Plummer would wins the Heisman. Plummer has played his heart out for a long time. If he wants to go do something else with his life I admire his courage to realize there is more in life than just football. Good Luck Jake Plummer! I will miss talking to my son about you but you gave us alot of great memories.

[Bigballr]

Here are the only two things that Jake Plummer has to do in order to screw the Bucs and make them cut him.
1. Get a doctor to say that he wont be cleared to play medically because of a low back soft tissue injury.
2. Show up to training camp and inform them he wont be participating in anything because of his low back injury.

Now he hasnt officially retired so the Bucs can not go after the prorated portion of the signing bonus. And he "cant" practice so they can't claim conduct detrimental to the team and going oafter the bonus that way. The bucs will have to then either cut him or put him on injured reserve. Those would be their only two options