Recently signed TE Ben Troupe, 6 feet 4, 270 pounds, seeks an expanded role with the Bucs. He longs to get back to the success of his first two seasons, when he was featured in the Tennessee offense. He caught a combined 88 passes for 859 yards in 2004 and 2005. His production dipped markedly the next two seasons to a combined 18 catches for 197 yards, he says, for good reasons. The Titans' "quarterback carousel" played a role, Troupe said, as the team shuffled through Billy Volek, Kerry Collins and Vince Young. "You take Billy Volek out three days before the (2006) season and Kerry Collins comes in, and he's learning the offense on the fly," Troupe said. "It was an unfair situation. Then you take him out and put a rookie quarterback (Young) in, and he's trying to find his way. Then going into the next year, obviously, Vince Young was more comfortable with certain players. And anything that's going to make him more comfortable is going to be (supported) by the team." Troupe says he also lacked the support of offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was fired after last season and now holds the same post at UCLA. "No offense to Norm Chow, but he wasn't making the transition from one year to the next. That's why he's back in college," Troupe said. "I appreciate him regardless. He didn't like me. It had to be bigger than football." Troupe envisions no such issues in Tampa.
Original Story:
