Rank has its privileges with the Bucs. Coming off their first day in pads, the Bucs gave veteran linebackers Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles and wide receiver Joey Galloway the day off.

All three watched today’s padded morning workout from the sidelines, and with the afternoon practice slated to be a special teams-only workout, all three will get a full day to recover from their first day in pads.

Rookie defensive end Charles Bennett was among those watching from the sidelines as well today, but his day off wasn’t scheduled. Bennett, a seventh-round pick (241st overall) out of Clemson, is nursing a hamstring strain that seems fairly serious. When asked about Bennett’s return, Coach Jon Gruden wouldn’t give a timetable. Looks like he could be out several days, at the very least.

Dropped passes continued to be a problem for the receiving corps. During one 11-on-11 drill three passes were dropped in succession, including one by David Boston. Gruden has expressed displeasure with the dropped passes, but something that may be of even greater concern is the play of quarterback Tim Rattay.

Rattay had at least one pass picked off during the morning workout and he delivered a couple of other very wobbly balls that receivers had to slow down and break stride to catch. The good news for Rattay is that there is plenty of time left to find a groove. The bad news is rookie Bruce Gradkowski is shining.

Gradkowski may be Gruden’s whipping boy (the job falls to rookie quarterbacks whether they like it or not) , but he’s earning a lot of praise from the head coach, too. Gradkowski’s grasp of the offense still isn’t sharp but most his throws are.

In other quarterback news, Jay Fiedler worked out again on his own after the morning practice. Gruden said Fiedler seems to be making good progress in his return from shoulder surgery.