BillyCarpenter1

LAKE BUENA VISTA - NT Anthony McFarland\'s deadline for completing a new contract expired Saturday morning, but that won\'t keep the Bucs from continuing to work toward an agreement.
A Bucs official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Sunday the team will renew talks shortly and that it hopes to get McFarland under contract before departing July 29 for its exhibition game in Japan.

Re-signing McFarland is not the only objective. Though it may be a few months before negotiations get serious, the official said re-signing fellow DT Warren Sapp is a goal the team has set for this season.

McFarland and Sapp become free agents if they are not re- signed before March 1, 2004. Re- signing McFarland is clearly the team\'s first order of business and completing a deal should not be difficult.

In previous discussions, the Bucs and McFarland\'s agent agreed in principal on the length of the contract (believed to be six years), total value (believed to be approximately $33 million) and signing bonus (approximately $11 million).

The only disagreement was how the money would be paid out. The Bucs wanted to pay 40 percent of the value in the final two years. McFarland is believed to be seeking a more even allotment.

McFarland\'s agent, Karl Bernard, did not respond to phone messages Sunday.

Sapp has said in recent weeks that he expects the Bucs to apply the franchise tag in an effort to retain him next year, but that would force the Bucs to pay Sapp $7.9 million against the salary cap in 2004. The Bucs can greatly reduce that figure by re-signing Sapp to a new deal. GOING BOTH WAYS: Coach Jon Gruden loves to mess with opposing coaches\' minds. That\'s one reason he had Sapp line up at tight end on about seven goal- line plays last season.

It\'s also one of the reasons he\'s contemplating using CB Ronde Barber and McFarland on the offensive side of the ball this year.

``We\'re not trying to stimulate anybody or trying an experiment here,\'\' Gruden said. ``We\'re working on improving our team and trying to figure out the best way to utilize our roster and win.\'\'

Barber, who played running back in high school, has run four plays out of the flanker position, where he had two balls thrown to him during drills Sunday.

``There were certain games last year when we only had four receivers and there were certain games I wish we had five, sometimes six,\'\' Gruden said in explaining his possible use of Barber as a receiver.

``We\'re hoping Charles Lee or Jacquez Green can step up and be an active part of our team,\'\' Gruden added. ``But until then, we\'re going to get Ronde ready to contribute as a wideout, as a special teams player and as a defensive back.\'\'

Barber said he\'s up for whatever Gruden wants.

``It\'s nothing I can\'t handle,\'\' he said. ``I have some offensive qualities. I\'d like to think so, anyway. I mean, I think I have good enough hands.\'\'

McFarland, who played some fullback in college (LSU) and twice lined up there for the Bucs during the 1999 season, has yet to line up on offense for Gruden, but the coach said no one should be surprised if he does.

``We\'ll discover where later, but you might see Anthony McFarland show up in the offensive huddle for a couple of plays,\'\' he said. ``I mean, we\'re just trying to win here, and this is a contingency plan. Nothing else.\'\' BUCS BITS: Former Atlanta RB Jamal Anderson said recently he\'d like to come out of retirement and play for the Bucs, but Gruden said the team is a little full at the position. ``I did talk to him once. I\'m a big fan of everybody who has played great, but that\'s just gossip right now,\'\' Gruden said. ``We\'ve got so many backs right now, we don\'t know who to hand the ball off to.\'\'... Gruden isn\'t a glutton for punishment. He has a good reason for wearing long sleeves in the Florida sun. With his fair skin and freckles, Gruden has to be careful of sun exposure. ``This is a special kind of material,\'\' Gruden said. ``I learned about these from the fishermen that I met - the captains that go out fishing that cover their ears. I burn bad so I try to find a material that breathes.\'\'