Andy Kent: Just give Keyshawn the mike

As of this Sunday, not only will Keyshawn Johnson still be getting paid by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not to play football, but he will get even more money from FOX to continue to tell Gruden and McKay how to go about doing their jobs.

Call him disillusioned. Call him selfish and obnoxious. Call him a distraction or anything else you like. But clearly one thing Keyshawn Johnson is not is stupid.

First, since the defending Super Bowl champs only deactivated him and did not release him, Johnson will get the remainder of the $2.9 million in salary and bonuses he had coming.

Not a bad payday considering he is not required to practice, work out or do anything with the team.

Second, as an in-studio guest analyst for FOX's weekly NFL pregame show, he can criticize the man who technically still is his head coach -- Gruden -- out in the open in front of a national television audience.

And he gets to collect another paycheck in the process.

Although FOX officially hasn't committed to more shows after this Sunday, the intent is to bring Keyshawn back.

Whoa, what kind of a precedent are we setting here?

Back at One Buc Place on Thursday, Gruden put his team through the paces out on the practice field in preparation for Monday night's game with the New York Giants. On the surface, everything looked normal and as if the buzz created by Keyshawn's deactivation had died down.

But whether or not they were friends with old number 19, the news of FOX hiring Johnson could not have sat well with his teammates. Just some of the subtle references to his effect on the locker room one day earlier is a strong barometer.

"I'm a veteran so I know how to let stuff go in one ear and out the other," said wide receiver Keenan McCardell. "By him venting and this, that and the other, it didn't bother me. I know how to ... you listen to only the important things."

"I can't speak for everybody else on this team, but we need the current flowing in the same direction," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "It only takes one guy and we didn't want it to come to that."

He may be out of the locker room, but how will the Bucs players respond to hearing Johnson vent on camera?

And more importantly, what will Gruden and McKay -- the general manager -- do for their four remaining games being aired by FOX when Keyshawn's "analysis" is brought up in a question?

There is hope, however.

Since Keyshawn is so engrossed with statistics and so motivated to be the go-to guy wherever he is, it shouldn't be long before he creates friction with his co-hosts -- more than likely with a still-very-big-and- strong Howie Long.

Somebody at FOX better check the fine print of Keyshawn's contract and make sure he didn't write in a minimum number of minutes that his face has to appear on camera.

You can e-mail staff writer Andy Kent at ankent@naplesnews.com