One of the issues that got the most attention during Bruce Allen's press conference was the team's impending decisions at quarterback.

I asked Allen to address the team's track record of changing quarterbacks every year to two years and whether using that method has been detrimental to the offense. It's a topic many have been asking about on this blog. Here's what he had to say:

"We're going to use the method that is best available for us. If we're picking at 19 (in the first round) and there's somebody that fits our demographics that we think belongs in our system, who can lead this franchise for a decade, I promise you we're going to draft him. But we're also going to draft him if that happens to be a defensive end or a running back."

But the team's obvious reluctance to do this under coach Jon Gruden suggests it won't happen. The Bucs haven't drafted a quarterback earlier than the fifth round under Allen. They did draft Chris Simms in the third round under Rich McKay, but that was believed to be against Gruden's wishes. Regardless of how that turned out -- and the results weren't great -- at least some attempt was made to develop a quarterback. Circumstances are certainly a factor in why individual decisions were made. But there doesn't even seem to be an acknowledgement from Allen or Gruden that the lack of consistency at quarterback has held this team back and has left its future in doubt.

It's mystifying that Tampa Bay has made significant efforts to solidify many other positions with long-term solutions -- Barrett Ruud at MLB, Davin Joseph at RG, Arron Sears at LG, Alex Smith and John Gilmore at TE -- but has ignored the position that even Gruden admits is the most critical in all of sports.

Is this the year that changes? Time will tell.