Alvin Harper has springs in his legs to leap defensive backs, two Super Bowl rings, a seven-figure bank account and a red Mercedes just as dangerous as he is at high speeds. What he doesn't have is a clue as to why he no longer is a part of the Bucs' offense. "Hey man, like I told my friends, never try to understand anything that goes on at One Buc (Place)," Harper said Monday. Not only has Harper lost his starting job to journeyman Robb Thomas, who was claimed off waivers from Seattle, he also was on the sideline during the final four plays of the Bucs' comeback attempt Sunday in a 13-7 loss at Green Bay. Harper participated in 34 of the 58 offensive plays against the Packers and had just one ball thrown in his direction, which he caught for a 9-yard gain. And when it came to crunch time, the Bucs didn't have enough faith in Harper to play him. Needing to go 69 yards for the game-winning TD with one timeout and 1:55 remaining, the Bucs turned to Thomas and college free agent Karl Williams from Texas A&M-Kingsville. Four plays failed to produce a first down. "My bottom line is to get him to play, and I've got to play the guys who're productive," Bucs receivers coach Charlie Williams said. "We went five weeks and watched stuff happen that shouldn't have happened. "The guy coming off the street (Thomas) and the guy from Kingsville, those two guys are hungry." Bucs coach Tony Dungy indicated Monday that Harper wasn't involved in the final series at Green Bay because he did not practice in the two-minute drill last week. "That's pretty much the group we practiced with in our two-minute (drill) and that's the way we went," Dungy said. Harper angrily disagreed. That's b-------!" he said before storming off. "That's B.S. I did the two-minute drill Thursday." According to Williams, Harper's lack of production and his failure to make clutch third-down receptions (like one that would have sealed a victory against Seattle) have caused the Bucs to lose confidence in one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers. "I'm ignoring the money part of it, because the money part of it means nothing to me. But from a fan's perspective, they expect that play (against Seattle) to be made," Williams said. "So then when the next week he runs that same exact route and it bangs off his chest against Minnesota, now I'm checking my card. I'm saying to myself, "Do I have anybody who can go out and run it?'" Thomas, who had been inactive the first three games, replaced Harper in the second half against Minnesota and hauled in two TD passes in a 24-13 upset. Bucs general manager Rich McKay, who was responsible for signing Harper to a four-year, $10.6-million contract as a free agent last season, cast doubt on whether the former Cowboys star ever will fulfill his promise in Tampa Bay. "There's no question we and Alvin expect and want more production," McKay said. "That doesn't mean necessarily it's going to happen. "I can see where the fans are saying, "Hey, this was one of the guys who was a big focus in the off-season and he hasn't produced.' That happens. That happens with high draft picks. That happens with high-priced free agents. The only thing we can do is hope they do work things out." According to Williams, Harper has struggled to beat tight, man-to-man coverage this season. "He's starting to see a lot more press coverage, because they're not going to let him run downfield vertically because everyone knows that's his strong suit," Williams said. "He has to work hard to get off the jam to be successful. And right now, you're talking about crunch time. I just feel more comfortable with Robb Thomas because of what Robb has done the past two weeks." What about what Harper did in four seasons in Dallas? He recorded 18 TDs and averaged more than 20 yards per catch. His 27.3 post-season average is the best in NFL history. Despite setting a career high with 46 catches last season, Harper's career has stalled with the Bucs. "I just knew I was going to have a better season this year, with the shape I'm in and the way I worked in the off-season," Harper said. "I haven't even tried to talk to (Dungy) about it. They're doing the same things. There's no need to talk. They're the coaches. If they feel that's what they need to do, they're supposed to be the superior ones with the thoughts and everything. I'm a player. I've just got to listen to what they tell me and do what they ask." Dungy said he's not overly concerned about the lack of production from Harper, who has just 16 catches for 241 yards and one TD. He's more worried about the offense as a whole. "Alvin is going to be fine. Alvin is not the problem," Dungy said. "We've got a lot of things going on offensively and we're not scoring points. That's the biggest thing. We've got to find a way how to score more points, not necessarily to get this person the ball more or that person the ball more."