The game of football has changed for Jerry Wunsch.

Well, actually, the football is the same, it's just how he perceives it that has changed.

Wunsch, the former University of Wisconsin all-American tackle, is the starting right tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oh, yeah, he's also married, has a 1-year-old son and another on the way.

"It totally changed way I look at game," Wunsch said of fatherhood. "Before, football was a lot of fun as far as that was what I was in it for. It was nice to just go out and play football. I just loved playing the game -- and I still do -- but now it's about putting food on the table, college degrees for my kids, opportunity for retirement, and setting my family up for being successful down the road."

And that success comes from his success on the field.

"That drives me further than I've ever been driven before as far as just trying to become a good football player," he said. "I always wanted to be a good football player, but now I want to give my family things that they normally wouldn't be able to have if I didn't have this opportunity."

And for Wunsch, plating in the NFL is a well-earned opportunity. As a Parade all-American at Wausau (Wis.) West High School, he was a freshman walk-on at Wisconsin.

And that's when all his hard work really paid dividends.

"Everything is going excellent," the 6-foot-6, 339-pound Wunsch said. "I signed a new five-year contract, so hopefully I'll be here (in Tampa) a long time. I think we got a good thing going here, we just have to keep getting better. Hopefully all the hard work I put into it will pay off down the road."

This is Wunsch's fifth year in the NFL, all with the Bucs, and his second season as the team's starting tackle. Last season he helped the Bucs offense set team records for points scored, touchdowns and yards per carry.

But still, those teams records pale in comparison to most other NFL teams'. And Wunsch has heard enough about how the Buccaneers are all defense, no offense. He begs to differ.

"When everything is working we can see what happens, so we gotta get on that page and stay on that page," he said. "When we are able to dictate the rhythm of the game, our offense is very potent and that's what we need to do every week. We have the talent, but we're not anywhere near where we need to get it done. We're not a Super Bowl team yet. We have the talent, but talent only gets you so far."

He said he learned from UW coach Barry Alvarez and staff that you have to add a certain amount of attitude and tenacity to that talent to get it all to work

"What made me go to the University of Wisconsin in the first place was Barry Alvarez and his staff," he said. "That was the only reason at that point. I believed in Coach Alvarez and what he said to me and what he believed in. I knew the kind of tenacity they liked, and I wanted to be that kind of football player, so that's why I went there, so they could teach me that."

He's learned more than just tenacity though.

"Playing hard, working on technique, taking pride in your work, and being hard on yourself where nothing is ever good enough - that kind of attitude," he said.

"Even though you may make a mistake, do it hard, do it full speed because you never know when an opportunity can come about to make up for it. Like you might just miss a block, but you keep hustling and all of a sudden the running back cuts back on your block, you may end up making a big block even though you took a bad step in the beginning. Just finish every play, try to stay on your guy."

Wunsch had an outstanding career at UW, starting in 36 straight games and was projected to be the third tackle taken in the 1997 draft. He wasn't selected in the first round like many had predicted, but he was taken with the 39th overall pick by the Buccaneers. As a nice coincidence, the Bucs also had former UW lineman Paul Gruber on their roster. Gruber retired two seasons ago, but not before Wunsch gleaned the most from Gruber's NFL know-how.

"I had three years with Grubes," Wunsch said. "We did have a bond. We talked, we watched film together, we studied together. I asked questions of him. I ask questions of him even now. He's a great guy. He did a lot for Tampa Bay and the Badgers. He's what a pro should be. It was nice to get to know him and what he accomplished and to get insight at an early time of my career that really helped me out."

And what he didn't learn from Gruber, he learned on his own.

"The difference (from college) is the whole NFL, the speed, the power, the timing," Wunsch said. "You could dominate physically in college, but in the pros you're going against the best of the best every day and you have to be on top of your game, not only technique-wise, but you gotta be strong, gotta try to take away their strengths. It's a lot different than college ball."

Wunsch said in the NFL you have to know so much more than in college.

"Even though you have a base understanding, the pro level is where you have to know your position as good as, if not better, than your coach, if that makes sense," he said. "It gets to that point. You have to have a great understanding and feel for what they are trying to do. As much as it was in college for what you needed to do, now it's about what you need to do plus what the opponents are trying to do to you. 'Why is the safety rolling down this way, what are they trying to accomplish by rolling the safety here or there or bringing a corner in.' Just different things like that."

Wunsch and his family are permanent Florida residents because he said it wasn't practical to have a home in Wisconsin anymore.

"My wife and soon-to-be two sons are down here (in Tampa), but the rest of my extended family still lives in Wausau and throughout Wisconsin," he said. "With the NFL season the way it is, I'm working down here all but one or two months of the year, so it consumes all my time. And we have a foundation for charity work that consumes all of our time in the off-season."

Wunsch said he has no set goal for how long he would like to remain an NFL player.

"I want to stay as long as they will let me," he said. "I know eventually some day they'll tell me I have to leave, or if my body isn't holding up anymore and it becomes too much, then I would retire."

But he has plans beyond football. And it still requires using his body.

"I'm working on a company with my father-in-law buying homes and fixing them up," he said. "I like construction. I've always liked construction and I like getting the hands dirty and I like power tools. Yeah, me and power tools. I have a lot of fun, but everybody else runs."

And when he blocks, so do the Tampa running backs.