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TAMPA Something is wrong with Jeff Garcia, something that goes way beyond that ankle problem that materialized overnight Sunday.
Bucs coach Jon Gruden isn’t sure what it is. All he knows is he can’t trot Garcia out onto the field as his starting quarterback again until the problem is corrected.
That’s why Gruden told Garcia on Tuesday and the rest of the world Wednesday that Brian Griese will start at quarterback for the Bucs when they take on the Falcons on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
“I’m a pretty good judge of Jeff Garcia and I’m a big believer in him,” Gruden said in explaining the move. “I just believe that right now, what we’re seeing is not what Jeff Garcia is capable of doing.
“Right now he’s not the same guy that he was. So until I see the ball thrown with the crisp, accurate velocity, the confident swagger that we’re used to seeing, we’re going to let him sit out.”
The change didn’t come as much of a surprise. Garcia struggled in the opener against the Saints last week, missing several open receivers, and Gruden sounded a lot like a guy who was ready to make a switch when he revealed Garcia’s ankle injury Monday.
Nor will it come as much of a surprise if this change becomes permanent. Gruden said he was simply giving Garcia the week off to find his rhythm, but there’s a good chance Griese will remain the starter if he can pull the Bucs back onto the winning track.
“Hey, life is all about making the most of your opportunities,” said Gruden, who saw Griese make quite a lot out of an opportunity with the Bucs back in 2004.
After taking over for a struggling Brad Johnson and an injured Chris Simms in Week 5 of that year, Griese won four of his first seven starts to help the Bucs rebound from an 0-4 start.
He didn’t rally the Bucs well enough to get them into the playoffs that year, but he did impress them enough to return as the starter in 2005. Griese took good advantage of that opportunity as well.
He guided the Bucs to victories in each of their first four games and was helping them win their fifth game in six tries when a knee sprain knocked him out for the season.
Simms took over after that and after finishing off the Bucs’ 2005 playoff run, Simms was named the Bucs starter for 2006. Griese, meanwhile, was deemed too expensive and expendable, and after being let go, he signed with the Bears.
Griese didn’t get much of an opportunity in the Windy City. He didn’t start a game for the Bears in 2006 and was removed as the starter after only six starts there in 2007.
He was looking at spending another year as a Chicago backup when the Bucs brought him back in a trade this past offseason. Now Griese is right back where he was in 2005, which suits him just fine.
“When I left here in 2005, I felt like I had unfinished business here,” Griese said. “I mean, it really hurt when I was injured and didn’t have a chance to come back.
“I knew we had a good team, and really, [being let go] stung. Ever since then I wanted that chance to come back and finish that business and that’s how I’m going to approach this opportunity.”
Griese, 33, faces a lot of the same challenges as Garcia, who was not made available to the media Wednesday and did not respond to phone or text messages left for him.
He takes over a first-unit offense that he has not run for nearly three weeks. It’s possible he could struggle to find his rhythm in much the same way Garcia did, but with the Bucs sitting at 0-1, he says he can’t afford to do that.
“I have to hit the ground running, so I have to do everything I can this week to be prepared so that come Sunday, I can be up to speed,” Griese said. “There is no room for error.”
Garcia, who missed the majority of training camp and the preseason because of a right calf strain, struggled mostly to get into sync with Joey Galloway, the Bucs’ top offensive weapon.
Griese, who ran the offense in Garcia’s stead and compiled a 94.2 passer rating along the way, has barely worked at all with Galloway this year, but he believes he and Galloway can make a connection quickly.
“The one unique thing is that I do have a relationship with Joey going back a ways,” said Griese, who worked with Galloway in 2004 and 2005. “I’ve thrown a lot of balls to him in my career, so I’ll lean on that.
“He is a unique individual when you’re throwing the ball to him. The next two days we’ll try to get as much work in together as we can and then go out on Sunday and do the best we can against Atlanta.”
Posted by Kenneth, Oldsmar on 09/15 at 03:58 PM
DC let me try to follow your logic here. What you’re saying is that since Griese went 5-1 the 1st six games before getting hurt then the other 10 games are a gimme and we automatically make it to the playoffs? So..why even play the other games? None of those games had anything to do with the defense huh?
Maybe you can figure this one out for us DC-Gruden says QB is the ‘most important position on the team.‘So.. this year you pay a center $10 million a season, yet two years before you let this supposedly great QB get away over a few hundred thousand dollars? Let me guess..you believe that was all McKay’s fault for the salary cap, right?!
Posted by Nick, Oviedo on 09/12 at 04:17 PM
Ha Big Bucs Fan, sorry about your Mom.
Good Luck Take Care
Nick
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/11 at 08:07 PM
Hey Nicky boy, I do still have my mom’s couch, but unfortunately I dont’ have my mom anymore. Cancer. I blog at odd times, because I don’t have to work anymore. I do still have my business. Taco Bell’s probably do well at the right location. Do they sell franchises? I only sleep a couple hrs a day. That’s all I need. I lost my beer belly & I’m a slim 258#s. I don’t drink on the job, but will tip a few back at the games. I have Lightning season tickets too, but I usually give them to my guys. I would kill to be Gruden’s scout, waterboy, pilot, driver or anything else. In a Heartbeat Son.
Posted by Nick, Oviedo on 09/11 at 06:48 PM
Ha BigBUCsFan, when your not blogging from your moms couch, who helps you run the Taco Bell down there in Sarasota?
I hope your employees are allowed to drink on the Job, your really to qualified to be anything but Gruden’s talent scout. How Big are you? Can you see your feet when you look down? and not in the mirror…
Posted by Bucsrule, Sarasota on 09/11 at 09:45 AM
If Garia wasn’t trying to eat with his head up his @$$ the fork would have made it to his mouth instead.
Posted by matt, st pete on 09/11 at 08:52 AM
Griese said that the reason Garcia isnt playing sunday is because they have been uable to remove the gigantic fork sticking out of his back.
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/11 at 07:47 AM
This is why many employees never become managers. They can’t see their performance through the Boss’s eyes. Cream rises to the top, but at different rates. If Garcia didn’t get hurt, he would have got his Bonus. He didn’t save Gruden’s job. The team saved jobs. If Garcia is not smart enough to see the problems his MOUTH caused(like Simms) by putting himself before the team, then he has no place on the team. As an individual, you should alway put yourself last, behind the team. It is the only road to success. Why did the Pats win 3 superbowls? Garcia should be cheering Griese on. He has a new baby daughter, beautiful wife, lots of money & he can’t be happy. Gruallen made all the right calls.
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/11 at 07:33 AM
Matt in Hermosa Beach. I’m glad you don’t wotk for me. Few companies treat employees like Kings or put their people above the health of their business. Employees get paid to do a job(like Garcia). They’re expected to do their best & a business will thrive. When you give extra effort you often get raises, promotions & bonuses. However, some people still get disgruntled when it doesn’t happen in their time frame. They will quietly bash the business to clients or other employees, or sneak in breaks or cheat the company. They’re like a cancer & the worst employees. You don’t reward them to change their behavior. Money will not motivate people to work harder.
Posted by mike kobres, fort myers on 09/11 at 02:02 AM
So/ Mr Garcia just “isnt himself?”
I have a feeling Mr. Derrick Brooks is himself! Whats really goin on here?
Seems as the “fire” in Mr Garcia’s eyes have started to go out? Is it money?
Is it the Coach? Is it Injury? How many think it’s injury? I dont~ I have a feeling, Mr Garcia’s feelings were hurt?
Over the Favre stuff. I liked Garcia, until now. He just , well, seems to me he is not “Man’ing up?”
Theres alot going on~that is not made available, to us? The ppl who make the game what it is!
Posted by MattP, Hermosa Beach, CA on 09/11 at 01:38 AM
No mystery here - Gruden and Allen did this one. They’ve been disrespecting him all offseason.
Think of it this way, how would you feel if you started a new job where you turn around a company, then they don’t pay your bonus, then the next year they want to replace you. That would take the wind out of my sails too. Garcia probably has had enough of being treated like a pawn. I’d react the same way too. If I was Garcia, I’d play here and there, collect a paycheck, enjoy my teammates and then leave this year w/ a big FU to mangement on the way out. Nice way to treat your starting QB Bucs. Way to show some class.
Posted by Roland Woltman, Plant city on 09/11 at 12:39 AM
Is anyone going to mention the (18 total) missed tackles (the # is from Doug Graber). I thought our D had a poor pass rush and our LB play was very poor.
As for the O, how can u run more if the QB can’t convert short passes on 3rd and 3? I think you are forced to goto the air to hope you find some rythm.
I also felt Garcia was less then quick with his reads to go along with poor accuracy. I saw open WRs. Wich at times I almost never notice in this O.
So, the good news is, the Saints D sux. 
Lets hope all those new guys they added dont gel. Maybe we can win the division at 9-7.
Posted by Jesse Henn, Fort Wayne, Indiana on 09/10 at 11:45 PM
gt from Clearwater, Kinzer, Lou C & Grudenbites & all Gruden haters, I know that Gruden has had moments that deserve some bashing, but I still support him. I’ve posted it before that he has more passion for football than so many of us combined, the kind of guy you want as your coach. My biggest concerns with Gruden: play your starters, unless the team is winning big, & the overall offense needs to improve. The highest any Bucs offense has finished is 10, that happened twice, and I want to see better than that & more often. I don’t doubt that Gruden can lead this offense, this season, to a vast improvement. But I guess unless Tampa wins the Super Bowl, you anti-Gruden’s just won’t appreciate the coach.
Posted by Nolan559, California on 09/10 at 10:58 PM
I don’t know how the rest of you feel, but we got robbed via the Saints game. Bush steps out on the 3 yard line, they call TOUCHDOWN.. The way our defense was playing who knows they might of only gotten away with 3 points. The hit that Barber put on (think it was Bush) should have been a fumble recovery + touchdown, and Adams being held and so on. Anyone else feel like we actually should of walked away with a W instead of that L word or is it just me =( : : : :
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/10 at 10:36 PM
And as for the “playbook”. Have any of you seen Gruden’s playbook. No, not one of you has seen it one time. It’s fuuny that the ones that complain about it are the ones that can’t comprehend it. Sounds like Zuttah picked it up in just a few months. Do you really think that if Gruden has a star player that can’t understand it, that he wouldn’t adjust the verbiage or parts of it so that star player could be successful? I’m sure he has some very complex calls & reads, but he also has simple ones too. Most of these players should either have Degrees or be very close. Maybe they should have worked harder on the academics like t-bidnizz.
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/10 at 10:25 PM
It was just the 1’st game & no reason to panic. Adjustments were needed & they have been made. We get our 2’nd test this week. Win or Lose, more adjustments will be made. Soon, we should get Davin back. We need him. Chucky has said on every interview since the Game that he wants to run Graham & Dunn more & more. Our rookies should get progressively better as well as our newbies. For all the Gruden Bashers including sports writers, you aren’t a pimple on Jon Gruden’s @$$. If Gruden was so bad, would Kiff still be here? Would Raheem have come back? If you don’t believe in the team AS A WHOLE, why are you here?
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 09/10 at 10:15 PM
Garcia didn’t just all of a sudden fall apart last Sunday. As said before, by others, this started last year after his injury. Griese was terrible in Chicago, but he has been good so far this preseason & played well in Gruden’s System. He is no doubt, worth a shot. If he doesn’t do well McCown will be next. Do all you pseudo NFL coaches out there, think that you can do better? It kills me just how out of touch some of you guys are. I bet less than 20% of the Mouths on this site actually have watched 1 full game, or have a clue about our team. If you want to just run you Sucks, go find a teet to nurse on.
Posted by todd, PSJ on 09/10 at 10:11 PM
DC from Melbourne,
You are absolutely correct !!!
Posted by DC, Melbourne on 09/10 at 09:45 PM
Kenneth, you’re need to do some research. If you actually remembered correctly, you’d remember that Griese was 5-1 as the starter before he got hurt. They said he was too expensive and Simms looked promising is why they released him. Go do some homework. Garcia is/was good, but so is Griese in Tampa’s system. Griese is the reason we got to the playoffs that year.
Posted by t-bidnizz, deleted on 09/10 at 09:34 PM
yea gruden offense is killing us with this playbook seens to me the defense plays there heart out every wk after wk n the ofense just hanging out we got potential to be a powerhouse n the nfl just seems to me gruden just be holding back… why n give dunn more carries get the two headed running game going…..I know we can mkae it to the bowl if the offense just help the defense help a lil it would be ova exception of tabib missed time jump, ronde legs gettin tangled, we pretty much domainated the game so were just fine just offense please help us out here
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan for life
Posted by John Klopfer, Ocala, Florida on 09/10 at 08:48 PM
I wonder if Garcia has a bit of Farvistis? I think Luke would be a much better choice. What if Simms steps in for the injured Vince Young and becomes a hero?
Posted by Nolan559, California on 09/10 at 08:42 PM
How about for next years draft they try and pick up QB Tom Brandstater from Fresno State. Oh btw where the hell was Gruden and the red flag during the Saints game…
Posted by Joe, CA on 09/10 at 08:39 PM
Gruden is like one of those bosses that we’ve all had and hate. Agree this is a business but there are long term implications as well as short term ones. Dumping a pro bowl QB after 1 week does nothing for long term success of the Bucs. I have never been critical of Gruden but this is absurd. It is his fault we lost last week. On the road, in a close game, the running game is working, the passing is not sharp. Not running the ball is the issue. Pass when the running game is not working or you’re way behind. Gruden needs to bench himself.
Posted by Rick Story, Ft Benning GA on 09/10 at 08:38 PM
I agree Bennett needs to be on the field. I can’t understand losing the running mentality that coach said. We were never down by more than a touchdown the whole game. The running game was on it and just like the playoff game last year, we just stopped running the ball. To all of you that keep saying put in a rookie QB, what do we have to lose? Well, the season for one thing. We lost one dang game and your all ready to throw the season away. Crazy.
Posted by Gruden Bites, Tampa on 09/10 at 08:27 PM
All you Griese fans need to get a clue! If Gruden loves this guy so much why did they let him leave town? The truth is Gruden has no idea what he wants. He loves Garcia then he hates him, he loves Griese (the first time) then he hates him, same for Brad Johnson, Gradkowski etc etc. Do you guys see the pattern? Gruden has a problem; he thinks his system is great but he cannot find anyone to run it, including veterans. I would say that any system that is too complicated to run is not a good system.
Gruden has worn out his welcome here in Tampa and has proven that he is NOT a guru of offense!
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Posted by 91stormvet, RIVERVIEW on 09/17 at 08:02 AM
Jon Gruden is to Qbs what Zaa Zaa Gabor is to husbands. After So Many Husbands, you really need to start looking in the Mirror!