Welcome to TBO.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online

The Writers

Roy Cummings

Ira Kaufman

@TBO_Buccaneers
TBO Buccaneers
Roy Cummings
Anwar Richardson
Ira Kaufman
Ask a question

Most Recent Entries

Monthly Archives

Gruden Thursday Quotes

Posted Aug 21, 2008 by TBO.com

Updated Aug 21, 2008 at 06:31 PM

Courtesy of the Buccaneers

(On the quarterback rotation for Saturday night)
“We said we were going to make that announcement Saturday at the stadium. He practiced a lot, he got some good turns today and we’re pleased with that. We’ll announce who’s starting when we get to the stadium.”

(On if the team might be looking at starting the season with Brian Griese or Luke McCown in the lineup)
“I wouldn’t say that. We’re fully expecting Garcia to be ready. He’s getting his work, getting back into it, and I’ll leave it at that.”

(On if Jeremy Zuttah is where the Bucs would like him to be)
“Well, you know, he’s a rookie and he’s doing an excellent job. We’ll have to see. That’s why we have the preseason. He’s in a tough spot. Arron Sears was in a tough spot. Davin [Joseph] and [Jeremy] Trueblood, all those guys have been in a tough spot. We are encouraged by the things he’s doing. We’re confident in him, but John Henderson’s a confident player, indeed, for the Jaguars. So he’ll have his hands full Saturday night, but at the same time we are pleased with what he’s doing.”

(On the Jaguars)
“They’re close to being one of the top teams in football. Everybody projects them to be an outstanding team again this season. They’ve got explosive weapons offensively; Garrard is coming into his own. They do have some injuries at receiver that have been well-documented. They’re a very fast, explosive defensive team, well-coached. They were close. They were close to getting into the Super Bowl last year. It will be a great test for us, as it was the last two weeks.”

(On how long the starters will play Saturday)
“Well, we don’t really know who all the starters are at this point. We’re still working ourselves through that. We want to be fair to the players who have worked so hard here, give them an opportunity to make the team. We’ve got to make some tough calls at every position. It’s been very competitive. Some of the starters, projected starters, will play longer than others but it depends on the position and it depends on how the game goes. I can’t really be much more revealing than that. We’re going to try to let everybody play; they’ve earned that right. We’re off to a pretty good start, at least in the preseason, and we’re going to use this for what it is. It’s a key evaluation for us and there’s a big cutdown after this, as you know. We’ll make our decisions based on what we see in this football game.”

(On if success makes roster moves more difficult)
“Well, it makes it hard if guys are all playing well. You’d rather have some competition that’s legitimate. You’d like to have some tough decisions instead of going to look elsewhere. We’re continuing to look on other teams’ rosters for players that they release. We’re far from being ready in terms of putting the final 53 together but I’m really pleased with the effort and the detail of this football team. At this point, through two preseason games, we’ve avoided turnovers and penalties, and those are two things that we’ve hit on and made an impression on the players. They’ve really delivered; they’ve done their part.”

(On if Galloway not practicing was by design)
“Yeah, that’s our plan. He should be ready to go early next week. He should be ready to go when we practice again on Monday.”

(On the death of Gene Upshaw)
“Obviously, that’s a terrible day for us, a sad day. It really caught me by surprise. I know he’s had a tremendous influence not only on me but on a lot of our players and people in this league. We’re going to miss Gene Upshaw, a quality guy. We’re all saddened by that. He stood for a lot. He was a great man. He worked and worked and worked. He was a great Hall of Fame player and man and we’ll miss him.”