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Bucs Beat: QB Situation Unstable - Now And In Future

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Roy Cummings/The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Training camp was still more than a month away when Bucs coach Jon Gruden named Jeff Garcia his starting quarterback for this season. It didn't take long to figure out why.

Even at 37 and with little working knowledge of Gruden's ultra-complex system, it quickly became evident to all involved that Garcia was the quarterback who gave the Bucs the best chance of winning.

Nearly six months later, Garcia is still the quarterback who gives the Bucs the best chance of winning. The problem is, he may be the only quarterback who gives them a chance of winning.

Simply stated, there is no one working behind Garcia right now who leaves you feeling truly confident that the Bucs can keep winning should their savior go down for an extended period of time.

Bruce Gradkowski had a chance to prove he was that guy last week. All he did was prove he has made little, if any, progress since he struggled repeatedly to move the team as a rookie last year.

Luke McCown could be that guy, but how can anyone really know. He has played in only six NFL games, thrown only 102 NFL passes and his last significant game action came in 2004 - before he was dumped by the Cleveland Browns.

It's enough to make you wish Chris Simms was available. At least Simms has moved Gruden's offense, won some games for him, even reached the playoffs. But available Simms is not.

He's on injured reserve, out for the season, the result of losing his rhythm and throwing form after doctors pulled his ruptured spleen out of his body after Week 3 of last season.

Too bad. Simms may not be an ideal fit in Gruden's system and he may struggle to get the ball out on those three-step drops, but he sure knew how to hit Joey Galloway when he was open.

Among Garcia's backups, he may be in a class by himself, which may explain why the Bucs made the controversial decision to hang on to him as a fourth quarterback at the start of the regular season.

Everyone assumed then that Simms was excess baggage. Not necessarily. It could be the Bucs knew their quarterback situation behind Garcia was tenuous and were hoping Simms eventually would give them a better option.

And who knows, had the Bucs not needed the roster spot Simms was taking up when they went looking for spare running backs earlier this year, he might have been the one relieving Garcia last week.

Instead, it was Gradkowski, who threw no touchdowns and no interceptions while leading an offense that produced just 192 yards, the worst output ever for a Bucs team during a victory in the Gruden era.

If you're getting the feeling you've seen that before, it's because you have. A year ago, in what proved to be a 23-21 victory over the Eagles, Gradkowski threw no touchdowns and no interceptions while leading an offense that produced 196 yards.

It's enough to leave you with the feeling that Gruden would welcome Simms back with open arms right now. Batted down passes and all. At least he knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Gruden seems to know nothing of McCown. And what he knows of Gradkowski can't be too pleasing to him. The biggest question, though, is what do the Bucs do about it.

Right now there isn't much they can do. Their hopes for the season lie squarely on Garcia's shoulders. If he can't play, they can only hope Gradkowski or McCown will perform adequately in his stead.

Beyond this season, though, the backup quarterback situation is one that has to be addressed. Shoot, beyond this season, the whole quarterback situation has to be addressed.

Garcia won't play forever. He seems to have at least another year or two left in him, but there has to be a viable alternative behind him, a player whom the Bucs can turn to, knowing he can win a game for them.

Gruden rolled his eyes at the suggestion a week ago, but other teams do have viable alternatives - Kurt Warner in Phoenix, A.J. Feeley in Philadelphia, Trent Edwards in Buffalo.

You may not want those guys starting every game, but you know they can keep your team in the hunt if need be. The Bucs don't have that now. Sometime this offseason, though, they need to get that.

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