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Gruden OK With 4 QBs For Now

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By ROY CUMMINGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2007

Updated: 09/03/2007 01:11 am

TAMPA - Cornerback Sammy Davis and linebacker Leon Joe can attest to the fact there's nothing truly final about the 'final' roster cuts in the NFL.

The two relative unknowns survived the Bucs 'final' cutdown to 53 players Saturday but they were gone before sundown Sunday, replaced by a receiver and a cornerback claimed off waivers late in the day.

They may not be the only ones who never see the bright lights of Opening Day. A similar fate could still befall someone far more notable, but don't count on quarterback Chris Simms being that more notable victim.

Though he acknowledged it's unusual to have four quarterbacks, Bucs coach Jon Gruden didn't sound Sunday like a coach who was ready to give up on the one who has been the subject of so much controversy this preseason.

'Chris Simms is a young guy with talent and promise who really hasn't been able to showcase his stuff,' Gruden said. 'We're not ready to give up on him, OK? We're not in any hurry to lose a guy we deem is a pretty good prospect.'

The same goes, it seems, for fellow quarterbacks Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski. Gruden said they have promise too and seemed to suggest the Bucs finally have the makings of a good future at quarterback.

But in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of the NFL, Gruden has to concern himself most with the immediate future. That why he wasn't ruling out the possibility of more roster changes, possibly including quarterbacks.

'There's a chance there will be some changes,' Gruden said of the roster. 'We're not unlike anyone else. We're looking at the players who were cut by other teams Saturday night and there are still some trade possibilities.

'We're just looking to see who's available. If there's a good football player that we think is an upgrade for us then we'll go that route. If not then we'll stand pat with the men we have.'

The Bucs don't stand pat very often. During last year's 17-week season they made a change to their 53-man roster prior to a game 12 times. Injuries forced a lot of those changes, but you get the idea.

You also get the feeling Simms' name will still come up in the discussion every time the Bucs discuss a roster move. After all, the fifth-year quarterback remains the sparest of parts on this team.

Hampered now by a hip strain and still struggling to regain his form following a splenectomy last season, Simms is virtually incapable of helping the Bucs win a game right now.

But there he is, on the roster, the last of four quarterbacks. And there was Gruden on Sunday, trying his best once again to deflect the attention away from Simms and onto his starting quarterback, Jeff Garcia.

'You see the roster and that's the roster at this point in time,' Gruden said. 'It is unprecedented for me to carry four quarterbacks. We've got as many quarterbacks as running backs. How about that?'

If the situation has handicapped Gruden in any way he's not admitting to it. He said Sunday the reason he kept only four running backs is based largely on the versatility of the players at that position.

Though Cadillac Williams will play only tailback and B.J. Askew will play only fullback, Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham can and will play a little bit of each, depending on the game situation, Gruden said.

The Bucs' plans for the backfield also played a part in the decision to keep just four at that spot. As the preseason showed, Gruden is planning on using a lot more single-back sets this year.

He is also planning to use more three- and four-wide receiver sets this year. Still, the Bucs kept just five receivers, letting go of spare wideout/punt returner Mark Jones.

That leaves a hole on special teams, but Gruden said Phillip Buchanon, who returned six punts last year, will share those duties with Ike Hilliard and possibly even Joey Galloway.

'It'll be done by committee,' Gruden said of returning punts. 'We're going to give Galloway some looks there; we think he's rare at that. And Buchanon has punt return ability. That's the decision at this time.'

The decision at this time at flanker is to go by committee there as well. Gruden is clearly hoping, however, that one of either Boston, Hilliard, Maurice Stovall or Michael Clayton changes that.

'We're looking for someone to be an every-down flanker and that might be the case at some point soon,' Gruden said. 'But right now I'm not ready to say we're going that route.'

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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