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Who Makes The Call?

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By ROY CUMMINGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 18, 2007

Updated: 09/18/2007 12:13 am

TAMPA - Unable to come up with a better analogy, Bucs coach Jon Gruden finally likened the situation to a marriage in which both spouses are still trying to figure out what the other one likes best.

One may prefer steak and potatoes for dinner and a night out at the movies. The other may like chicken or fish with rice pilaf and a night of dancing.

In the case of newlyweds Gruden and Jeff Garcia, however, it's not dining and dancing that they don't always agree on. It's whether to run the 17th play in the playbook or the 345th.

If this sounds like a problem requiring counseling, worry not. Gruden and Garcia haggled over which plays to go with on several occasions Sunday and the result still was a near-perfect 31-14 Bucs victory over the Saints.

But the coach and his new quarterback both acknowledge that developing a better understanding of what plays the other prefers to run in certain situations is critical to their marriage's success.

'It's just an area where we need to continue to grow,' Gruden said. 'Some teams have had the same quarterback for five or six years. We've had our guy for two weeks. So we've got to continue to work through some situations.'

By tossing some plays out and inserting others as they prepare throughout the week, Gruden and Garcia work through a lot of those situations long before they get to the stadium on Sunday.

Disagreements still arise on game day, though. They usually pop up between drives, between quarters or occasionally during a timeout, when Gruden and Garcia try to concoct ways to exploit the defense.

'You'll talk about what plays you're thinking of calling and I'll ask Jeff, 'Do you like this one? Do you like that one? Do you like this one?'' Gruden said. 'And he's got some opinions of his own.

'Sometimes it's a matter of do you like Door No. 3, Door No. 2 or Door No. 1? Maybe he likes all three doors, but you've got to pick a door and sometimes I have a tendency to go with what he wants instead of what I want.'

Experience and success are two of the reasons Garcia has been given the right to not only question but sometimes change his coach's call. He's spent nine years working in this league, and most of those have been spent winning.

Garcia's aggressive nature is another reason Gruden has agreed to change his mind. Garcia is not one to keep his opinion to himself, so he lets his feelings be heard in a place where other quarterbacks didn't.

'I pretty much just let coach call the play and I went out and executed it,' said Bruce Gradkowski, who started 12 games at quarterback for the Bucs last year as a rookie. 'Jeff's more outspoken. He speaks out more about what he likes.'

You get the feeling Garcia always has not had this privilege. You get the feeling he's played for some coaches who have been a lot more despotic than Gruden.

'I do appreciate him understanding when I'm comfortable and not comfortable with a play,' Garcia said after Sunday's game. 'I mean, I have great trust in him and what he suggests. And he made some great calls Sunday.

'But there were a couple times where, whether it was the fact we didn't get much of a chance to work them in practice or it was something I was seeing, I said, 'Let's work something else and come back to that later.' I mean, we have 5,000 plays in our playbook. Why not try something else?'

The calls aren't the only thing that Gruden and Garcia don't necessarily see eye to eye on just yet. There's also the matter of Garcia's scrambling out of the pocket.

Gruden always has wanted a quarterback who can make plays with his feet. He would just prefer that Garcia not expose himself to as much danger as he sometimes does.

Take, for instance, that 7-yard scramble Garcia made early in the first quarter Sunday, when he ran for a first down by diving head-first on a third-and-6 play from the Saints 8-yard line.

Though he believes Garcia sent an inspirational message to his entire team with that run, Gruden would have liked it a lot more if Garcia had gone in feet first instead of head first.

'He's got a reckless style, and I do get worried about him,' Gruden said. 'But the more you talk about it to him the more he makes you roll your eyes.'

Garcia's opinion of some of Gruden's calls has forced the coach to roll his eyes a few times, too. But Gruden truly seems to like the fact he's got someone challenging him in that arena.

And he clearly likes having Garcia's talent and experience on his side. It made waking up Monday morning a lot more pleasant for Gruden, who knows his quarterback has a lot to do with why his team is now 1-1.

'He just allows you to do a lot more,' Gruden said of Garcia. 'No disrespect to anyone else who we've had here, but he's a much better quarterback than what we've played with. He's just a much better player.'

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

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