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Griese A Solid Insurance Policy
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Published: August 18, 2008
Updated: 08/18/2008 12:34 am
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TAMPA - He's 33 years old and has been around - up, down, up, down, all around.
And he fits.
Brian Griese, who, unlike Jeff Garcia, was once officially discarded by Coach Jon Gruden, is what the Bucs need in case of fire.
Or what any team needs, for that matter.
Right or wrong - and watching Luke McCown this preseason, I might argue wrong - Brian Griese will be Jeff Garcia's backup this season.
But there's a comfort level there.
Griese would have been Brett Favre's backup, too.
Favre wasn't around Sunday night to play the Patriots.
Neither was Garcia.
Brian Griese started.
He has been there, done that.
He has been here, done that.
Griese Played And Played Well
Remember, it was Griese, in his last action for the Bucs in 2005, who helped deliver this team to a 5-1 record before going down with a knee injury.
People seem too busy remembering that Griese couldn't beat out Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman in Chicago, and those guys can't even beat each other out.
But here Griese is, reborn and refreshed.
"I feel really comfortable," he said. "I feel the most comfort in this offense more than any other offense I've been in."
Sunday was another good night.
Griese completed nine of 10 passes for 44 yards, dinking and dunking the Bucs downfield on a 17-play, 80-yard opening touchdown drive that set the tone for a 27-10 Bucs win, whatever that means.
Tom Brady didn't even show up for this game.
Garcia didn't play in it, either.
Griese played and played well.
And it went just as well when Luke McCown went in at quarterback (seven of 10, 79 yards, one TD)
I love this kid's learning curve.
He's not making mistakes.
He'd be the future if Gruden believed in quarterback futures.
It will be Griese.
Just as it once was.
Remember, Sunday night was a homecoming of sorts for him, too.
Oh, not on the level of Warrick Dunn's return to Raymond James as a Buc - nor, for that matter, like that extremely familiar-looking banger in that No. 47 Patriots jersey - last name Lynch, I think.
It was good to see Griese, too.
He's In A Familiar Situation
The Bucs might actually have a comfort level at quarterback.
Griese helped set the tone for the 2005 playoff season before Chris Simms carried on.
Of course, Griese was eventually dumped by the Bucs.
Now he's back.
He's pushing McCown.
McCown is pushing him.
I love McCown's learning curve.
I like Griese's been there, done that.
What a lovely problem.
Together, they might be able to spell this team if Garcia goes down again, at least short term.
Griese has run Gruden's offense.
McCown should run it down the road.
It might mean nothing, but the Bucs have looked great this preseason. They didn't have a turnover or penalty against Miami, and Sunday, well, they outplayed what Patriots there were. It might seem like make believe. But a few things weren't.
One is that Brian Griese looks like insurance.
Again.
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