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Garcia Needs To Get Into Groove

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2008

Updated: 08/23/2008 12:34 am

TAMPA - One look at the calendar suggests Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia has a lot more to contend with tonight than the Jacksonville Jaguars' pass rush.

All of a sudden, Garcia is up against the clock as well.

With time running out on the Bucs' preseason, Garcia has yet to take his first snap in anger against a rival defense. In fact, he has barely taken any snaps at all.

Slowed by a sore right calf that has hampered him for the past three weeks, Garcia finds himself trying to make up for lost time.

It's a dangerous predicament. Garcia probably will play more tonight than he normally would. He could play as much as a half, which increases the chances of Garcia getting hurt.

That doesn't sit real well with Bucs coach Jon Gruden, but it's not like Gruden has much choice. The Bucs' regular-season opener is just two weeks away, and getting Garcia ready is a must.

"We need to get him acclimated again to game speed," Gruden said of Garcia, who watched Luke McCown and Brian Griese take turns running the first-team offense in the first two preseason games.

"It's like a race-car driver. They don't just show up at NASCAR and run around the track for 500 miles, you know. They have practice and things of that nature, and right now, more than anything, Jeff needs to get into the huddle with his teammates. The quarterback is the engine of our offense, and we need to get him out there."

The Bucs need receiver Joey Galloway out there, as well, but Galloway won't be taking any test flights on his sore groin tonight. He won't be full-go until at least Monday, Gruden said. The Bucs also will be without starting fullback B.J. Askew (ankle) and tight end Ben Troupe (foot) tonight.

Garcia is the one Gruden wants to see the most, though, and Garcia is eager to perform.

"I'd like to get my share of snaps," Garcia said. "If that means playing an entire half, that would be great. I think I'm ready to do that. But I'll leave that up to Coach."

Gruden might base his final decision on his offensive line. If the line plays well, he might feel comfortable giving Garcia an extra series or two. If not, he could pull him early.

The latter is the last thing Gruden wants, because there is quite a lot of ground to be made up. In the first two preseason games last year, Garcia played five series, completing seven of 10 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. He played in three series against the Dolphins in the third preseason game last year, completing four of 10 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

With no work at all so far this preseason, Garcia is well behind his 2007 pace.

He's so far behind, in fact, it's almost impossible for him to make up all the ground he has lost. Garcia can still be ready for the start of the season, though, simply by getting the majority of the work in practice.

"That's what I feel I've missed out on most," said Garcia, who skipped the first two days of training camp workouts to attend a reunion for the junior college football team his father coached to a national title.

"It's always nice to have those game reps, because there are adjustments you instinctively make during the game that you don't make on the practice field. But I feel like I can get back to where I'm comfortable again by practicing."

Garcia is coming off a week in which he took the majority of the quarterback reps in four practices. If he stays healthy, he will continue to get that kind of work through the start of the regular season.

Gruden is confident that will allow Garcia to be ready for regular-season game action, and that enough time remains for Garcia and Galloway to develop their valuable rapport.

Garcia agreed.

"I think we can do what we need to do in practice," Garcia said. "And if you don't get that opportunity, then we still have what we did last year to build on. We're some time away from where we were with that, but I think we can get that back pretty quick."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or

rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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