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Garcia, Bucs Off Mark Against Jaguars

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 24, 2008

TAMPA - The good news is the Bucs still have two weeks to get ready for the start of the regular season. The bad news is their starting quarterback may need every bit of those two weeks to find his old winning form.

Though he finished on a strong note, throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Michael Clayton, Jeff Garcia didn't look at all Saturday like the quarterback who led the Bucs to the playoffs last season.

He looked corroded, like someone who had missed most of training camp with a sore right calf and was playing against rival competitors for the first time in months, which of course he was.

Garcia skipped the first two days of training camp to attend a reunion of the college football team his father coached to a national title, then he strained his right calf midway through his fourth workout.

It wasn't until last week that Garcia began practicing regularly again, but with time running out on the preseason, the Bucs deemed it imperative that he get a feel for live game action again.

The numbers weren't the disturbing part. Garcia completed 11 of 18 throws for 79 yards and a touchdown while playing the better part of the first two quarters of a 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The problem is that he threw two interceptions - one on a first-and-10 play from his own 20-yard line, the other on a throw into the end zone from the Jacksonville 11 - and was well off target on several other key throws.

"It was a tough start," Garcia said. "There is a lot of rust I have to shake off. I think I made two very poor decisions tonight, which is very unlike me, and I think it shows that I haven't practiced a lot or played at all."

Garcia wasn't the only Bucs regular to struggle. Tailback Earnest Graham fumbled the ball away to kill the Bucs' first drive, and Clayton dropped a Garcia throw into his gut to kill the third.

The starting offensive line also had its share of difficulties. With rookie Jeremy Zuttah replacing injured right guard Davin Joseph, the Bucs struggled to run the ball and gave up several quarterback pressures.

"We're obviously not there yet," Graham said of the Bucs' first-team offense, which had 27 yards rushing against Jacksonville. "We obviously have to work on some things before the season gets started."

Count place-kicker Matt Bryant among the Bucs who have some work to do. For the third time this preseason, he drove a field-goal try wide right, this time missing on a 23-yarder at the end of the first half.

Coupled with Garcia's pick in the end zone and a couple of Brian Griese throws that were nearly picked off in the end zone, the Bucs failed repeatedly to capitalize on scoring chances.

"That is real frustrating," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said of the wasted scoring chances. "That's the difference in the ballgame. We have to make plays when we have the chance to make them."

He was speaking for the defense as well. That unit's starters came into Saturday's game having turned in superb performances in the Bucs' first two exhibitions, and the third started much the same way.

After taking the ball away on Graham's fumble and starting a drive at the Tampa Bay 23-yard line, the Jaguars were forced to settle for a 23-yard Josh Scobee field goal.

One series later, though, in the wake of Garcia's first interception, a missed tackle by safety Tanard Jackson allowed receiver Dennis Northcutt to carry a David Garrard pass into the end zone for a touchdown and a 10-0 Jacksonville lead.

The Bucs finally got on the board late in the second quarter, with Garcia hitting Clayton with a sharp strike from 10 yards out to finish off a nine-play, 43-yard drive.

"Jeff made a couple of mistakes early, but I thought he did settle down and make a couple of nice plays at the end," said Gruden, who was also pleased with at least one facet of his team's defensive play.

With a sack from Chris Hovan - the first by a Bucs' starting defensive lineman this preseason - the pass rush was much improved, according to Gruden, who also saw reserve Jimmy Wilkerson notch his second sack of the preseason.

"We got the pass rush going a little bit, and that is a credit to the guys," Gruden said. "I thought cornerback Aqib Talib had a nice pressure on a corner blitz, and Ronde Barber took over from there."

Barber's pick of a Garrard pass set up the Bucs' first touchdown. Garrard came back after the half, though, to lead the Jaguars back into the end zone, this time hitting tight end Marcedes Lewis with a 4-yard pass to finish off a seven-play, 69-yard drive.

The Bucs responded two series later with a Bryant field goal and got a touchdown from the Luke McCown-run offense early in the fourth quarter. McCown's drive deep into Jacksonville territory in the waning moments fell short, though, as the Bucs fell to 2-1 on the preseason.

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

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