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Garcia Won't Take This 'Week Off' Quietly

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By MARTIN FENNELLY

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 11, 2008

Updated: 09/11/2008 12:44 am

TAMPA - Trade him. Release him.

Do it now if he's not really your starter anymore.

Do it or things will get ugly - fast.

The Jeff Garcia era, one season and one game old, might be over.

It only took a season-opening loss in New Orleans for Jon Gruden, Mr. Eternally Grateful, to sack Garcia. It's Brian Griese time. It's Week 2.

"Jeff right now is not himself," Gruden announced.

Gruden, on the other hand, is completely himself.

Anything he had with Garcia and Garcia had with him has a toe tag on it.

Griese gets the nod against the Falcons. Unless he and the Bucs are just awful, don't expect to see Garcia back on the field. That's the vibe.

But this will not end quietly.

Four days into the new season and it feels like shambles.

There are a lot of Bucs who have come to admire Garcia. There are a lot of Bucs who think he has been treated like dirt - and that was before Wednesday.

This Is Not About Any Injury

The guy goes to the Pro Bowl and then he doesn't even get a home game to get straightened out?

Gruden insists he simply wants to give Garcia a week off.

"I just want him to get healthy physically and emotionally," Gruden said.

I'm sure all this will make him really emotionally well.

Look, this isn't about any injury. Garcia didn't look good in the season-opener, but clearly this switch has been on Gruden's mind for a lot longer than that.

Forget all that week-off-for-Jeff stuff.

This is now Griese's job to lose.

But things will get worse around One Buc Place, emotionally wise, if Garcia is a backup.

I don't think Garcia has the mindset to play good soldier.

He didn't want to back up Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.

He couldn't imagine himself playing behind Brett Favre in Tampa.

So you think he'll roll with Griese as a No. 1?

Put yourself in his place.

He comes into 4-12.

He gets the Bucs to the playoffs.

He helps gets Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen new contracts.

He watches the Favre fire grow and die.

He comes back.

He gets one game.

There's water under the bridge and then there's the bridge getting washed out.

Griese Is Gruden's Guy Again

Do you really think if the Griese-led Bucs beat the Falcons this week that Garcia will be back at QB when the Bucs travel to Chicago?

Maybe Gruden is way ahead of us. Maybe he knows if Griese gets a couple of wins, no one will ask about Garcia. Who asked about Chris Simms after Garcia got the Bucs rolling last year?

None of this is anything against Griese, who has worked hard and, if Garcia is interested, provides an object lesson. Gruden once fed Griese to the garbage disposal. Now he's Gruden's guy again.

Maybe it'll be that way for Garcia.

Don't count on it.

Because Garcia won't sit back and take it.

This isn't Chris Simms, who kept silent as long as humanly possible.

Garcia will make noise.

He has already done some complaining.

Some think it sounds like whining.

I think it sounds like honesty.

And Jonny G doesn't like that at all.

Ask Simeon Rice.

"In all fairness, a lot has happened," Gruden said of Garcia. "He's not the same quarterback right now that he will be. I hope a week off will do that."

Do you really think he hopes that?

Yeah, same here.

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