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Whatever 'It' Is, Griese Surely Has It

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 28, 2008

Bucs quarterback Brian Griese took his place in front of a podium during a break from practice in the middle of last week to carry out one of the most important duties a pro quarterback has - the weekly media briefing.

OK. It's not that important. I made that up.

Griese is big news though, as we know, after he threw 67 times for 407 yards in leading the Bucs to an overtime win last week at Chicago. The spotlight tends to find you when you do something like that.

So Griese wandered in and prepared to play parry-and-thrust with the writers and TV reporters. He smiled and opened innocently enough with, "How's everybody doing?"

A couple of guys nodded. No one said much.

No one got away with it, either.

"Man, that was weak," Griese said forcefully. "Let's try it again. How's everybody doing?"

Sir, yes sir! We feel great, sir! Griese wasn't impressed.

"My arm's feeling better than that response," he quipped.

I use this little episode to illustrate one point about Griese: He has more than a trace amount of moxie. Whether it is trading quips with the ink-stained wretches who chronicle the Bucs or translating Jon Gruden's often maniacal bluster into production on the field, Griese seems to have that intangible "it" factor - at least with this organization and this head coach.

Rodgers Handled It

Fun fact: Between 2005, when he tore up his knee, and now, Griese is 7-1 in his past eight games as a starter for the men of pewter. He and Gruden have some undeniable chemistry, so it's tempting to wonder how different this franchise might look had he stayed healthy.

Although he struggled mightily with some of his other teams (most notably the Bears, with whom he couldn't beat out Rex Grossman), he runs Gruden's offense like he was born into it.

He also has been at his best when the pressure is the highest, such as the last two minutes of regulation at Chicago when he drove the Bucs to a tying touchdown. Had he stayed upright back in '05, we might have avoided Gruden's game of "Spin The Wheel, Find A Quarterback."

"I don't really go back," Griese said. "I look at the opportunity we have now."

That opportunity includes a delicious matchup today at Ray Jay with another quarterback whose quiet swagger has turned into one of the best stories of the season.

We know what Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers went through over the summer with the absurdly drawn-out Brett Favre melodrama, but how he dealt with that fallout is a case study in professionalism on and off the field.

"I think they should have a class on how Aaron Rodgers handled this whole situation, I really do," Bucs defensive lineman Chris Hovan said. "I think he's got a bright future ahead of him, but hopefully not this weekend."

Rodgers is seventh in the NFL with a 102.9 passer rating and last week became one of only three quarterbacks since 1970 to throw for more than 500 yards with no interceptions in his first three starts. The other two: Tom Brady and Warren Moon.

"When we have opportunities to sack this guy, we have to take him down," Hovan said. "If not, he finds the second or third option and all of a sudden it's a first down in our territory."

Unlikely Matchup

The mind races a little bit at what might have been today.

This could have been Favre for Green Bay against Jeff Garcia.

It could, shudder, have been Favre under center for the Bucs You would have needed immunization shots against the hype long before now.

You could have envisioned just about any scenario. Except this one.

Rodgers won't make people forget Favre, of course, but he hasn't backed down and we see the results. And for as much as Garcia was yo-yoed this summer, Griese went through the same thing and handled it better. During the Favre circus with the Bucs, Griese wasn't sure he'd even be around here when the season began.

But Garcia slipped up, Griese took over, and, well, there's that moxie thing again. He will make mistakes - three interceptions last week - but he never loses confidence.

"You have to believe you're going to get the job done," he said.

That job has gotten done. And with it comes the answer to Brian Griese's question. The Bucs are winning and that's all one can ask of a quarterback. How's everybody doing?

Doing just fine. The quarterback especially.

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