Bucs' woes are many, but the quarterback isn't one of them

Statistics rarely 'tell the full story of just about anything, but in this case they offer an interesting glimpse into the impact of Byron Leftwich as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For instance, he is the seventh-ranked quarterback in the National Football League. His 80.5 rating is better than Tom Brady, Jay Cutler, Carson Palmer and Brady Quinn. He has been sacked twice - far fewer than Aaron Rodgers (10) and Ben Roethlisberger (six).

I mention this simply as a point of contention for those - and there are more than a few - who think the Bucs' problems can be addressed by a change of quarterbacks. Blaming the 0-2 start on the quarterback would be like blaming the Johnstown flood on a leaky garden hose. Of the things the Bucs need to address right now, the play of their quarterback ranks 11th on a list of 10.

They need a better pass rush.

They need better play in the secondary.

They need to stop the run better.

They need Antonio Bryant to stay healthy.

They need to run the ball more.

They don't need to put Byron Leftwich on the bench, even if - as we all know so well - the backup can 'always do better than the guy who is actually playing.

Everyone is suspect when a team is 0-2, and Leftwich hasn't been perfect. I'll tell you something, though. If Jeff Garcia had this guy's toughness, the Bucs might have gone further the past two years instead of collapsing down the stretch when the quarterback came up lame.

"We understand that we've got to find a way to win the game," Leftwich said. "That's the bottom line."

That takes us back to the many problems facing this football team. We've pounded the defense sufficiently for misdeeds in the first two weeks, but the offense has things to clean up, too. The Bucs are supposed to be a running team, but Leftwich has thrown 91 passes in the first two games, including 50 in the game at Buffalo.

He has done this despite an injury that hampered Bryant in the first week and kept the team's top receiver completely out of last Sunday's loss at Buffalo. He is also throwing behind a makeshift offensive line due to injuries.

"No team wants to have that many passing attempts. I don't care if you're a passing team, if you're running the run-and-shoot," Leftwich said.

Fun fact: the combined number of actual NFL passing attempts by Leftwich's two backups - Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman - is, uh, zero.

Leftwich has the respect and trust of his teammates, and he continues to earn that on every snap.

Even the two interceptions Leftwich threw at Buffalo - one of which was returned for a touchdown - were kind of fluky. One came when he was hit while releasing the ball, causing an overthrow that Buffalo safety Donte Whitner turned into a 76-yard touchdown.

The other pick came when receiver Sammie Stroughter had a pass bounce off his hands.

Leftwich also made a veteran's adjustment on a pass to tight end Kellen Winslow in the same game. Winslow was supposed to run a different route but saw an opening and cut his pattern inside the Bills' defender.

Leftwich picked it up. The result was a 42-yard touchdown.

"We've done a good job on offense," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "We were about three or four plays away on offense (against Buffalo)."

And still, I've gotten lots of e-mail from readers who want a change at quarterback. It's a popular topic on message boards and the like. It's an understandable sentiment, I guess, when the Bucs are in a wholesale rebuilding movement like they are now. But you know something? Leftwich is only 29 years old. Who's to say he can't hold on to the job for a while?

He'll never be a smooth passer, what with that painfully slow windup before he releases the ball. It's really not a good idea for him to take off and run, either. He will stand in the pocket, though, and deliver the football where it's supposed to go. He has made mostly good decisions, and there is no reason to think he won't continue to do so.

If people are angry at the 0-2 start, it's easy to see why.

But if they're angry at Leftwich, they're mad at the wrong guy.