Garcia Questions Decision, But Vows To Keep Working

Jeff Garcia knows he left some plays on the field Sunday. He's just not sure he left enough to warrant losing his job as the Bucs' starting quarterback.

"Having only played one game, I would have liked to have been given a chance to battle through whatever I'm going through," said Garcia, who spoke Thursday for the first time since learning he had been benched in favor of Brian Griese. "I mean, there are some quarterbacks out there that played worse than I did last week."

The list is an impressive one. It includes Eli Manning, Carson Palmer and Matt Hasselbeck. Not one of them has been replaced as their team's starter. Of course, none of them went through the kind of offseason and preseason Garcia did.

It started, the 2008 Pro Bowl quarterback revealed Thursday, with a lower back problem that crept up early in the offseason. Then came the contract squabble over a million dollars in lost bonus money.

By the time the Brett Favre saga finally reached its conclusion near the end of training camp, Garcia was dealing with a debilitating calf strain. Later, he sustained a sprained right pinkie.

All that, Garcia said, prohibited him from, at first, focusing and, later, practicing as much as he needed to before the start of the season. It's that lack of practice time that is really at the heart of this change.

"I'm really one of those guys who needs practice," Garcia said. "I definitely need reps. And unfortunately, because of the things that have taken place, I went into the opener with just two solid weeks of practice instead of six."

It didn't always show. Garcia did complete 24 of 41 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown in the opener. But he also missed several open receivers and forced a throw that resulted in a game-sealing interception.

Now Garcia must find a way to get the work he needs while getting, at best, second-team practice reps. He admits that won't be easy, but he is confident he can regain his form despite dealing with a minor ankle problem.

"The ankle, I feel like it's healing up fast," said Garcia, who returned to practice Thursday in a limited capacity. "It was one of those things where I just rolled my ankle, and it was stiff on Monday.

"It got better as the week progressed, and I feel like it's at a point now where if I were the starter I would have been able to practice Wednesday and Thursday. But that's not the situation."

Garcia said he remains committed to helping the Bucs win. While he clearly is unhappy with Coach Jon Gruden's decision to remove him as the starter, he said it hasn't destroyed their relationship.

"The relationship is not fractured," Garcia said. "We've had some good talks, some good meetings. As much as this is difficult to take, we're going to work through this together and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to better myself.

"I don't know if Coach just believes that because of things that have stockpiled it seems to have taken away from the edge I normally have on the field, or what. But if that's what he believes, then I need to do my best to get that back and prove to him that it's there."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be

reached at (813) 259-7979