Buccaneers: Five things to know | 
Prisco
LAKE BUENA VISTA -– At this time last year, Jeff Garcia was thinking his football-playing days would come to an end after the 2006 season, maybe a broadcasting career or a front-office job with an NFL team next up in his future.
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| Jeff Garcia is 'feisty, he's very aggressive,' according to Bucs receiver Maurice Stovall. (AP) |
Never did he imagine a year later he would be a starter again in the NFL, this time running the offense for the quarterback-abusing Jon Gruden in Tampa Bay.
"I was pretty much to the point where I didn't know if there were any more opportunities to compete for a starting spot," Garcia said. "I was really looking at it as potentially my last year of playing. The two years before that were tough. It wasn't fun for me anymore. But then I got a chance to play."
That chance came when McNabb went down with a knee injury and Garcia played the Eagles into a division title and the playoffs. He did so with a fiery style that won over Eagles fans, some who actually wanted Garcia in and McNabb out after he went 5-1 in his regular-season starts and won a playoff game against the New York Giants.
Forget that.
McNabb is the Eagles' franchise passer, and even if Garcia did play well in his relief role, the best he could really have imagined was backing up again in Philadelphia.
But the Eagles weren't interested in bringing him back. That's how he ended up as the new quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the latest passer to take on coach Gruden's maniacal ways. He becomes Gruden's eighth starting quarterback since the coach came to Tampa in 2002.
| Community Focus | |
 One man vs. One fan | |
Bucnjim: "I could see us going 9-7 with a little luck even 10-6. Anything less would mean the end of Gruden and I want to see him finish rebuilding this team into a consistent winner again." |
These two would seem a perfect match. Gruden's West Coast offense, a bastardization that includes far more pre-snap movement than the original scheme, needs a player who can improvise on the run, a competitor that won't accept mediocrity.
Garcia has that knack for turning bad plays into good ones, and don't ever doubt his tenacity. He might not look like a fighter, his red hair and freckles more Ralph Malph than tough guy, but Garcia has already opened the eyes of his new teammates with his competitive ways, which is a quality that Gruden admires as much as any coach in the league.
Coach and quarterback are much the same now in Tampa when it comes to demeanor. Some players can't wait for the on-field theatrics during games that count.
"Jeff is feisty, he's very aggressive," Bucs receiver Maurice Stovall said. "He has that 'let's get after it' attitude in practice. If he doesn't make a throw, you can see him snapping off his chin strap. You can see the competitive ways."
Said veteran receiver Joey Galloway: "Every single play, every snap, every huddle call, he's competing. That's fun to be around. When you see your leaders competing as hard as he does, it commands respect from the rest of the offense."
While Garcia was one of the better comeback stories last season, putting behind him two bad seasons in Detroit and Cleveland, Gruden was forced to play much of the season with a sixth-round rookie at quarterback in Bruce Gradkowski because of an injury to Chris Simms.
| Out of Nowhere Man |
| DT Darrell Campbell |
 Since letting Warren Sapp leave via free agency a few years back, the Bucs have been searching for a quality tackle to replace him. While Jovan Haye is expected to be the starter there, a guy to keep an eye on is Darrell Campbell. He's 6-4, 295-pounds and was on the Bucs practice squad late last season, getting activated for one game. He was a good player at Notre Dame, who some scouts thought could be drafted in 2005, but he blew out his knee during a workout leading up to the draft. With that behind him, Campbell might be ready to push for time. |
| '06 Rewind: DT Anthony Bryant Nowhere fast:  Pete Prisco's defensive lineman touch of death continues (see: Evans, Fred) as he just couldn't resist Tampa Bay's burly run stopper last season. Anthony Bryant was supposed to fill in for the departed Sapp, but became nothing more than practice squad fodder and eventually played for the Lions. He's now in Ravens camp and not expected to make the team. Our apologies in advance, Darrell Campbell. |
| Who is your Out of Nowhere Man? |
That can wipe the offensive genius label away from any coach -- in a hurry. Wasn't it just five years ago that Gruden's boy-wonder status as an offensive play-caller helped the Bucs win their first Super Bowl?
Maybe so, but it's tough to shoot to kill without any live bullets. Gruden's gun has been empty.
Gruden never warmed to Simms, which is why Garcia is now the starter. Simms is still ailing after surgery to repair a ruptured spleen last season, and he's not taking part in all the practices on a regular basis. There is talk he might be cut. That would leave Garcia, Luke McCown and Gradkowski at quarterback.
"Let's just say we can play better at that position," Gruden said.
But why go with a 37-year-old who most thought was done before his relief role last season?
"I think he's a stellar leader," Gruden said. "He's a playmaker. He can make big plays and handle the pressure of being an NFL quarterback. We need his creativity. He can hit all the shots. He can throw it deep. He can scramble for a first down, he can audible. He's someone we're really excited about."
Throughout his entire football career, dating back to college, not getting drafted, going to Canada, signing as a free agent in San Francisco and his failures in Cleveland and Detroit, Garcia has always been doubted.
Too small, they said. The arm strength wasn't good enough. Yet somehow he was able to go to Pro Bowls and rack up over 20,000 yards throwing the football.
Now it's his age that's the question. Garcia doesn't look his age. He's in great shape. But can he hold on for two years, which is the length of the deal he signed with the Bucs? Would you sign a 37-year-old passer?
| Fantasy Focus |
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| QB Jeff Garcia |
 Dave Richard's take: Garcia went from backup to BMOC in Philly after Donovan McNabb went down with an injury last year. The timing was good for him -- he helped the Eagles win the division, then got paid by the Buccaneers in free agency. Garcia is now expected to start for Tampa Bay and run coach Jon Gruden's version of the West Coast offense. The veteran signal caller has done well in similar offensive schemes and should be a candidate to put up some nice stats as the Bucs aren't expected to blow out many opponents. Tack on an underrated offensive line in front of him, and Garcia has some potential to be at least a backup for the astute owner. |
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It's risky, to say the least.
Is he the guy who looked washed up in Cleveland or is he the gunslinger who helped the Eagles get to the playoffs? If you say the first one, so be it. Garcia will just use it as motivation.
"It does drive me," Garcia said. "It gets old but it does motivate me in some ways. It helps keep the fire burning. It helps push through the monotony of training camp knowing that people are again doubting me."
I am one of the doubters. But Garcia looked sharp during the training-camp workout I watched, and his teammates and Gruden all seem to think he's the right guy for their offense.
If not, Garcia might be headed to the broadcast booth next year and Gruden could be headed out.
"Hopefully, if things go well this year and I stay healthy, who knows when the time to walk away will come," Garcia said. "Hopefully, it's four or five years down the road."
It's the G-men to the rescue in Tampa Bay.
Garcia and Gruden, quarterback and coach. Let the fireworks begin.
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