QB Jeff Garcia, an eight-year vet with 99 games under his belt, looks to be coach John Gruden’s signal caller. Over his career, Garcia has completed 60.9% of his throws for 20,385 yards. He’s thrown 99 TDs and 73 INTs with a rating of 86.4.Last season, Garcia took over for the injured Donovan McNabb and engineered a late-season winning surge. In eight games, Garcia completed 61.7% of his passes throwing 10 TDs and only 2 INTs. His rating was 95.8.
At the end of the season, he won five straight starts, taking the club into the playoffs and a first round 23- 20 win over the NY Giants in the Wild Card contest. The club then lost in the divisional play offs 24- 27 to New Orleans.
Chris Simms had been the starter for the Bucs in 2005 and 2006. Simms was injured in 2006 in the third game of the season and had to have his spleen removed. He was out the rest of the time. Tampa Bay suffered through a 4- 12 season, with three of the team’s loses coming under Simms. The young QB signed a two-year extension in December.
Gruden noted in mid-June that “If you want to catch up to Jeff Garcia, our young quarterbacks have a lot of work to do.”
Garcia is a capable leader who has been a three-time Pro Bowler. Garcia is said to be having a good spring. The vet is familiar with the shotgun, which Gruden is using for the first time. This is Garcia’s fifth team in five years.
In 2005, Simms got the Bucs to the playoffs but was struggling mightily in 2006 before he was injured. Simms actually played in the entire Carolina game in which he was injured, going to the hospital later for emergency surgery.
Rookie Bruce Gradkowski started for most of the rest of the 2006 season, completing only 54% of his passes, throwing 9 TDs and 9 INTs. He was sacked 25 times and garnered a QB rating of 65.9.
Along with Simms, Garcia and Gradkowski, the Bucs have 10-year vet vet Jake Plummer and former Cleveland back-up Luke McGown in camp. Plummer played for Arizona and Denver and Gruden was extremely interested in him for some time.
Right now, Gruden is indicating that Garcia is his guy.
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