Chucky Chalk Talk

Bucs coach Jon "Chucky" Gruden on today's opponent, the 49ers:

On receiver Terrell Owens:

"He's a beast after the catch. He is a great inside route runner and has a physical presence. We have to limit the yardage after the catch. We obviously have to do a great job defending No. 81."

On the 49ers secondary:

"I think the Niners secondary has been criticized by a lot of people. But what I see on tape, and I saw them play against the Green Bay Packers, they play pretty darn good in the secondary. You know they've only given up, in my opinion, three throws of over 40 yards all season long. I think that leads the NFL. They've given up a couple throws here and there, but (Ahmed) Plummer is a young guy, and when he's on, he's on."

On quarterback Jeff Garcia:

"It was pointed out that Jeff worked out for me (in Oakland) and I remember him going to San Francisco and I obviously didn't do a very good job of evaluating that workout. I applaud Jeff Garcia personally after competing with him in previous employment. I think he's a great player, a truly great football player. He's an unbelievable competitor and very talented and I let him know that I certainly missed on that evaluation."

On making sure Owens doesn't provoke players into personal fouls:

"Yeah, I think you do. There are certain players, more than others, that have explosive personalities. When the juices start pumping and the band starts playing, sometimes emotions flare at different levels. I'm sure Terrell is one of those guys. What a great performer he is."