If healthy, Griese will get the call at QB

Coach Jon Gruden says he is more worried about the Bucs winning than getting extra reps for Chris Simms.

By RICK STROUD
Published December 30, 2004

TAMPA - Chris Simms took all the first-team snaps at quarterback in practice Wednesday. He eagerly will do the same today.

It's just a tease.

By the time the corks are popped on the New Year's Eve champagne , the party likely will be over for Simms.

Barring complications to offset the healing of his right foot sprain, Brian Griese will start against the Cardinals in the season finale Sunday.

The reason? There's more to breaking in a new quarterback than putting his name on the lineup card.

"People think I'm stunting his development, maybe I don't know a damn thing about quarterbacks," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "People just keep crossing their fingers, they might just get what they desire.

"It's not like Griese has been here 10 years now. The guy has played 10 games. We need to keep getting him going and I want to keep the offense going as well. When you do make a change from a right-hander to a left-hander, when you make a change at quarterback, it's not like changing clothes or changing shoes. Okay? It's changing playcalling, it's changing protection. It's changing your whole life. So, yeah, in certain ways, I agree with you (about playing Simms). But in certain ways, you've got to be realistic and you've got to be careful. That's all."

Griese has strained ligaments in the bottom of his right foot and says he is unable to plant and throw.

Against Carolina, he aggravated a right hip strain, but said that injury won't prevent him from playing. When asked if he will start against the Cardinals, even Griese wouldn't speculate.

"I don't know. I really don't know. Each day it keeps getting better," he said. "Hopefully, it'll continue to do that. But I've never had this injury. I don't know how fast it's going to come back."

But Gruden seems confident that Griese will be under center Sunday. In fact, there already have been several occasions this season that Griese has been unable practice during the middle of the week but still played.

"(Simms) is going to get what he deserves. Okay? He's not going to get any charity appearances because this game is the final game of it-doesn't-matter," Gruden said. "We're going to continue to get Brian Griese ready to be great, and when Chris Simms earns the opportunity, he'll play, whether it's because of injury or performance. But we're working with Chris very hard. A lot of people don't see that. I'm encouraged by his progress. I consider him a threat next year to win the job. I'm not going to say anything else except whoever earns the right to play will play in any regularseason game."

Ironically, Gruden twice selected Simms over Griese earlier this season. Simms replaced Brad Johnson just 15 plays into the Week 2 game against Seattle. And when Johnson was benched, it was Simms who got the start at New Orleans three weeks later.

"It would be great for me, just to get out there again and get that experience," Simms said. "I really haven't played a full game yet. Maybe two quarters or three quarters if you add it all up.

"Being out there is different. Just knowing for the fact that next year, okay, I've been out there. Like Seattle, I'd never been in a real game, so I was wondering what is was going to be like out there."

On the surface, it would appear that Griese has very little to gain by playing. He is third in the NFC with a 97.5 quarterback rating, and his completion percentage (69.3) percent is second in the league.

"I don't necessarily have anything to prove," Griese said. "It's a matter of I'm not the only guy on this team. There's a lot of guys each and every week that go out there and put their health on the line, they play hurt, banged up and I was one of them. This game is no different. If I'm able to go out there and play and be effective, then I should go out there and play and be effective. But it's unfair to say one guy should sit out and 10 other guys should not.

"I've always prided myself on being able to go out there and play with injuries and fight through the pain, but it's different if you're going to hurt your team, and that's the last thing I want to do," Griese said.

[Last modified December 30, 2004, 00:39:11]