Columns

Veteran ably fills Bucs' lasting need

By GARY SHELTON, Times Columnist
Published September 21, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times] Luke Petitgout keeps the Jaguars' Pat Thomas away from the quarterback during the preseason.

So far, the new guy looks as if he could cure an old problem.

So far, his ability has made you forget that he came with some questions tagging along.

So far, he has fit into the offensive huddle so well that the biggest concern is his health will not last.

Yep, you can say all of this about Jeff Garcia, newfound treasure.

Or, you can say all of it about Luke Petitgout, primary bodyguard.

They are much the same, these two old pros in search of a new start. Oh, their personalities are as different, as you could imagine. Garcia chatters like an auctioneer, squeezing 70 seconds' worth of words into every minute. Petitgout surrenders sentences with the same reluctance he gives up ground.

Still, they are linked by age, by experience, by newness to the locker room. Most of all, as a quarterback and the tackle who protects his blind side, they are linked by their job descriptions.

Then there is this: So far, the play of both seems to suggest the Bucs might finally have filled their two largest holes.

If it has been a long time since the Bucs had a quarterback, it has been longer since they had a left tackle. In the eight years since Paul Gruber retired, the conga line has included Pete Pierson and Kenyatta Walker, Roman Oben and Derrick Deese, Todd Steussie and Anthony Davis.

Yes, it is early in the season, but so far, Petitgout, 31, looks like a cut above. He has been solid. He has been competitive. More important, he has been healthy.

That is the real concern, isn't it? When Petitgout's back flared up in the preseason, it was easy to wonder how often he would be able to play. For the record, Petitgout says his back is fine.

"He's a silent killer," Garcia says. "Luke doesn't say a whole lot. He has a real mellow tone about him, but you know inside there is a fire and a desire to compete and battle and to win. That's what I like about him. I'm grateful to have a Luke Petitgout on my left side."

For Garcia, 37, it beats having a defensive end on his back. That's the challenge to playing left tackle. Usually, it means you're the guy between the quarterback and the fiercest pass rusher. Carolina's Mike Rucker awaits Petitgout. And the Colts' Dwight Freeney. And the Texans' Mario Williams. And Atlanta's John Abraham. And on and on.

"It's a challenge," Petitgout says. "Aside from tragedy, you're not going to face more of a challenge in your life than in the NFL world."

In other words, if you have come to think of Garcia as a treasure, think of Petitgout as the man protecting it.

"He's one of the elite left tackles in the league," teammate Davin Joseph said. "He's consistent, he's smart and he has a mean streak. A lot of times you think of left tackle as a passive guy because he has to play against all of these finesse ends. But Luke is one of the nastier left tackles in the game."

Given the problems of the past at left tackle, nasty sounds good. So does consistent.

"He doesn't make mistakes," coach Jon Gruden said. "He doesn't jump at the initial move. He's rarely out of position. He's not a basket case."

Ah, high praise. But if Petitgout is this good, why did the Giants let him go? Cap reasons? Health reasons? Talent reasons?

Frankly, a lot of Giants fans wanted to know that, too. Five months afterward, in a particularly classless move, general manager Jerry Reese fired back at those who had criticized him for releasing Petitgout.

"People act like Petitgout was the second coming," he said in July. "He never made the Pro Bowl, and I don't think he ever was a first alternate. Now all of a sudden he's the savior? That's ridiculous. I don't think we're that bad off without Luke Petitgout. He was not a star left tackle. Luke has been a marginal player for a long time."

Not so, says one of the players who knows him best.

"That was an unnecessary slap in the face," former Giants running back Tiki Barber said. "Anyone who starts that many games isn't a marginal player. That was irresponsible and mean. Luke was a fighter. He was one of the guys you could depend on."

For the record, Barber and Petitgout started together for seven seasons. Over that time, Tiki gained 9,512 yards. He says "about half" of those were because of Petitgout. Despite that, Petitgout now has a locker next to Ronde Barber, Tiki's brother.

Even now, Petitgout shakes his head at Reese's comments.

"I thought it was kind of strange," he said. "That's the way it goes. It doesn't make me look any worse. He already cut me. He can say what he wants. It makes him look worse."

That's the thing about playing left tackle. Sometimes, you have to absorb the punishment. Sometimes, you have to block out the questions.

So far, it seems to be working. So far, the only worry is Petitgout's back.

And, after that, Garcia's.

Gary Shelton can be reached at (727) 893-8805.

[Last modified September 20, 2007, 23:00:29]