Taking care of football is paying off

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
Published September 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Brendan Fitterer | Times] Phillip Buchanon hauls in a pick, one of three the Bucs had against the Rams last week.

TAMPA - You hear it all the time in the NFL: take care of the football and winning will take care of itself.

If you're looking for a singular reason for the Bucs' early turnaround, it's their turnover ratio.

After three games, Tampa Bay is plus-3 in giveaway/takeaways, which ties them for third in the league with Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Seattle.

Not surprisingly, all of those teams have winning records, and the top two in the league - Dallas (plus-7) and Indianapolis (plus-5) - are undefeated. Combined, the top six teams in turnover ratio are 16-2.

"You can do all the NFL Network watching you want, and people will say, 'This is the No. 1 offense,'" coach Jon Gruden said. "... But when you really bite into statistics, the turnover ratio says a lot."

The biggest difference has been the play of quarterback Jeff Garcia, who has two touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception in 65 attempts.

This time last season, Chris Simms had thrown one touchdown and been intercepted seven times. The Bucs were 0-3.

"One of the things we've always liked about Jeff Garcia is his ratio of interceptions per attempt," Gruden said. "Touchdowns vs. interceptions. He's one of the best that's ever played the game. Forget about being the best that's ever played here. He's one of the best that's ever played football. That's hard to coach.

"We turned it over seven times in the first three games last year. Well, guess what? We lost all three games. We haven't thrown an interception yet, and we've had a chance to win all three games. If you can collect interceptions and stay away from them, you've got a hell of a chance to win."

Gruden challenged his defense to produce three turnovers a game, and the unit has fallen short of that goal. But the defense has produced four interceptions and six fumbles, recovering two.

"It starts up front with us," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "Pressure on the quarterback, pressure on the running game creates turnovers in all aspects - interceptions, fumbles, everything.

"It still can be a lot better."

Although Garcia has been stellar protecting the ball, the Bucs have fumbled five times, losing three, including two by Cadillac Williams.

Another thing remains true: In the NFL, the more turnovers you commit, the more turnover on your roster and coaching staff the next season.

"That's why people make quarterback changes," Gruden said. "And why coaches change ZIP codes."

[Last modified September 29, 2007, 18:07:26]