'He's unbelievable'

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

Jeff Garcia's grit and hard-nosed style of play is exactly what the Bucs needed from their quarterback. That style also has coaches and teammates holding their breath.
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times] Jon Gruden has conceded he can do nothing to prevent Jeff Garcia from diving for first downs. [James Borchuck | Times (2006)] Quarterback Chris Simms, who suffered a ruptured spleen last season, doesn't like to see Jeff Garcia put himself in danger.

He was knocked out of the game at Seattle after getting his bell rung. He took a blow to the head the next week while scrambling against New Orleans.

Last week, he had his helmet ripped off after leaving the pocket and returned to the huddle with his mouth dripping blood.

But Jeff Garcia refuses to slide. Each game, the Bucs quarterback has tacklers clinging to him like kids on a Busch Gardens ride.

It drives coach Jon Gruden crazy. And it causes his teammates to hold their collective breath. They all know that an injury to their 37-year-old quarterback would result in another type of slide - in the standings.

"I worry about him. I've said that," Gruden said. "He has blood coming out of his mouth. (I asked,) 'Blood coming anywhere else out of you, Jeff? You all right?' He's unbelievable."

Today, Garcia faces a Panthers defense that last year sent quarterback Chris Simms to the hospital with a ruptured spleen.

But expect to see more of Garcia's win-at-all-cost style that has helped turn the Bucs around.

"If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing," Garcia said of his risky runs. "Because it's all about getting that first down and moving the chains."

What do his coaches and teammates think of his risky business? Let's call it a mixed bag.

The head coach

Nobody understands what a house of cards the Bucs quarterback position is better than Gruden. And he spent the offseason trying to stockpile players at that position. Why else would he fly to Idaho to try to talk Jake Plummer out of retirement?

Gruden has had eight starting quarterbacks since he arrived in Tampa Bay, and none of them has fit his criteria as well as Garcia, who can make plays with his feet, his arm and his head.

What Gruden needs now, coming off a 4-12 season, is for his quarterback to go wire to wire.

He's already conceded there's nothing he can do to prevent Garcia from diving for first downs. He's not sure he wants to.

"I just wish you guys could see the look in his eyes on the field," Gruden said. "I know he's taking that out to our huddle. I know he's putting those eyes on those guys in the huddle, and I know it had something to do with the way they're playing.

"That's what this franchise needed. We needed a guy that has that kind of grit, that kind of determination, and he has talent to go with it. You see the great competitor in him. He's never going to quit on a play, and that's a credit to him. That's one of the reasons that we have a chance."

The running back

Veteran players such as Michael Pittman probably value Garcia the most. On third down, it's Pittman's job at times to pick up blitzing linebackers or chip on defensive linemen. When he misses, he knows Garcia is going to pay for it.

On the other hand, Garcia has proven to be one of the best at checking the ball down to his running backs, and Pittman already has nine catches, which puts him on pace for nearly 50 this season. Often, Pittman is Garcia's third or fourth read.

"The only thing I would probably tell Jeff is, 'Just slide. Don't go headfirst,'" Pittman said, echoing the sentiment. "Because we need the guy for the whole year. If we lose Jeff, that would be a big loss, and hopefully that never happens. But he's definitely a big key to this offense and the key to our success right now."

The former starting quarterback

It was one year ago last week that Simms suffered a ruptured spleen after taking a beating from the Panthers.

He spent a week in the hospital and lost about five pints of blood. For the next three months, he had trouble walking, much less throwing a football.

But Simms knows Garcia can protect himself because he's been doing a decent job of it for nine seasons. Meanwhile, Simms has missed 17 games because of injury since 2004.

"As a quarterback and as his teammate, you hate to see him take any big hits and put himself in danger," Simms said. "But it's the way he plays, and you've got to give him credit for it.

"Carolina is a physical defense, and they've got a lot of big, fast athletes. But our young offensive line is playing well, and hopefully we won't have any of those situations like we did last year."

Any advice for Garcia?

"Protect your spleen," Simms said.

The receiver

Ike Hilliard is still learning how to stay alive on plays for Garcia.

None of the quarterbacks the Bucs have had under Gruden - Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Simms and Bruce Gradkowski - could make as many plays after leaving the pocket as Garcia can.

The Bucs receivers still have to work on scramble drills to learn how to come back for the football if a play breaks down, Hilliard said.

"I don't worry about him so much because he has a great feel for the pocket," Hilliard said. "He can have a great sense for what's going on around him. He hasn't taken any big shots, with the exception of when he decides to leave (the pocket) and run with the football, because he doesn't slide.

"That's when I get a little nervous. While he's moving around, I think he has a throw-first mentality. That one shot in Seattle, we just lost a lot of stuff up front, and he was in a vulnerable position. We try to peel off and get some guys off of him just because he's our (quarterback) and he has this thing about sliding."

Then Hilliard smiled. "But, I mean, he's one tough b------."

The offensive lineman

Jeremy Trueblood has mixed emotions. He wants to protect Garcia at all costs, but the Bucs quarterback is an offensive lineman's best friend.

Garcia has only been sacked four times this season, which is a minor miracle considering he's been shaken out of the pocket more than loose coins.

The difference is that when Garcia scrambles, he is looking to pass first and run second. He only has six rushing attempts for 12 yards.

"Well, he's different from a lot of other quarterbacks, obviously," Trueblood said. "You've witnessed that the past three weeks watching him get away from some of those guys. Even I look at it and I'm like, 'Thank you.'"

Offensive linemen love it when their quarterback will mix it up. Last week, when running back Cadillac Williams reversed field on a run, Garcia threw his body at Rams defensive end Leonard Little to clear the way.

"I've seen him out there, he's busting his butt," Trueblood said. "I've got a lot of faith in that guy. That's all we can ask for.

"It's a lot different than anything I've ever experienced. With him, I always expect him to get up. He's a tough guy."

The quarterback

Ask Garcia if he would be better served not to play so recklessly and he looks at you as if you're nuts.

As Garcia is quick to point out, he's not wired like most quarterbacks. This is a guy who had to spend several years in Canada proving himself before the NFL gave him a look.

Besides, Garcia said, he has had a good record of durability, starting 61 straight games for the 49ers.

"If you look back to my San Francisco days, I played the same way and at one point had started 60-plus games in a row before a rolled-up ankle kept me out of three games," Garcia said. "Yeah, I've had some unfortunate injuries along the way that have knocked me out for a time here or there, and that's just the unfortunate physicalness of the league. But that can happen within the pocket. I think my game, my energy level, you can't contain that or restrain that. You can't restrict that because that would take away from me.

"I think when you start to think about (injuries) and you have a cautious mind-set, that's really when injuries do tend to take place," Garcia said. "... I just play the way that I play. It showed in Philadelphia. I felt great, and I was playing with energy and excitement and enthusiasm and doing whatever I had to do to help the team win, and that's really the key to my staying healthy and having success."

[Last modified September 29, 2007, 18:35:16]