That's good. Now what else can you give, Garcia?
By GARY SHELTON, Times Columnist
Published October 14, 2007
So far, he has been more than advertised. And at this point, the Bucs have to ask for more still.
Say this for Jeff Garcia: He knows how to say hello.
In five games, he has seized control. His presence in the huddle has been greater than anticipated. His arm has been stronger. His competitiveness has been greater. In five games, you have seen why Jon Gruden wanted Garcia so desperately.
And now comes the next question: Gee, Jeff. What else do you have?
This is the way the world works. A man shows his strengths, and the next thing you know, you're asking him to carry a team. A man shows he can make a few plays, and shortly thereafter, you're asking him to make all of them.
As for Garcia, the season is in his hands. And on his arm and on his feet and in his head. As far as his knees, well, don't even bring those up.
And so it goes. As of today, when the Tampa Bay Garcias play the Tennessee Titans, he is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he is the Bucs' only hope.
If the Bucs are going to make a better-than-expected start turn into a pretty good season, it is up to Garcia.
When the offensive huddle is held together by duct tape and spackle, who else is there? The Bucs have lost their best running back, Cadillac Williams. They have lost their second-best running back, Michael Pittman. They have lost their icon of a running back, Mike Alstott. They have lost their left tackle, Luke Petitgout. Poor Garcia. Just about the time he was learning everyone's name, the faces have all changed.
Imagine what it must be like to be Garcia. He has just arrived in town, and he probably has boxes that have yet to be unpacked. Whenever his best receiver, Joey Galloway, runs downfield, he is surrounded by so many players that he must marvel at the concept of quintuple coverage. Because Petitgout is injured, the Bucs must play more tight ends, which means his options are reduced. And it means Donald Penn is guarding his spine.
Oh, yeah, and the offense seems to be sputtering.
As soon as you get a minute, Jeff, could you tend to that?
"I think this will be a game where there is going to be a lot riding on my shoulders," Garcia said. "That's just the way it is. I know I have to be very sharp, very on top of my game, very ready to understand what they're trying to do defensively. Hopefully I can be in a place mentally and physically where I can take advantage of some opportunities and be ready to strike. That's all I can ask of myself."
Ah, that's okay. The rest of Tampa Bay will take care of the asking-for-more part.
After all, Garcia has been so good so far. A quarterback has never hit town running the way Garcia has. In five games, he has a rating of 103.6, and he has yet to throw an interception. If you are looking for a difference between this Bucs team and the one that was 1-4 last year, he is where you start.
Still, it is hard to be an orchestra leader when the guys who play the instruments keep leaving on carts.
For the Bucs, Garcia has never been more important, and he has never had less proven help.
If Garcia wanted to grumble about it all, it would be understandable. Bucs quarterback coach Paul Hackett says he has been around a lot of veteran quarterbacks who would say the right things in public but once in the meeting rooms would talk loud and long about the situation.
"With Jeff, it never comes up in conversation," Hackett said. "Take last week, when Donald Penn was starting his first game in Indianapolis across from Dwight Freeney. You never heard a peep from Jeff.
"No matter what happens, he has the attitude of, 'I can handle this.'"
The Titans, it should be said, are a lot to handle. They're fifth in the NFL in defense, third against the run.
For Tampa Bay, however, this is a critical intersection in the season. This is the point where the Bucs enter the portion of the schedule where they are going to play a lot of teams in roughly the same situation as they are.
Tennessee? Detroit? Jacksonville? Arizona? Atlanta? Washington? San Francisco? New Orleans? Carolina? Pretty much, all of them seem to be pick-'em games. A couple of those teams are going to rise above the herd to have pretty good years. A lot aren't.
Consider this: the Bucs have been 3-2 in eight seasons over their history. Six times, they've finished with losing seasons.
If these Bucs are going to be different, today would be a good time to make such a statement.
The microphone is in Garcia's hands. The season, too.