A backup's life

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

TAMPA

For 10 weeks, Luke McCown pretended to be a quarterback he is not.

Learning plays off a grease board in practice, he would imitate Saints quarterback Drew Brees, or Colts quarterback Peyton Manning or Titans quarterback Vince Young.

He would study film of an opponent he would never play. He would mentally digest plays from the Bucs offense he would never run.

As the team's No. 3 emergency quarterback, he was the only player in uniform last week who was inactive.

NFL players know they are only one snap away from being in the game. McCown has been two snaps away for three months now.

"You've got to feel like you've got more to do than just stand around every day," said McCown, who opened the season against Seattle as the No. 2 quarterback but was demoted the following week. "There's times when you get to play Brett Favre in practice, and it gets to be kind of fun."

Until this week, McCown had taken virtually no repetitions in practice since the preseason ended. Then ... boom.

Starter Jeff Garcia suffered a back contusion on the first play of the game last week against the Redskins. And second-year pro Bruce Gradkowski, who made 11 starts as a rookie last year, played so poorly in the victory that an injured Garcia had to finish the game.

That means McCown might be under center today against the New Orleans Saints, his first pro start since he made four as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns in 2004. Or he might not, depending on Garcia's condition.

"It's pro football, and at the quarterback position, it's harder to get guys ready to play at that position than it is another position because of the reps," coach Jon Gruden said. "That's a challenge. You've got to have a guy above the neck that's really sharp, that can stay on line with the game plan. You'd like to have an experienced backup, a guy who's played in the NFL. We don't have that, really."

Backup quarterbacks come in all ages and experience levels. Some are former starters trying to hang on to pro careers. Others are young players a year or two out of college trying to establish one.

They all share the same experience. Something bad has to happen for them to get into the game. A starter has to be injured. Or, at the very least, he has to struggle enough to force a change.

"If you put guys under a lie detector test, anybody who says they don't hope the first guy fails isn't telling the truth," said Steve Clarkson, a quarterback trainer with DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment whose client list includes Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Leinart.

"Some guys are happy to collect checks. If there's a kid playing behind a quarterback who is well-established, for those guys, it's a lot easier to know what their role is. Some are probably thinking, 'Man, I hope I don't play.'"

Even for an experienced player, such as Cowboys quarterback Brad Johnson, 39, the job has its downside.

"It's a tough role," Johnson said. "They say you're one play away, and that's the reality. It's hard because you don't get any reps. Most of the time, the coach is talking to the starter in meeting rooms, so you find yourself leaning over somebody's shoulder trying to get ready to play. You do all the running and lifting and really watching practice. In practice, you work off dummy cards - and those actually hinder you because you get bad habits throwing into coverage because that's what the defense wants you to do."

But sooner or later, the time comes when you have to play. And it can be like stepping off a sidewalk onto the freeway.

Gradkowski experienced that last week. He didn't really think Garcia was hurt until someone told him to grab his helmet. Unfortunately, the radio transmitter was cutting out, so he had trouble getting the calls from Gruden.

"It's definitely a roller coaster. That's the thing," Gradkowski said. "Even this year, you're always on the edge of your seat."

The job is to run the offense and instill confidence in your teammates.

"Controlling your heart rate is important," Johnson said. "The key is not to fumble the first snap. You see it happen many times. The line is used to a different cadence. You've got to get the confidence of players around you pretty quick. If there's an injury, players might wonder if the next guy can play at the same level."

But McCown says players don't want fiery speeches when you step in the huddle.

"I can remember when I was a true freshman in college coming in off the bench and being all fired up in the huddle and saying, 'Let's go!'" McCown said. "And one of the senior linemen said, 'Hey, kid, shut up and call the play.' That's what they want out of a young guy. They want to see you calm and poised and execute the offense."

But a funny thing happens when a new quarterback enters the game: The defense immediately tries to increase pressure.

"They're going to say, 'You see this strong safety blitz? What are you going to do about it?'" Gruden said.

McCown has spent 2 1/2 years waiting for his chance to start for the Bucs, watching his reps and his reputation diminish. Today could be the day.

Unless Garcia wakes up this morning and says he's ready to go.

"It's always fun to play," McCown said. "Winning is what you want to do. But you play the game because you love it. You play the game because you want to compete and you want to win. That's why you work so hard your whole life - to get to play."

Luke McCown by the numbers

NFL starts

4

Attempts/completions

102/49

Yards

608

Touchdowns

4

Interceptions

7

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 16:51:53]