No joke: Trust in Garcia to make the right call

This week's electronic conversation between Sports columnists John Romano and Gary Shelton:

By GARY SHELTON and JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnists
Published December 2, 2007

JR: You are Jon Gruden. A rounder, poorer, virtually fossilized version of Jon Gruden. You can essentially wrap up the NFC South today if you beat the Saints. Or you could possibly torpedo an entire season if Jeff Garcia gets hurt because he's favoring his bad back. Do you let him play?

GS: Not only do you ask an interesting question, you do so in a particularly insulting manner. I'm proud of you. If I'm Gruden, I talk to every doctor and trainer I can find. In the end, Gruden has to trust Garcia to tell him how he feels. Knowing Garcia, he will want to start. Especially when he sees game tapes of the New Orleans secondary.

JR: Gruden was in a similar position in 2002. With the Bucs fighting for a first-round bye and homefield advantage, Brad Johnson sat out the final two games of the regular season with a lower back injury. Remind me again how that worked out?

GS: It convinced the rest of us that the Bucs couldn't go very far without Johnson. With Garcia, we know that already. Surely, you aren't saying all back injuries are the same? Surely, you aren't saying this Bucs team is as good as that one, are you?

JR: No, and stop calling me Shirley.

GS: Wow, I guess I am old. I can remember all the way back to when that joke was funny. But you do make a point. If Garcia plays today, don't you think there will be a "wanted" poster with Garcia's face on it in the New Orleans locker room?

JR: Based on the way the Saints have played this season, they'd probably be better off with a "help wanted" poster. And I'm sorry about the 1980s joke. After your Tommy Chong quip last week, I should have realized you prefer 1970s jokes.

GS: I love old jokes. The Saints cornerbacks, for instance. And their safeties. It's amazing to me that New Orleans did so little to address a bad defense in the offseason. So, if the Bucs have to score 27 to win, can they do it?

JR: No. It's rare when they score that many points with a healthy quarterback and rarer still on the road. Like always, I think you have to depend on the defense to keep the score manageable. So I'll turn the question around. If the Bucs score 20, can they still win?

GS: Yes, they can. I don't think the Saints will run a lot, and I like this Bucs secondary. If the Bucs can control the ball, if they can get a turnover or six, I'll take my chances with 20.

JR: Tampa Bay's defensive line has certainly stepped up the past two weeks. Has it seen the light or just bad guards and centers?

GS: Maybe it's a little bit of both. Consider this: Detroit has given up 47 sacks this year. The Saints have given up only eight, which is best in the NFL. The Saints used to give up eight sacks a year to Simeon Rice, back before he was on his Please-Cut-Me tour.

JR: Simeon always talked about being from another planet. He might have to return there to find a job.

GS: It would be a shame if Rice's career ended like this. Then again, most careers do. Except for Jake Plummer's, of course. Do you think Jake can suit up Sunday?

JR: I think Jake could get off the couch and still be the second-best quarterback on the roster. And that's not a compliment.

GS: Actually, that might be the nicest thing anyone ever said about Plummer. If Garcia doesn't play, do you stick with Bruce Gradkowski, or give Luke McCown a shot?

JR: We know what Gradkowski can do. We saw it last year, and we got a frightening flashback last week. Maybe McCown has an even higher stink factor, but it's worth finding out.

GS: It was interesting how secretive Jon Gruden was about which guy he would play. If you were the Saints' defensive coordinator, would there be any difference in how you would play them? Do you laugh at one and make fun of the other?

JR: Kind of how the boss refers to us, huh?

GS: Yeah, if you factor in the constant sobbing.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 17:10:21]