Buccaneers.com | News - On the Mend: Injured Garcia Could Return Soon

Head Coach Jon Gruden reiterated on Monday that QB Jeff Garcia has no structural damage in his back

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On the Mend: Injured Garcia Could Return Soon

Dec 03, 2007 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent Week 13 of the NFL season wondering.

Wondering if Jeff Garcia’s bruised lower back would recover in time to play on Sunday. Wondering if one of their two young quarterbacks would be able to keep the offense rolling if Garcia was unable. Wondering if they would be able to take advantage of a golden opportunity to separate themselves from the rest of the NFC South pack.

Garcia’s back is still a central concern as Week 14 begins but, overall, there is a lot less uncertainty regarding the Buccaneers’ fortunes.

Fourth-year passer Luke McCown stepped up marvelously in Garcia’s absence, leading the team to a 466-yard day that ranks as the fifth-best offensive output in franchise history. The last of his 29 completions was a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens that gave the Bucs a 27-23 victory and a commanding lead in the division. And even that one lingering question – Garcia’s health – has a chance to be answered positively this week.

Addressing the media on Monday morning, Head Coach Jon Gruden said that Garcia’s return for next Sunday’s game at Houston is definitely a possibility.

“We’ll see how he feels today and tomorrow,” said Gruden. “The players have tomorrow off; we’ll see how he is Wednesday. We feel like he’s making improvement and that’s a good thing.”

"He’s a needed guy on our football team. We need to win another game. We’re in the fight of our lives to win every Sunday and this week will be no different. If Garcia’s cleared to play, he’ll play."

In the face of reports that Garcia has more than just a deep muscle bruise, Gruden emphasized once again that there is no structural damage to the veteran passer’s back. Garcia is simply sore, and he needs to regain his full range of motion before he steps back in under center.

In his first season as a Buccaneer after signing as an unrestricted free agent in March, Garcia has been magnificent, running up a 96.0 passer rating while leading the team to a 7-4 start. He will obviously reassume the starting duties when he is healthy. However, the Bucs have to be emboldened by the performance of McCown, who hadn’t started a game or played any significant regular-season minutes since his 2004 rookie season in Cleveland.

McCown was unremarkable in a mid-game relief performance at Seattle in Week One. However, he went into the New Orleans contest with a full week of practice with the first-team offense, and that preparation clearly showed. The Buccaneers kept the entire playbook open – even running a modified flea-flicker with McCown and Earnest Graham that they had practiced for months but never used – and McCown ran the offense with confidence. He hit several downfield strikes, bought time with short scrambles and checked down effectively when he had to. It wasn’t a flawless performance – a few quicker throw-aways might have avoided some negative moments, such as the fourth-quarter safety – but it was much better than most teams could have hoped for from a player making his first start of the year.

“There are three or four plays he’ll learn from, and there’s also 10 or 15 plays that he made that not a lot of guys have made around here,” said Gruden.

“He showed a lot of poise. That was a very loud, difficult place to play for any quarterback. They were jacked up. The Saints are at full-strength, getting Charles Grant and [Brian] Young back. I thought he showed tremendous poise and great command, and he also made a lot of plays. Those three things stood out in my mind.”

McCown finished the game with a 108.7 passer rating, throwing for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked three times but he also ran twice for 34 yards, including one 26-yard jaunt that got the ball down to the Saints’ 40-yard line late in the third quarter. That performance surely gives the Bucs added confidence in their contingency plan if Garcia is once again unable to play.

Still, the team’s training staff will make every effort to help Garcia gain clearance for next weekend’s game in Houston. Though the Bucs need to win only one of their last four games to take the NFC South title, Gruden wants to get his offensive leader back on the field as soon as possible. He said that Garcia would not be kept out for one more week simply to give him a little more rest.

“He’s a needed guy on our football team,” said Gruden. “We need to win another game. We’re in the fight of our lives to win every Sunday and this week will be no different. If Garcia’s cleared to play, he’ll play.”