Garcia: no bench for me

Jeff Garcia has made no effort to hide his intentions since arriving in Tampa Bay.

He is here to be the starting quarterback -- end of story. He knows he has to win the quarterback battle, but he doesn't have any thought about losing that fight.

He said as much this morning when we accompanied him to a gathering of local businesspeople where he was the featured speaker.

"As much as I’m a 37-year-old quarterback standing here who’s not that big or fast, it doesn’t matter," he said. "I don’t even think about that. I bring an emotion that is unmatched -– except maybe by (coach) Jon Gruden. I know the starting job isn’t given to me but I plan to compete. I know I have what it takes to be the starting quarterback here."

Part of the reason Garcia is so hungup on winning the job is because he can't stand the thought of sitting on the sideline. Been there done that in Philly.

"Even though we were winning (last year in Philadelphia), it was different being on the sideline," he said. "It wasn’t anything I showed in the locker room or with my teammates. I wasn’t a problem or anything. It’s just that I wasn’t having fun playing the game anymore. I was not enjoying it."

That changed when Garcia took over for Donovan McNabb in November and was "resurrected."

Read more about Garcia in tomorrow's paper. He also touched on the reshaping of the roster during the offseason and talked about how far he thinks the Bucs can go this year.