Garcia doesn't expect to play much Sunday

Don't expect to see Jeff Garcia in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers for very long -- if at all.

Since the Bucs have cemented their spot as the No. 4 seed in the NFC and know they will host the New York Giants in a wildcard playoff game, Garcia has been informed by coach Jon Gruden that he and many other starters could use this week as almost a bye to get ready for the post-season.

"I'm preparing like I'm going to play, but he has expressed the possibility of certain guys not being on the field on Sunday,'' Garcia said. "If he chooses to sit me, that's kind of the punch I have to roll with but I'm preparing to be out there and just go from there.''

Backup quarterback Luke McCown is expected to get the majority of reps this week and play most -- if not all -- of the game Sunday.

A year ago, Garcia played one series for the Philadelphia Eagles in the final regular season game after they had clinched the NFC East.

"I was disappointed I didn't get to play more,'' Garcia said.

"It's one of those things because we don't have the luxury of the bye week, coach wants to approach this week somewhat like that with certain veteran players, who he feels need time to rest, to somewhat recover.''

Garcia said he will begin to also prepare this week for the Giants.

Comments

[Clyde]

Hi John,

I agree that this team will not get past the first round of the playoffs. They probably would not have even gotten into the playoffs period if they were not in the NFC South.

And yes you are right, they played horrible against the Texans and 49ers.

In conclusion a team that I really enjoy watching is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Good coaching and good playing on both the offense and defense. I honestly believe that the Jaguars can play with anyone.

[warren]

The jags beat us by one point. We played awful and dominated the statistics. Just because espn has been hailing the jags does not mean they will make it out of the first round, and even if they do, they cannot beat the pats or the colts I think Peyton showed that fact was very clear during the regular season.

[DR]

Warren, you seem to forget that the Jags were playing with their 3rd string QB. The jags have also improved since that game and yes, they can compete against any team in the AFC. They have a ball control offense with their powerful running game and a QB who manages the game well, usually making no mistakes. Ball control is key in the playoffs, especially against high scoring teams.

[Patrick]

Het John...whoever you are and Clyde, I think you are both going to be surprised by the outcome here. I think we will not only make it to the second round but possibly a little further. From there on out I have no predictions but I do feel this team is allot better than most give credit for.

[Tom]

DR, YOU seemed to have forgotten. The Bucs have been playing with their 3rd string RB, practice squad LT and a host of "no-names" like Greg White, Jovan Haye, etc. What's your point? You never really have one.

The Bucs will beat the Giants and most likely face the Cowboys. They have the defense to stop Romo and a deep threat to expose their weak secondary. It will be the Bucs vs. Packers in the NFC Championship game.

[DR]

Patrick, you give no reasoning for it. A 9-7 team in the worst division in football matched up against a team that has won 7 games in a row on the road and from a far better division. To look past the Giants is just plain ignorant. The Bucs lost to teams that are far worse than the Giants and there isn't a team in the NFL that they should look past. They may be underdogs in their own stadium.

[DR]

Tom, you have smoked too much funny stuff this past weekend. You think the Bucs O-line will do good against the Giants pass rush? After getting obliterated and forcing Gruden to pull his QB from the on slaught?
Another thing, EG is a better RB than Caddy. You guys lucked out having Caddy and Pittman get injured to force the big dummy to give the ball toEG. You think the Cowboys didn't battle injuries all season? Their defense has never been at full strength and won't be come playoff time. The Bucs may get by, by the skin of their teeth, against the Giants but they have no chance against the Packers or my 'Boys.
i think reality will set in on the Bucs in a couple of weeks. It will be a harsh reality, worse than what happened 2 years ago.

[Patrick]

DR,

I go on faith! I am a long time Bucs fan and have seen plenty of Bucs football, including our Superbowl year when we weren't supposed to do anything! My point is, you just don't know! Just because we rest our players for the last two games and lose doesn't exactly mean we are one and done. Again, I think you will all be surprised by the outcome, at least that's what I feel! Hey, if I'm wrong you can come back and let me know all about!

[Tom]

If we play the Cowboys, I'm sending Jessica Simpson a ticket for the game.

[Dwayne]

lol tom you are crazy, the 49ers game wasnt even serious i was there sitting in third row behind the bucs bench and the the usual starters on the sideline werent happy to be there but they knew thye couldnt risk any more injuries but i watch garcia on the sidelines he didnt wanna come out he wanted to beat his old team but after stovall went down gruden couldnt risk anymore especially when greg white went down. they were playing a lil slugish and that stadium was loud but we dont play good in the west anyway we coulda won that game if everyone played, i actual almost got in a couple of fights with all the 49er fans around me got tired of me yellin after everything we did but it actually were alot of tampa fans there, but either way this team is way better then played they just were sluggish i watched them a whole 1 hour on the field before the game started, we will get back to winnning form the 49ers played there starters the whole game against 2nd and 3rd string guys and still barely lost, we need to get trotter in some way that man still has alot of fire left once he hit someone they didnt get loose, and he was still fired up on the sidelines. anyway go bucs!!

[Tom]

Dwayne, you're a dedicated fan! I agree, Gruden got really nervous when Stovall broke his arm, Galloway injuring his shoulder and Greg White hurt his leg. We would've pounced them if we wanted to.

However, what concerns me the most was how the O-Line struggled, especially Penn. They need to tighten that up if they want to beat the Giants.