GM Allen addresses Garcia, Graham

General manager Bruce Allen took a few minutes following Wednesday's workout to address talks regarding the contracts of quarterback Jeff Garcia, running back Earnest Graham and others.

Garcia has been outspoken about the lack of progress on talks for a contract extension and even hinted Tuesday he could miss some off-season practices. He has one year left on his contract that includes a $2-million base salary.

Allen said he wasn't concerned that Garcia has vented his frustrations in public.

"Each player has to handle his business how he sees fit,'' Allen said. "I've had plenty of dialogue with all of the representatives of our players and (with) our players and I know what their feelings are.'

""Jeff, for the last five years -- it's been well-documented -- he's been with five teams. I know he enjoyed the great success with coach Gruden and wants that to continue. That's not bad news, that's good news. We've got seven months to free agency and we've got plenty of time. But our focus is we have 70 days to training camp and we want to get our best 80 players ready.''

One player who is staying away from the Bucs' off-season workout program is running back Earnest Graham, who rushed for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 starts last season. Graham is in the final year of his contract and apparently not satisfied with negotiations.

"Earnest performed well for us last year and he wasn't at most of the off-season program last year,'' Allen said. ""He's a young man that takes care of himself and I'm sure he'll be prepared.'

Garcia has suggested that the slow pace of talks may begin to wear on him mentally. Allen said that can be a concern.

""All the players, their state of mind is a concern,' Allen said. ""What we're trying to do is get ready to win some football games. We're focused on the upcoming season and we're hoping all the players are focused on that.'

Comments

[Tim]

What a CROC. Garcia is old and I don't think he is great, but he should be paid better if he is to be the starter. Earnest Grahm has been waiting in the wings for several years and finally got his chance and made a big impact. He really needs to be paid what he showed that he is worth or he will find another team that will, just like Jones and Stecker and quite a few others.

[Caleb]

Garcia had a so-so season and is 39. He must be joking if he honestly thinks he's worth anymore then $2 mil. 13 TDs qualifies for more money? HAH!

As for Graham, he is the product of running behind a magnificent offensive line. Put Kenneth Darby in there and he would have had equal or similar production. There are plenty of FA backs that could run behind the Bucs O-line and find terrific success for the Vet Minimum.

[Chad]

Yeah Graham definitely deserves to be paid but I have a hard time rationalizing more money for Garcia when he is only a temporary solution! If Garcia is gone tomorrow I think Griese could step in and perform just as well, if not better. Jeff should just be happy that he's getting some playing time, I can't think of many teams in the league that he would be the starter.

[Ray F]

I heard a guy named Favre is available.

I don't see where Garcia has any leverage. He was average at best when playing and he plays on a team with 5 or 6 other QBs. Food for thought, Jeff.

You are the most replacable quarterback in the NFL right now.

[max]

They both have contracts. Jeff and Earnest, show some class and honor your contract. Greedy men playing a boys game. Unbelievable.

[Stephen Blackehart]

Listen, $2m may sound like a lot to you and me, but it's pretty skimpy for a starting NFL quarterback, no matter what your other opinions of him might be. Secondly, Garcia has said in his previous interviews that this isn't so much about the amount of money as it is about the length of the contract. He wants to finish out his career here. What's that, 3-4 years? 5, maybe? He's in pretty good shape, especially at his apparently extreme age (I'm 40, so it always freaks me out a little to hear people talk about a 37-year-old as old). I seem to recall going to Bucs games when we had Joe Ferguson at QB, who I believe was in his mid-70s at the time.

These contracts can be built with lots of incentives and voidable years...in fact, that's the normal way it's done. The guy's done all right by us, and he should be able to go into this season feeling like he finally has a home.

I honestly can't believe my eyes when I see people speaking out against Garcia getting just what's normal pay for his position.

[Nate Dogg]

That's the thing, you guys. Garcia has zero leverage. Who the hell else would want ole man Garcia after this upcoming year? Nobody. Well...maybe the panthers...they gave Testaverde a shot this last year, so who knows.

The only leverage Garcia has is the morale of the offense. I don't think any team wants the back-bone of its offense pitching and moaning about not making enough money. Therefore, something must be done in both parties' interest. Give Garcia some kind of bonus so that way he can look into retiring after next year...cuz let's face it...there's no way in hell he's gonna make more than 1 million after this next year.

And Graham DESERVES a raise/extension. No offense to Caleb's post above, but I wouldn't give last year's o-line THAT much credit. No doubt they'll be good, if not great, this year...BUT...I doubt anyone like Darby could just come in and be as productive and reliable as Graham was last season.

Lastly, name a player on the Bucs offense who plays with more heart and passion than Graham.

Let's all come into training camp with smiles on our faces this year, shall we? Taking care of our backbone and our hearts should help us do just that.

Nate Dogg

[Tuck]

Sorry Stephen, but I think that you are WAY off base on this one. Garcia isn't in the last year of a 5-year contract; he's starting the second year of a contract that he signed one year ago. If the money and deal was good for him then, why isn't it now?

Also, I really don't think that Garcia has more than 1-year of starting left in him. His heart says yes, but his body will not hold up.

I know what you mean about hearing about "old" football players, (I'm almost Alstott's age), but we haven't taken the viscous hits that these guys endured. There's age and then there's football age.

[Erick]

You are all out of your minds if you think this team will do anything this year without Graham or Garcia. They both deserve to get paid at least the league average, no matter how old one may be. Try another 4-12 season last year without Garcia. And Bruce needs to stop with the politician answers.

[Skylar]

Garcia should be thankful someone is even interested in his services and Graham should be elated he got a chance to showcase his talents. Garcia played OK last year, but definitely lost the JAX game and was insignificant in the playoff loss. I agree that the O-line made the biggest difference in our offense last year. Big holes for Graham and adequate protection for Garcia. That will only get better with the addition of Faine and Zuttah. It's funny, but I don't see the linemen holding out, yet they're the only ones who it would make sense to do so. Garcia better hold his tongue as Greise was light-out the last time he was a Buccaneer QB!

[Quentin]

"They both have contracts. Jeff and Earnest, show some class and honor your contract. Greedy men playing a boys game. Unbelievable."

It's hard to have too much sympathy for Garcia here. How can you be so upset by a contract that you signed only last year? He signed on to be the starter, and that's how much he signed for. If he thought that the contract was too low for a starting NFL QB, he should have negotiated some sort of escalator clause or signed elsewhere. We need him this year, so a raise isn't out of the question. I wouldn't extend him, though. No offense to him, but I hope we've moved on by next season.

Graham is different story, though. He signed a contract as a special teamer, and he is now our feature back. His promotion warrants a pay raise. The front office is willing to give him one, but he's apparently looking for a blockbuster deal. I think he played like a top-10 back, and I'd love to see him get his due.

Does anybody know how the fines for not showing up for mandatory practice works? Is it a percentage of your salary, or is it a hard number? If it's a flat rate, you have to wonder if Graham can even afford to hold out of training camp.

[Kurt]

Hey Erick, I think that Allen may know a little about football; possibly even more than you? His father is the 4th or 5th highest winning % coach in football history. It runs in the family. Every football guru in the world knows that this franchise is being run efficiently and exceptionally. What if he were to pay these guys right now and they got hurt? Have you thought about that? There's no hurry in getting them signed before the season starts; they are under contract.

BTW - Garcia hurt himself last year by making that boneheaded dive which injured him and is why he didn't reach his incentives. He was held out for medical reasons; not "rest." Graham wasn't complaining when he made $600K to make 15 tackles a season was he? This goes both ways, but let's be a bit more patient as fans and see how it pans out. In the end, we may all be very pleased at the decision making.

[Skylar]

We've got 3 more SEC running backs ready to go if Graham is unwilling! I think an incentive laden contract would be appropriate at this point.

[Quentin]

"Graham wasn't complaining when he made $600K to make 15 tackles a season was he?"

No, he wasn't, because his salary was proportional to his performance compared to the league average for his position. He has now gone from gunner to starting runner, and his pay should reflect that. Runningbacks take more damage than players at any other position, so he's right to insist that glory alone isn't sufficient payment. The front office even says as much, the issue is exactly how much he should make and how long the contract should be. I wish he wasn't holding out, though. It's probably easier to get a deal done when you don't turn it into a confrontation. Nobody wants to be seen to give in, and the front office doesn't want to establish a precedent of giving in to holdouts.

[Kurt]

I see your point Quentin and agree in principle. I still think waiting to sign any contract extensions is a wise move at this point. It's a long offseason and I'm sure Graham will be at the mandatory workouts. If not, they can get busy then. I also agree with Skylar that it should be incentive laden in order to avoid the one-hit wonder pitfall.

[DR]

All I can say is wow, where to start. To call the o-line magnificent? Where is the justification for that? They did improve.
Who cares about Allens dad. There is no relevance. It only helped him get an easy road to where he is now. The job he has done is up in the air. He was close to losing his job last season and probably would have if the Bucs didn't have owners too busy counting their pennies. To say that they are smart b/c they could get hurt, well, they signed a hurt player to a 2 year contract, Simms, which may be one of the worst signings in the 21st century. An absolute waste of money. EG is a great spot. Caddy won't be reliable this year and they really have nothing else.

[ringo]

well said dogg this could be a really exciting year for the bucs and the distractions from two of the most productive players from last season is not a good sign. i for one want garcia and graham to be starting in new orleans, come on front office take care of your work horses. GO BUCS!!!

[Kurt]

No doubt; where to begin? To say that having George Allen, the 3rd winningest coach in pro football history behind Lombardi and Madden, as your father has no relevance to understanding the game of football is at best ludicrous. You don't think that would be a phenomenal resource growing up for knowledge and insight? And then to say that he was close to losing his job last year...where did you make that up from? That's pure speculation and borderline a flat-out lie. Wasn't he in the running for GM of the year last year? Only up in the air for you; not everyone else.

The Simms contract was well below market value for a starter and so will these contracts if the players get hurt; that's why it is wise to wait.

Nothing else at RB but 2 former SEC 3-4 year starters, Dunn and a previous pro-bowl back with world class speed. Furthermore, the O-line deserves major credit for last year's success and will only be better with the addition of Faine and Zuttah. Weren't you the one that said EG was "crappy" last year? So what do you know right? Oh and let's not forget that EG was an undrafted FA, so we shouldn't place too much emphasis on these other players' draft positions right?

Man, what an unisightful hater you are!

[Rob Keen]

Someone needs to mention Eric Rhett's great career move to Ernest Graham. As for Jeff Garcia, he has legitimate concerns over lost incentives for being "rested" in the playoff stretch. Otherwise, Jeff is showing a nasty side other teams have seen before. Allen is a shrewd and frugal GM. The alternative is giving in to emotion and public opinion a-la Rich Mckay( financial disaster). Lead ,follow, or get out of the way Jeff!

[Skylar]

Again, Garcia was not "rested" but held out for medical reasons because he made the decision to dive head-first on the second play of the game which, in essence, cost him the time needed to reach incentives. Don't blame the coaching staff for his errant mistake.

[BTKSTA]

Once again I have to start by saying DR is a tool! I hope the Cowgirls get theri asses kicked this year while our Bucs march back to the Super Bowl. With that wishing over, the Garcia situations is tricky. We do need him this year, but the chance that he can be productive AND healthy for a few more years, especially the way he plays, is slim to none-and slim hit the road. Griese is a good fit in Gruden's system so he is a short term alternative to garcia if he becomes ridiculous in his claims.
Everyone who made the point that he signed a contract last year and shoul dhonor it are right on. The Buc's can put in some additional incentives in his contract, but no way should we give him an expensive long term contract.
Passing on Brohm in the second round looks worse and worse very day huh????

[DV]

Poor guys, how will they survive on the pay checks they get? Word of advice guys... ramen noodles and PB&J. Ride a bike around town too. You can save a ton of cash on gas expenses. Oh wait...

[Wade]

I think everyone should remember a few things. (1) Garcia's predicament: Brian Griese is back, and last time he was here he was efficient and effective (5-1 record before being hurt). *Note to everyone, Chris Simms is a quality person, may end up being a quality quarterback, but he has a lot to prove and the Bucs have invested enough money in him to ask him to come to training camp and show what he can / can't do. (2) Earnest Graham: loved him since he was in college. But he wasn't drafted for a very specific reason, missing top speed. Exactly like our RB rookie we drafted (almost exact size and speed mix). (3) Overall, the bucs have been smart, pay for the players at the positions of need like center where John Wade was simply outclassed last season (he was a steady performer, but an upgrade was welcomed).
Face it, this team is better now then last year. Quit the Gruden and Allen bashing and support your team. I lived in the Central Florida area growing up and we supported the team when they were truly aweful. Stability in coaching and general management leads to success long term. This team is a solid franchise, and you all should be ashamed of yourselves (most of you at least). Be glad you have a team, we don't where I live now (military), and by god there are enough rich people here to buy one. If you don't want your team, they will find a new home.

[Joe D]

I don't feel sorry for any pro athlete. Let'em be a greeter at Walmart for a year so they can experience real life.

On the other hand, can we get a show of hands? Who thinks Bruce is smarmy?

[DR]

Simms has never been and never will be a starter in the NFL. He replaced a far better QB in Griese and all he ever deserved was a low range back up salary, if that. Like an idiot, Allen paid him a well over paid contract despite the fact that Simms didn't throw a ball and he wasn't any good in the first place. What did they sign him for, as trade bait? That really worked out well. He'll be released soon, more Allen money down the drain.
Dunn is a great guy to have on the team, but he is past his prime. He won't make much of a difference.
You're getting desperate pulling out the EG card. To say he has two legit back ups when they haven't proven themselves is stupid in itself. What does college football prove in the NFL? There are far more busts than players who live up to their potential. It wasn't a surprise to see Brown and Caddy go out for the season, both with knee injuries, since all they did in their SEC ball was share the load. Dallas is skeptical about Barber carrying the load since he did the same thing. You can't expect a guy who gets 10-15 carries in any college division to come into the NFL and take on 20-25 carries against 16 legit opponents. College teams might play 5 or 6 competitive games a year. Caddy couldn't get past 4 games without suffering nagging injuries.
With the current roster, the Bucs have no shot to win any game in January next year. Not even close. The Rays will probably be the best team in the Bay this year.

[Matt B]

Look they need to pay Garcia, Pay Graham, shut them both up because without garcia we will have a loosing season, I see josh johnson, or luke mcCown as our future, gradkoski chokes under pressure, and chris sims was never good. we all saw greise last year, he is washed up, and warrick dunn maybe out of his time he maybe used for the screen of toss but without caddy we need a back who can take the hit, also garcia is far from down he can take us to the championship.. and if we got any chance in winning anything we need them both....

[George L Hicks]

I think everytime a veteran doesn't get the money they deserved then they complain or holdout or both. Fans and players must realize that a football player has the avgerage on 5 yrs.or a little longer. I think if Garcia doesn't like it or even Graham. Then Tampa has other players who will step in. Example QB Johnson. He could be the 3QB with Griese as starter, C Simms as B/up and Johnson 3 qb. Graham has to remember when he started. Don't Tampa has some new blood in camp now.

[Tuck]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Brian Griese that the Bucs signed the same Brian Griese who used to figure out a way to lose games for us. Once teams discovered that he just dumped the ball off every throw, he became a Pick-6 throwing machine.

Chris Simms has a MUCH better arm and could be a very good QB with the right team. Let's face it; the Bucs loaded up on O-lineman after Simms went down for a reason - their line was horrible and it cost Simms his spleen.

Garcia is maybe good for one more year. Anyone know the odds on him finishing the season as the starter? They can't be good at his age. Griese isn't the answer either, (age/effectiveness).

I'm afraid that even though the Bucs have more QB's than any other team, their starting QB for the 2009 season isn't on the current roster. Maybe they should have grabbed one in the 2nd round???

[Vow Of Silence]

If Derrick Brooks says they deserve a raise, I'll back it. Otherwise, Shut the hell up, honor your contract and do your job.

[Caleb]

I think you all fail to realize that Garcia had this miraculous(lol!), 13 TD season in the WORST division in football. Let me open some eyes here...

The Bucs played ONLY 2 teams with records over .500. Of those 2 teams, guess how many games they won?

Zero.

Puh-lease. If anyone should be getting a pay raise, look to a player or two on the defense *cough* Tanard Jackson *cough* or *cough* Greg White *cough*.

Jackson = real DROTY. Of course you can rack up so many tackles when you play for the 49ers...you have NO D-LINE. OK, I went off on a tangent there, but oh well.

Back to the contract stuff. You get paid what you get paid, this is a business and Tampa has 5 other QBs including a West Coast offense ready Griese ready for and injury prone QB to slip up.

[fromtheside]

Just for the record, i don't recall any comments coming from Graham or his agent re: holding out... and these workouts are voluntary right now.

[Rerun]

Utter nonsense DR.

[skylar]

caleb; you have opened zero eyes as your argument that we played a bunch of crappy teams is ignorant, the nfl is full of parody, such as the giants victorious run after a slow start which threw eli's career in doubt. we outplayed jax and seattle although we did walk away with losses. there are no 'easy' schedules in the nfl, period. ask any player, past or present, and your eyes may be opened when they tell you that every game is a struggle in the nfl. you are blind, along with dr if you don't see the talent and depth on the tb roster. i do agree with you concerning garcia and jackson.

[Nick]

In poor words if you didn't understand Bruce, you can start packing your bags because Tampa is not intrested in your services this year. Time to put in those retirement papers because no team wants a 39 year old QB wasting a spot on their roster. Griese was bought in to backup our starter and it's not you. Simms or Mccown will start for this team and Griese is the old man backup.

[Rerun]

Utter nonsense Nick. Griese will start ahead of both those cats.

[Quentin]

"The Bucs played ONLY 2 teams with records over .500. Of those 2 teams, guess how many games they won?

Zero."

We beat the 10-6 (playoff squad) Tennessee Titans and the 9-7 (playoff squad) Washington Redskins (with Gradkowski at the helm). The Saints also would have been above .500 had they not had to face us twice, and Arizona finished at exactly 8-8. We certainly caught a few breaks along the way, even if we didn't take advantage of all of them, but it's not like all of our victories were against Atlanta.

[Quentin]

I just reread that last bit and it's even more misleading than I thought. The Bucs played the Colts(13-3), the Jaguars(11-5), the Titans (10-6), the Redskins (9-7), and the Seahawks (10-6). So that's five teams over .500, with victories over two of them. There's room for improvement, sure, but please get your facts straight.

[dylan]

Garcia is laying his body out there taking all these hits and yall are gunna say he doesnt need a pay raise... yall are ridiculous... bucs will be crap next year without garcia and plus we have the money. why not make our starting QB happy? and grahm the dude is a hauss... he should be making more than the minimum pay... i say pay em... and definately pay tanard and white...

[Braheem Ackmadia]

Lets see here.....The Bucs have 6 QBs. Garcia, Simms, Greise, McCowen, Gradkowski, and the rookie. Everyone of them have played significant game time except for the rookie. Why should Bruce Allen worry!!

As for Graham, he was fortunate that Caddy got injured, however Pittman hasn't signed yet and Michael Bennett has the potential to do well with the Bucs much improved O-line.

Playball or stay at home, JUST STOP WHINING about not getting obscenely rich to play a game most would love to do just for enough to pay their mortgage & fill up their tank!

When the economy is bad....is not a good time to try and appeal to the fans for a couple $million

[Stephen Blackehart]

For the record, Tuck, I wasn't asking how long Garcia had left on his contract. I was asking how long do you think he has left as a QB. I know that was way up there in the comments, but thought I'd address it.

[TonyE]

im all about paying a player the money they deserve, but 1 season of 13 games doesnt say "Pay me the money I deserve." Yes Graham was a good back when he was called up. Mr. August had 1 decent year as a starter but can he match it again? If a player shows consistency year after year then contract negotiations should occur for that deserving player. I hope he play better this year than last, if he does then give him a good extension. Too many times has a team squandered money to a player after 1 year.

As for Jeff, with the plethora of QB's we have, he doesnt have a leg to stand on. Grant it, the QB's arent great or extrordinary but they have a thurst to play and Jeff should realize this. At age 39, not too many teams are going to pay a player millions of dollars that we are paying him. He played in 12 games last year and ran the offense better than Simms ever did, but the age factor is there and his body cant take that much of a punishing. Plus a few years in Canada with the cold, the body gets fragile and once again the age factor starts playing into effect. Jeff should really ask himself this, "If I get cut or released, where would I go and who will pay me?" The answer is NO ONE.

[Raja]

I read some intelligent comments here and for the most part I tend to agree. Ernest Graham was a welcome surprise last season but to pay him a multimillion dollar extended contract at this time would be foolish. Ernest Graham deserves a raise via an incentive laden contract extension of two or three years max. Jeff Garcia is simply at the end of his career and has never been happy playing for any NFL team for too long. A one year incentive laden contract extension for Jeff would be justice. The Bucs obviously have question marks at two key offensive positions and to say Ernest, Jeff or any of the back ups are the key element to take us deeper into the playoffs than last year is a stretch at best. Defense Wins Championships as the NYGs recently proved yet again. Successful Organizations are made great by consistency and The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have always demonstrated this with Defense. NFL players are unpredictable from season to season and ultimately come and go no matter how great. The NFL and the Buccaneers will be around long after Ernest and Jeff. If either one of these guys wants to be a Buc or in the NFL at all this coming season and beyond perhaps, they need to prove themselves one more season?