Concern growing over Jeff Garcia injury

QB Jeff Garcia was limited during practice for a second consecutive day because of a disconcerting calf injury, coach Jon Gruden said.

Gruden amended his comments from Wednesday, when he said the injury was sustained to Garcia's left calf, not the right calf that sidelined him for weeks during the preseason. Today, Gruden said this injury indeed involves the right calf, though "It's not the same part of the calf," he said.

At this point, the Bucs are making contingency plans for playing Sunday's game at Atlanta without Garcia. If he can't practice on Friday, the chances of him playing Sunday are slim.

"It is a concern," Gruden said. "Hopefully he can get well in the next day or so."

In the meantime, Luke McCown is taking the bulk of the snaps in practice and would be the likely starter is it's decided Garcia cannot play. Brian Griese, who has been trying to recover from shoulder and elbow injuries for the better part of the past two months, is close to a return and might be thrust into action during Friday's practice.

"Luke has been taking a lot of snaps and Brian is going to work himself back in tomorrow," Gruden said. "For the first time, really, in the past couple months we're seeing him throw the ball as well as he is. So, that's a good sign for us."

The most ironic thing about it all is that, according to Gruden, Garcia sustained this injury in the same fashion as the preseason: in individual work during practice.

"It's a strange injury," Gruden said.

Comments

[Nick]

Yes! Bring in Luke. We need to see what the future holds. Bring in Luke, commit to him, Groom somebody Gruden. You might find a gem. Then you'll be telling everyone how good he is. But you only discovered him due to injury, just like Graham.

[Kurt]

I think this would be a good thing too. Happy feet is killing us, even though AB is making him look good sometimes. Although Luke has had his problems protecting the ball, I can only imagine the damage he could do with AB stretching defenses and creating seams. Maybe we'll find out...

[jim]

another veiled attack on gruden. just like dungy fell on alstott. he wanted mcleroy who went to the cardinals, was cut and brought here and was cut again. lynch, brooks & sapp are products of the wyche era so before you light your candle on your dungy alter let us bow to the almighty sam wyche! face it, gruden has more crowns then any other coach here. and if I hear that he took dungys team to the SB one more time, answer this, why didn't dungy take dungys team to the SB? Don't get me wrong, will always love the man and what he brought us but he's been gone longer than he was here so lets enjoy the moment and what the team is now.

[Vince]

Bring on Cool Hand Luke.

[Jimmy]

What happened to Galloway????

[nicholas]

You are WAY on JIM!
There is more than just Dungy not winning a superbowl with dungy's team...Gruden took TWO teams to the superbowl then if thats how they want to look at it. Cant have it both ways..either gruden won it with dungys team, then Gruden faced the team HE took to the superbowl. Anyway you look at it, Gruden took A team to the superbowl.
Plus there were no less than 50% new players on offense, and the defense has performed better under Gruden, with2 #1 rankings (2002,2005) and none for Dungy (#3 was highest in 1999). People cry over galloway and alstott and lynch, what about when dungy got rid of Brad Culpepper and Hardy Nickerson after 99 and we ranked #9 on Defense the next year?? Or benching Shawn King after his second year when he was showing improvement in the 2000 season (still our best year scoring points ever) and replacing him with brad johnson, and firing the Offensive Coordinator after our best point production ever. No one remembers that.
Did I mention the 3 division championships, Two of which in 05 and 07 in rebuilding years when NO ONE gave us a shot to have a winning season, while Tony Dungy led bucs won ONE division championship, with a roster full of ProBowlers and some future hall of famers!

Its not even a question. Gruden is a much better coach, Dungy is just a better Man.

[IdahoBUCfan]

I think Jeff has done a super job since returning from injury, but if he is hurt, We can expect Luke to come in and do some good things with this offense.
He still has the ability to scramble, and his arm is a little better, I think he has a huge "up side"! Coach Gruden can make something of this guy, and your team might be even better with him in, we just don't know for sure yet! Lets get out there and win a division!

[Valrico Rick]

blah blah blah blah! You know Sam Wyche took a team to the Super Bowl and might have won it if not for Joe Montana. The next thing you know Wyche is getting run out of Tampa because he can't break 500. The diffence here is that Gruden walked in on a team with a World Class defense and without that defense no Super Bowl. On top of that Gruden wrote the playbook Callahan was using for the Raiders which Callahan wasn't smart enough to change to throw Gruden off. Dungy built a winning team where there was a loser before, and Gruden has taken that winning team and done what? Turned it in to an every other year maybe a division title team that can't win the games that count! The true credit goes to Kiffen for any success the Bucs have had over the last 12 years and now that is about to end. Gruden isn't anything more than a pretty good OC, and probably a better fry cook! 'Nuff Said!!!

[shane]

amen nicholas i too am tired of the love obsession that people here in tampa have for dungy yes he's a good man but it was peyton manning and the offensive coordinator that won the colts that SB not dungy. yes the same could be said about Monte Kiffin and HIS defense that won the bucs the SB but Jon taught the offense accountability and what did the bucs do well that year? POUND THE ROCK just like we do this year and pretty much every year JG has been here(06 doesn't count but even with Gradkowski under center Caddy still rushed for over 700 yds and 5 TDs).

[Paul]

Why do you people even still talk about all "this coach", "that coach" crap. It will never end. It happens every time an old coach if let go and a new coach is hired. In the NFL and in the NCAA. W's and L's are only counted for the coach that curently holds the job. Thats all that matters. Some coaches can build great teams but never get them to the big game. Some coaches are not that good at building a team, but do a great job at using those same players to win more games or the big game. Thats the way it has always been and always will be so deal with it. It is never going to change. I have only known one coach that has year in and year out put a great team on the feild and got the most out of every player and that is Bill Castle of Lakeland. If you dont who he is, look him up.

[Paul]

Why do you people even still talk about all "this coach", "that coach" crap. It will never end. It happens every time an old coach if let go and a new coach is hired. In the NFL and in the NCAA. W's and L's are only counted for the coach that curently holds the job. Thats all that matters. Some coaches can build great teams but never get them to the big game. Some coaches are not that good at building a team, but do a great job at using those same players to win more games or the big game. Thats the way it has always been and always will be so deal with it. It is never going to change. I have only known one coach that has year in and year out put a great team on the feild and got the most out of every player and that is Bill Castle of Lakeland. If you dont who he is, look him up.

[Dylan]

Maybe the monday night football cast should read this and see why gruden looked at brett favre over the offseason. Brett Favre would be out there right now because he cant get hurt. It seemed like the garcia favre thing was all they talked about during the game monday.

[Vince]

Valrico Rick, always the true hater. You said Kiffin gets all the credit. I presume you mean except for Monday?

The argument that Gruden won with Dungy's team is sooooo tired and just not true. The Dungy teams had a great defense with Sean King at the helm (remember that Rams game?) of the offense and Clyde Christianson as the offensive coordinator (who?). Gruden won -- with an entirely new offense and numerous new players -- where Dungy could not.

Once again you show your true stripes as a hater by finding a way to make another anti-Gruden comment on a blog about Garcia. You might want to seek counseling.

[Nick Smith]

I like Jon Gruden but there is no way I can understand why we cannot get Galloway and Antonio Bryant on the field at the same time. If Jon Gruden is such an offensive genius he would find a way to do it and often. Perhaps it would only be on 3rd down but PLEASE TELL ME WHY THAT CANNOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!

[Nick Smith]

Also I DO UNDERSTAND they play the same position but whatever happened to 3 and 4 wide receiver sets????

[OAR]

Low and behold we have another football god (besides DR) and his name is Valrico Rick, All hail! "Gruden has taken that winning team and done what?" Well it was said before, but it does seem to need to be repeated(for the slow ones): 1 Superbowl Championship, 3 division championships(possible 4th),defense has performed better under Gruden, with2 #1 rankings (2002,2005). Oh BTW you should really see someone about that pipe habit.

[Vince]

Nick:

Has it occurred to you that it cannot happen because Galloway does not want it to happen? If not, you need to listen a little closer. Gruden said, "I guess that some player are not cut out to play 12-15 snaps per game." He was suggesting that Galloway was pouting.

Besides, Galloway is only a straight line deep threat, if he is even still that. That means he can only pay Bryant's position. He certainly cannot play Clatyon's position and this is not sandlot football -- "you run toward the tree and everybody else go deep"