Garcia Takes Swipe At Chucky’s 2007 Call
May 24th, 2012
One of the most blessed men in American history, former Bucs quarterback and Chucky punching bag Jeff Garcia, reminisced a bit about the Bucs today during the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620.
The last Bucs quarterback to lead the team to a playoff game, Garcia looked back fondly remembering Bucs fans embracing him and his family. But Garcia also expressed regret for how Chucky rested key players in December 2007 after the Bucs jumped out to a 9-5 record and clinched the NFC South title.
Per Garcia, it cost the Bucs dearly.
“[In 2007,] we didn’t finish our season strong. We started to rest players because we had clinched the division so early. Next thing you know we’re somewhat limping into the playoffs instead of playing our best football. That’s one thing at that level, you can’t afford to shut things down,” Garcia said. “You can’t afford to tell your body to take a break. Because once you start to take a break, as you well know Ian [Beckles], playing the game yourself, you’re body just automatically starts to shut down. It can’t get to that high level that it needs to be [when] you maintain that consistent level throughout the season.”
Surely Bucs fans remember how many disagreed with Chucky’s decision to give the Bucs an extended rest before the Wild Card round of the playoffs, where they lost 24-14 to the Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Luke McCown got lots of playing time those final two games, and workhorse Earnest Graham was among many key players shut down as the Bucs lost two straight to close the season.
Of course, the next season Chucky and the Bucs whiffed on four consecutive chances to lock down a playoff berth. Nobody can — or should — take those 9-7’s away from Chucky, but clearly he had lost his fastball as a big-game coach. It seems Chucky realizes this as well, as he refuses to return to the NFL.
One a lighter note, Garcia said he and his lovely wife, the legendary Carmella Garcia, now have four young children and are living in San Diego. Garcia is working as an advisor with the new USFL and said he has a new company that will represent NFL players.
May 24th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
K2 is in the news today(CNN):
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-nfl-player-accused-of-trashing-rancho-santa-fe-home-20120523,0,5731255.story?hpt=ju_bn6
May 24th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
@GenocideD
Joe already posted that.
And Garcia really is blessed…..
May 24th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Do you think he married “up” just a bit?
May 24th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Thank you Joe for not blowing out that goofy Winslow story.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Worst move of Chucky’s career.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Just when you almost had the thought of post-Superbowl Gruden out of your head…
Man, that guy made it tough being happy
May 24th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
I honestly think that Jeff Garcia was the best quarterback to ever get behind center for the Bucs. He was a tough as nails gamer.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
I was at the game in SF when they packed it in. It was the most disgusting display of Non Football during Football I have ever seen (well, till the last 10 games of this past season anyways…).
gruden proved 4 things
1. He has ZERO Ability to find and develop talent.
2. Firing Dungy had more to do with the play of the 2002 Bucs than hiring gruden.(see 2003 for proof)
3. Without the greatest Defense ever (2002 Bucs) he cant win a DAMN THING.(0-2 in playoffs with teams that could not score if their lives depended on it, That Washington game still makes me puke)
4. He has NO PASSION for the game…. Would you take 3 Mil to Coach a game you have passion for, or would you take 6 mil to NOT coach a game you had passion for. He has more Greedy of Football, than he ever had Passion for it. We got sucked by his My Greed is really Passion schtick he pulled.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Adam please pass on what ever you got that has you thinking Mr. Can’t throw it 25 yards with the wind at his back Garcia, is the best all time QB for the bucs…
@joe can’t you crop this photo to remove howdie doodie from it. Photoshop or something.. Please… No more words of wisdom from Garcia… Thanks.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Yea Adam, I loved all of those passes that Galloway had to signal a “fair catch” for.
I remember that game too and Garcia’s 2 interceptions were the difference in that game. Our numbers and the Giants were almost identical. I also remember Gaines Adams even got a sack in it.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
The new USFL? I have been hearing about.this for 3 years or more. Just exactly how long does a new football league take to get started. Lets go Bandits!
May 24th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
We had a bunch of old fogies on the team.
May 24th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Jeffy has most definitly out kicked his coverage.hes got game,ill give him that.
May 24th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Wait a second…. I thought Chucky was God…
May 24th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Yes in hindsight it was a terrible move.
A worse move was signing Jeff Garcia to begin with. We already knew who he was. He was a QB who could get a team into the playoffs and turn pathetic once he faced a decent defense.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Jeff who?……didnt get a chance to even ready the story about some guy name Jeff and an ex coach Buffy or Chucky…..couldnt take my eyes off Carmella to even read the content………thanks
May 24th, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I thought Garcia was pretty good here in Tampa. Not great, but a hell of a lot better than McCown, Ratay, Gradkowski, Sims and Griese.
May 24th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
I thought Garcia was just amazing!! I would get so excited every Sunday, hardly able to contain myself that I soon would see the incomparable Garcia. And talk about media-friendly! Great interviews, a wonderful relationship with the local sports press. I would hang on every word. I sure do miss her.
May 24th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
I agree it was a poor decision to rest players to the extent gru did in 07.
But wasn’t it nice to be a franchise that was good enough to be in a position to have to make that difficult decision?
Weren’t some of you supportive of canning our super bowl champ coach for RahRah? LMAO
Firing gru is arguable, replacing him with a 33 year old no experience buddy of the players was one of the dumbest ideas in history – the result 17-31 and no playoffs.
May 24th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
@Pete I
USFL is reported to start play in March 2013. Tampa area did not get a team.
May 24th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
I think Pete was thinking of the UFL.
May 24th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
We took the opening drive of that game and marched down on almost all running plays and scored the first touchdown on the Giants. We were mauling them with the run. Then Gruden inexplicably went to Garcia and Joey Galloway with one good shoulder. The rest was history. What I remember about that game was abandoning the run but I agree it was stupid to not play our starters the final two games.
May 24th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
UFL??? NO NO I was at many Bandit games back in the day. UFL what was that? The USFL rocked all year pro football! Yeah baby!!!
May 24th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Nick2, you hit the nail on the head there. I remember that game just as you described it, and that was one of Chucky’s big debacles, pulling the plug on the run. I had so many Giants fans sitting around me that game, it sucked when we started going down, listening to all their crap. I still miss Chucky, good coach most of the time.
The Josh McDaniels hiring was a worse decision than the Raheem hiring. And they passed over Raheem fo Josh. So Raheem wasn’t at the very bottom, but close, I now agree. I still wish Chucky was our coach and that they would have just clipped his wings a little and put Dom as his boss. Spilled Milk now, doesn’t matter, I’m happy with Schiano so far. We’ll see how it goes in a few months. Dakota Watson looks like he bulked up some, about 10 – 15 lbs. which is a good thing.
Really miss Carmela, she was so sweet, and hot, and hot, and hot. Speaking of hot, it was hot as hell today for May.
May 24th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
I try not to remember those days whn gruden would call the same dump off plays tht was the worst playcalling I’ve seen in life
May 24th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
If u had to chose gruden or olsen callin plays who would u chose?
May 24th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…
… then I want to be duck, if ducks get girls like that.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Please oh Please Jeff Garcia comment on the Bucs once every 3 months so Joe will continue to reuse pictures of Carmella.
We miss you Garcia….Carmella that is.
May 24th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Thomas2.2 hit the nail on the head ~ couldn’t agree more!!!!
May 24th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
The only resting that has been going on lately is the other team, after building the insurmountable lead……….
That Giant game never really bothered me, Quite frankly they had a better team than us. Maybe Chucky should have found a way and resting was a mistake – but i dont see us as having the better team.
The one that kills me is that redskins playoff game, now that was a heartbreaker. That 05 team had a chance at a run if we had won that one.
Oh well, good hateful trip down memory lane, Joe got in his cheap shot at Chucky, as usual, now lets return to our regularly scheduled programming, the “so much better than Chucky” ten game losing streak!
How about that dynasty!
May 24th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
I Don’t miss Garcia at all. Coach Gruden had his moments good&bad wins&losses he got us to & won a super bowl. But he got fired, Coach Morris was named Head Coach. Team goes with youth, Coach Morris was fired. Coach Schiano hired as Head Coach. Team adds several quality Vet players. Has a good to very good draft. Youth is still being brought aboard in quality FA & undrafted FA. This season looks like its going to be extremely exciting. Wow I’m excited to be a Bucanneer fan.
Go Bucs!!!!
May 24th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
I loved Gracia and I loved Gruden. Still do. Bad move resting players but even dumber firing Gruden. Who would have ever thought that the popularity of the Rays would eclipse the Bucs?On a lighter note…Garcia must have some massive game/mocksey/swagger. Chliing making babioes in NoCal with Carmella. Grats to him.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Thomas 2.2
I find it very funny that you post under different names to make it look like someone agrees with you. I’ve noticed it on multiple occasions. How pathetic.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:49 am
Gruden is one of the most over rated coaches of all time. He was one of the worst pro talent evaluators I have ever seen; more so, he was terrible at grooming young talent. Monte Kiffin is the only person that somewhat held the team together during his tenure. The Bucs were one of the most boring teams in the NFL while Gruden was the coach, excluding his one good year with the Bucs (Superbowl). When it came time to developing his own team, he made mistake after mistake after mistake. Remember Greg Olsen was one of Gruden’s guys, it definitely showed as well. Just look at the horrible and predictable play calling they both used.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:35 am
LOL @ Adam.
How old are you, seriously?
May 25th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Sorry, wish I could delete that last post.
Just that having been around the buccaneers since the seventies I can assure you all that Jeff Garcia was most certainly not he best QB to play here.
He was a gutsy gamer and tough to his last snap but far from the best QB “to ever get behind center” for the Bucs,
Carry on.
May 25th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Thomas, I would agree with you, but I’d probably have to go shoot myself afterwards.