The QB Blast: Your Offseason Approach At QB
July 17th, 2009
By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst
Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson writes the weekly QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe is ecstatic to have him firing away. Carlson has sports radio and TV gigs in the Bay area and trains quarterbacks of all ages via his company, America’s Best Quarterback.
Hindsight is 20-20 as they say, and Jon Gruden’s tenure is six months in the rear-view mirror.
He wanted Jeff Garcia to return for the 2009 season, but the new regime went bigger, stronger and younger. And they are going bigger, stronger and younger at every position, by the way.
But Jeff Garcia is rumored to be turning heads in off-season workouts for the Oakland Raiders while the bigger, stronger and younger former first pick in the draft, QB JaMarcus Russell, looks on.
With no discernable starter coming out of the Bucs’ final mini-camp and the coaches putting “BucNation” on notice that the biggest, strongest and youngest QB on their roster may be moving his learning curve up dramatically, today’s question is what would you do if you had to reset this off-season from the QB perspective?
If Garcia can take out the No. 1 pick from two years ago, should he be helping lead the Bucs’ No. 17 pick in this year’s draft until Josh Freeman is ready to take the reins full time?
I’ll go on the record and say I would rather play 2009 with the unknown potential of McCown, Leftwich and Freeman than watch Garcia break down all the Xs and Os work done through the week by scrambling too early too often.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
It all depends on what system we are running. Garcia does not have the arm to throw deep in coach Jags/Shanahan type offense. I also think Garcia was hesitanting on mid throws last year causing our reciever to either sit down in zone or stop their routes which caused zero yac. With Gruden, I don’t think Garcia was ever his clear cut starter. Example is the Plummer trade, Favre, and I think this year we would see Josh Johnson pushing for the Starter.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Amen Carlson, A-M-E-N.
For all Gruden loved about Garcia, wasn’t Garcia going against the grain during games trying to do his own thing with play calling and such? More than just audibles.
I believe so.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Russell clearly outperformed Garica in Garcia’s own backyard, RayJay, in their head to head last season. Russell played much better than Garcia at the end of 08 with a much less talented team. Carlson is CLUELESS if he’s actually suggesting we should have kept Garcia as our starter. Unbelievable, you sure this guy was really a QB!?! Garcia will not start for the Raiders, BOOK IT!!!
July 17th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Learn how to read Dave, as in the last paragraph.
July 17th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Thanks for having my back Flea.
July 17th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
“I’ll go on the record and say I would rather play 2009 with the unknown potential of McCown, Leftwich and Freeman than watch Garcia break down all the Xs and Os work done through the week by scrambling too early too often.”
Hear !…..Hear!….
only a fool would think anything will come of next season other than the hope that a foothold towards the NFL summit is established…..
wise old football fan
July 17th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
and I had not read the responses to this thread until after I posted the above minutes ago….
July 17th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Now come on now Jeff…is that your best picture or just your favorite….
😉
July 17th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
RastaMon, Truth be told, I do some commercial acting work now and again (check out discoverycove.com for proof) and have been using the same photo for about 10 years (too cheap to get another one, or unwilling to admit I’m getting old), so I asked Tim Hoffman at Bright House Sports to snap a photo before one of our high school football games (that’s why it is so dark) and that’s what it was for good or bad.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Garcia was struggling last year trying to make a decision. He seemed as if he was lost in the moment alot. Where as the year before. He made the best out of a broken down play. I think it was a good decision to let him go.
It would be nice for a change to have one of the QB’s on the roster due well this year and next they go into camp with a starter already designated. It seems forever since I knew who the starter would be at the beginning of the season. Maybe then the QB would have more cofidence going in.