Jeff Garcia made his fourth career Pro Bowl appearance last
season through the absence of one of the NFL’s all-time greats.
Originally selected to the NFC roster as an alternate, Garcia was
pulled up to the squad to fill a certain gentleman’s spot as one of
the top three quarterbacks in the conference. And after setting
sail from the mainland, Garcia did something I never thought I
would see him do again: Toss touchdowns to Terrell Owens.
Jeff Garcia made his fourth career Pro Bowl appearance last season through the absence of one of the NFL’s all-time greats. Originally selected to the NFC roster as an alternate, Garcia was pulled up to the squad to fill a certain gentleman’s spot as one of the top three quarterbacks in the conference. And after setting sail from the mainland, Garcia did something I never thought I would see him do again: Toss touchdowns to Terrell Owens.
Well, if you have a television, radio or Internet connection, you have almost assuredly heard a story that would have seemed impossible a year ago, but now sounds like the inevitable. Brett Favre – the quarterback who pulled out of the Pro Bowl to give Garcia a free trip to Hawaii before retiring a month later – will be coming back to football, but almost certainly not to Green Bay. Seeing Favre wear anything other than green and gold will be awkward to say the least. It’s more unfathomable than when Michael Jordan donned a Washington Wizards jersey, or Joe Montana sported an arrowhead on the side of his helmet. Brett Favre is the Green Bay Packers.
But here’s the semi-ironic twist. Favre, who is currently being shopped around the league by the Packers to gauge trade interest after telling the organization he wanted to return – after numerous flip-flops, is rumored to be a possible regular-season replacement for Garcia in the coming months. Few teams seem to fit the demands of what Green Bay would look for in a trade partner more than Tampa Bay.
Bucs coach Jon Gruden spent three seasons on Green Bay’s coaching staff in the 90’s with Favre, and runs a similar version of the West Coast offense to what Favre ran with the Packers. The Bucs are in the NFC but outside the Packers’ division, meaning they would only play once this coming season (Sept. 28) rather than twice. And Gruden, known for being slicker than a Vaudevillian Bible salesman according to several of his former players, collects quarterbacks like they’re a week away from their expiration date.
Gruden and the Bucs have a history of showing their signal-callers less respect than they deserve, such as Chris Simms, who is being held hostage through the team’s refusal to trade him despite being fifth on the depth chart. Or you could point to Garcia losing a $1.5 million bonus for playing time after being forced to sit out the last six quarters of the regular season. If the team made a move to get Favre, it would simply be continuing a pattern of behavior that no other NFL organization seems to use as a standard operating procedure. Tampa Bay already has five quarterbacks on the roster after cutting Bruce Gradkowski earlier this offseason. Favre would bring that number back to an even six, twice as many as almost every other team carries on its active roster.
Considering Garcia led the team to an NFC South division title after the Bucs went 4-12 the year before, acquiring Favre would simply be another slap in the face. Garcia wanted a small raise after last season and was rebuffed. Favre would cost more than six times Garcia’s salary, even though his production was only slightly better and he played with a much better supporting cast.
Garcia is known for not backing down from competition, so it’s doubtful the rumors will get to him. But if the Bucs do bring Favre in, Garcia will have every right to look elsewhere. At the same time, it’s a decision he shouldn’t have to make.
