Stuck Swabbing the Deck - the Tale of Luke McCown

With the injury sustained by Chris Simms in week three of the regular season in 2006, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were left with only one viable option at quarterback: the sixth round draft pick from Toledo, Bruce Gradkowski. Thrust into the starting role, Gradkowski won four games in eleven starts for the offensively stagnant Buccaneers before journeyman Tim Rattay relieved him.

It was no surprise, then, when Jon Gruden began to scour the league for a veteran quarterback to take the reins for 2007. It appears that he has struck gold with the acquisition of a reborn Jeff Garcia. He's smart, he's athletic, he's--oh, that's right--37 years young. It seems like Gruden has fixated himself on another short-term solution, much like he did with the patchwork offensive line of 2004 that included Derek Deese, Todd Steussie, and an assortment of other overpaid veterans.

It seems as though every quarterback in the league has thrown a pass for the Buccaneers. All except one that is; the one that could very well be the future leader of the offense if given a chance: Luke McCown. Jon Gruden expressed his liking of McCown in 2005, but not enough to unseat Chris Simms for the starting job. The following season, though, McCown sustained a knee injury that required surgery, thus ending his 2006 campaign before it began. Should he have been healthy, there is little doubt that he would have started for the majority of that season. Gruden said so himself in an interview earlier this year during training camp when McCown began to raise some eyebrows once again.

In fact, McCown is a near mirror image of his current competition, Jeff Garcia. Both are creative and athletic, something that Gruden has not had in a quarterback since Rich Gannon during his days at Oakland. Their ability to escape pressure and throw on the run outside the pocket is invaluable, especially with the current unproven offensive line. While McCown may not have the veteran poise as of yet, he has been impressive nonetheless, even earning himself a shot with the first-team offense in the final pre-season game of the season.

Looking at the current roster, the team seems solid on offense-on paper at least. Last year's number one pick Carnell Williams (who's record-breaking shoes reside in the Hall of Fame), is a potent offensive weapon, Joey Galloway is still as fast as ever, tight end Alex Smith shows a great deal of athleticism and potential, and the offensive line has finally assembled most of the pieces with the addition of three first and second-round picks, as well as a former Giants' Pro-Bowler in Luke Petigout. There seems to be something missing from that list...Perhaps it's the team's should-be franchise position: quarterback.

Luke McCown anyone?

It seems only fair to give the young man a chance. After all, the Buccaneers will have had nine starting quarterbacks since the 2000 season once this year begins with Jeff Garcia at the helm (McCown is not on that list). Last year alone three Buccaneers took the opening snap from center, only four seasons removed from a Superbowl victory. What has this plethora of passers produced? A notoriously poor offense.

At 26 years of age, Luke McCown is indeed the future of the Bucs' offense. Unfortunately, Jon Gruden's job depends on winning now, not planning for the future, so McCown may have to hold the clipboard for another year