The time has come for change Gary Shelton, The St.Petersburg Times, published 23 September 1991 The biggest rush he faced came when Chris Chandler left the shower. He walked stiffly across the room, stopped at his locker and stared directly into a quarterback controversy. On the other side of him, Vinny Testaverde took the two hangers with his pants and his clothes and moved quietly away. If there was a metaphor for the current state of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was this picture. It's time, Richard. The Tampa Bay Bucs are 0-4, and the season is growing dark. And it is time for Bucs coach Richard Williamson to change quarterbacks. It is time for Testaverde to step aside, at least for the time being, and let Chandler take a turn. That happened somewhat Sunday, when Testaverde injured his foot in the second period. The change to Chandler seemed to shoot life into the Bucs, who lost 17-10 to the Buffalo Bills when a frantic final drive came up 8 yards short. Chandler carried this team on drives of 70, 96 and 72 yards (on the final drive). He scrambled; he threw; and he didn't flinch when the Bills' pass rush bore down on him. For a guy who barely has been used even in practice, he looked a lot like a quarterback. Vinny? He was 3-of-10, and the Bucs didn't scratch when he played. It's time. More than anyone else, Testaverde has been linked to a better day for Tampa Bay. When will they no longer be the Same Old Bucs? Easy. When this guy no longer is the Same Old Vinny. But that was going to happen in 1989, and it was going to happen in 1990, and it was going to happen this year. Tampa Bay continues to wait. It's easy to feel for Testaverde because the pressure of being the One to Blame is great. "It's no fun," he said, "to walk out and be booed." Granted. But in four starts this season, Testaverde has led the team to four touchdowns. It's time to let Chandler steer the boat. When Williamson made the change with 4 minutes, 54 seconds to go in the first half, the temptation was to ask, "Richard, what took you so long?" Williamson said he isn't ready to make the decision of who starts against the Lions next Sunday. He said a decision on the starting quarterback will come later in the week. "There's too much emotion," he said. "Too many things happened. I want to wait until I can sit down and make a true evaluation. I want to see the tapes." Of course he wants to see the tapes. Coaches always want to see the tapes. But if Williamson sees what everyone else saw, how could it not be Chandler? The Bills were ripe for the picking. Chandler came closer to picking them. On five drives, Testaverde led the Bucs to an average of 15.4 yards. On seven drives, Chandler took the team an average of 35.8 yards. "There was a difference," receiver Bruce Hill admitted. Williamson said the change was only because of injury, not performance. But the switch was a strange one. The trainers never examined Testaverde's injured right foot on the field. There was no ice, no tape. He just stood there, and suddenly Chandler was in the game. Testaverde's foot injury wasn't even examined until halftime. Name another quarterback whose team doesn't frantically try to get him ready to play in that situation. Name another quarterback who can stand on the sideline but doesn't scream to get into the game. If you've seen Jim Kelly play with a bad knee and a bad ankle, you have to figure he goes back into this game if he has to sneak in. "There were only about three minutes left in the half," Testaverde said. "By the time they wrapped it, it would be halftime." Huh? Testaverde's last play came with just over 9:32 to play. Chandler's first play, following a long Bills drive, came with 4:54 left. If you heard the cheers when Chandler came on the field, and heard the boos when Testaverde walked off the field at game's end, it's obvious the fans are ready for a change. Chandler may lack Testaverde's physical skills, but he seems a safer bet to bring what he has. "I'd be disappointed (in a change)," Testaverde said. "I know there is going to be talk, from the questions. I'm sure the fans talked about it during the game, and they're talking about it now." And what they are saying is Chandler should start. Maybe not forever, maybe not even for the rest of the year, but certainly Sunday against Detroit. It is, after all, time.