Finally, Garcia Can Rest Easy Joe Henderson, The Tampa Tribune, published 5 November 2007 Maybe Jeff Garcia can get some sleep now. The look of relief on his face following Sunday's 17-10 win against Arizona spoke loudly about what the seven previous days - and nights - had been like since he was intercepted three times in a one-point loss to Jacksonville. There was no such problem against the Cardinals, no reason to do anything but walk into the bye week with the satisfaction of a solid outing and victory. "I can't rest easily after a tough loss, especially one like last week where we had great opportunities to put the ball in the end zone," Garcia said. "It wasn't an easy week but I knew I would have another opportunity to step out on the field and show my abilities to lead this football team and have an opportunity to make plays. That's what we were able to do today." Garcia had been party to five turnovers the last two games prior to Sunday - three picks against the Jaguars, and two lost fumbles the week before at Detroit. The turnovers played large in two Bucs losses and it also put this game in pretty much the "must win" classification. We should mention that Arizona is not exactly the perfect defense to face in situations such as that. While the Bucs will run "Cover 2" down after down after down, Arizona is liable to do something different on every play. "They came out with some multiple looks that you'll never see again as long as you cover football. You'll never see some of the things they did today. It's great to have a veteran who has the poise and savvy to grind it out and find a way to win," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "They'll play three down linemen, four down, five down. Rush three, rush four, rush two, rush seven - and it all looks the same." It's a defense designed to force mistakes, but Garcia didn't appear to make many. He was methodical and disciplined. He even called time out twice when things didn't look right, possibly avoiding turnovers or crippling losses. Garcia completed 18 of 28 passes for 196 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown to Joey Galloway. He also ran for 26 yards and kept other plays alive while dancing away from Arizona's frequent blitzes. And he had no turnovers. No interceptions. No fumbles. "He gives our team a chance, man, he gives our team a chance," Gruden said. Since the look given by the Cardinals defense doesn't vary much from play to play - the only difference comes after the snap - it required Garcia to make quick judgments and go to the right spot time after time with the ball. He was sacked three times but only for 8 yards total. His scrambling ability kept those losses manageable. "He is out there making calls, using his legs and saving us from sacks," center John Wade said. "He is someone I want to fight for." Earnest Graham certainly made Garcia's job easier by rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown. But Garcia balanced Graham's work by spreading the ball to six different receivers. "Jeff has been doing a great job all year," said receiver Ike Hilliard, who caught seven of those passes. "He's a special guy because when you don't have a play that is executed the way you draw it up, he can make a play with his legs." It was kind of a drip, drip, drip attack. The Bucs converted 12 of 21 attempts on third down. They kept the ball for more than 43 minutes compared to 16:53 for Arizona. A lot of that can be attributed to how well the quarterback manages the offense. That's Garcia's forte. "It's tough for him to get under center and watch those guys move around," Galloway said. "When you prepare for Arizona, it's like you're learning football all over again. They do so many things on defense unlike anyone else. Jeff did a great job today managing the offense and getting the right play called." Frankly, the last couple of weeks had raised some questions about Garcia. He seemed out of sync at Detroit, and last week against Jacksonville he was under siege all day. Not only did he have his first three picks of the season, but he also missed two open receivers for touchdowns in the final quarter. There were no such problems on this day. Even a potentially critical misplay in the fourth quarter was hardly Garcia's fault. He rolled to his right and found tight end Alex Smith alone in the end zone. Alas, Smith dropped the ball. The Bucs, now 5-4, are a half-game ahead of Carolina and New Orleans in the NFC South as they head to the bye week. Those numbers alone speak to how important it was to beat the Cardinals. "It was so very important just to get our momentum turned around and get back in a positive direction," Garcia said. "It will leave everybody in good spirits, positive spirits." Everyone needed that around here. Especially the quarterback. "We have a lot of resolve this year," he said. "I think the resiliency of this team is spectacular and we just keep righting and finding ways to do it. It doesn't look pretty. I wish that this game could have been more dominant on our behalf, but this is the NFL and nothing comes easy." That was especially true the last two weeks, but things are looking up. And for a guy who didn't sleep all that well lately, Garcia looked awfully refreshed as he walked away from this game. Winning tends to have that effect.