[vincesanity82]

Bucs coach Jon Gruden declared at a Tampa Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday that Jeff Garcia is in line to be the team's starting quarterback in 2007.

"Right now, Jeff Garcia is clearly the leader in the clubhouse," Gruden said.

He added: "We have a veteran quarterback now that we think can upgrade us in an area we need to improve."

But the door is still ajar for the former starter who lost the job only because he lost his spleen. "That's not to say Chris Simms won’t make things interesting at training camp," Gruden said.

The Buccaneers currently have seven (seven!?!) quarterbacks on the roster, including Jake Plummer, who has said that he is retired.

ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet

[Lefty Noob]

Garcia, Simms, Plummer, Gradkowski... who are the other three?

[azrael492]

Was there any doubt he was going to be the starter. If I were Simms, I would be outraged. He gave a spleen for this team.

[Tampa Bay Buccaneers News]

Could the short-lived glory be back? Friday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden made his single best decision since deciding to sit Warren Sapp on third downs.

Jeff Garcia, said Gruden, would be the starting quarterback for the Bucs on Opening Day 2007. Garcia, said Gruden, is "far and away the best quarterback on our team at this point." Garcia, said Gruden, is taking a "big lead" ahead of his would-be competition on the depth chart.

Garcia may just save Gruden's job.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers "Jeff Garcia to start: Kudos to Jon Gruden" - Realfootball365.com

[ThePundit]

With the money they're paying him, Gruden better love him as the starter.

[peg_city]

This will be an interesting year at quarterback for the bucs. It will be fun to see how it all plays out. Any predictions?

[trbball08]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Garcia, Simms, Plummer, Gradkowski... who are the other three?

Luke McCown is one

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by trbball08

Luke McCown is one

Their roster over at Yahoo! Sports only has those five listed.

[trbball08]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Their roster over at Yahoo! Sports only has those five listed.

same with nfl.com

[ThePundit]

Chris Simms must be livid. He gives up his spleen for the team and they just basically dismiss him. If I were Simms, there wouldn't be enough money in the world for me to re-sign with the Bucs.

[azrael492]

Originally Posted by ThePundit

Chris Simms must be livid. He gives up his spleen for the team and they just basically dismiss him. If I were Simms, there wouldn't be enough money in the world for me to re-sign with the Bucs.

If I am not mistaken, he already did. Maybe he can get some advice from TO on how to get out of a team.