According to several reports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets have entered the bidding war for Brett Favre.
Good – for the Bucs, that is. (Well, the Jets too given their current QB sitaution. But mainly the Bucs.)
In his first season in Tampa, Jeff Garcia proved to be a solid option last year because he didn’t make mistakes. Coupled with error-free play from their quarterback position, the Bucs relied on their defense, were able to win the NFC South and made the postseason (where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants).
True, the defense is another year older (Ronde Barber is 33 and Derrick Brooks is 35), but coordinator Monte Kiffin is one of the best in the league at getting the most out of his players. Tampa also has a nice mix of youth and veteran experience on that side of the ball and second year players Tanard Jackson and Gaines Adams should only continue to improve.
But back to Favre. Garcia is perfect for Gruden’s offense because he plays conservative and doesn’t make mistakes. He’s also severally limited given his style of play and has spent most of the offseason bitching about his contract (a situation that is far from resolved). The Bucs should make a play for Favre and go for it this year. He’s not the best fit for Gruden’s offense given his gunslinger mentality (Gruden runs a more controlled offense), but they’ve both worked together before so Gruden certainly knows how to best handle him. The Bucs aren’t the most talented team in the NFC, but with only New Orleans serving as a legitimate threat in the division, Tampa could easily make a postseason run with Favre and who knows, maybe much more.
