Garcia takes over Bucs as Simms, Gradkowski vie for No. 2

Jeff Garcia tosses a pass during a Tampa Bay workout. The 37-year-old quarterback led the Eagles to the playoffs last season.

TAMPA, Fla. - It's only June, but the competition for Tampa Bay's starting quarterback job is turning into a one-man race.

Veteran Jeff Garcia, signed as a free agent in March, has quickly established himself as the frontrunner in coach Jon Gruden's plans, leaving younger hopefuls Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski to try for No. 2.

"I'm accused of not liking young players. I just like good quarterbacks like everybody else in the league," Gruden said yesterday after the opening practice of the Buccaneers' three-day mandatory mini-camp.

"I like guys that can make plays in a number of ways, whether it be through experience - seeing a look and not running a ball into a corner blitz, making a change at the line of scrimmage; a guy that can create with his legs; a guy that works the pocket and can throw the ball into congested areas and be accurate; a leader; a consistent performer."

Although Garcia, who led Philadelphia to the playoffs last season while filling in for the injured Donovan McNabb, turned 37 in February, he and the Bucs are confident that he can continue to perform at a high level.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection won five of six games after replacing McNabb, helping the Eagles win the NFC East. He's thrown for more than 20,000 yards over the past eight seasons and led teams to the playoffs three times.

"Garcia's a guy we've coveted. We've made no secret about that over the last few years," said Gruden, who also tried to sign Garcia as a free agent in 2004, when the quarterback signed with the Cleveland Browns.

"He's in great shape, he's doing a good job and I don't want to jinx him. He still has a long way to go. We do like his progress, and we think he's got a nice future here."

Garcia, who was surprised when the Eagles didn't try to retain him, is excited about the opportunity.

The Bucs were 4-12 last season with University of Toledo product Gradkowski starting 11 games as a rookie after Simms, who thought he was Tampa Bay's quarterback of the future, went 0-3 and was lost for the year after having his spleen removed in Week 3.

Under pressure to turn the team around after posting losing records three of the past four seasons, it didn't take Gruden long to decide his newly acquired veteran may offer the best chance to win soon.

Garcia's success in previous stints with the 49ers, Browns, Lions and Eagles provided instant credibility with his new teammates.

"I don't necessarily have to step out here and prove that I can play. They know that I can play already," Garcia said. "It's just a matter of backing that up. And I expect to back it up every single day that I'm out here."

Simms, preparing for his fifth NFL season, signed a two-year contract extension in December and has been participating in offseason workouts. He insisted yesterday that he's not discouraged by falling behind Garcia on the depth chart.

"Competition's always on. It's not any different than years past when I've been here. It's football," the 26-year-old Simms said.

"The way the NFL is now, you need good quarterbacks. You need at least two good ones because guys are getting hurt every year. That's the way it is. All I can do is worry about myself."

The only no-show for the start of mini-camp was quarterback Jake Plummer, acquired in a trade from Denver on the same day the Bucs signed Garcia. He has said he's retired, so his absence was expected.

Gruden said there was no update. Plummer has three years left on his contract and is due $5.3 million in 2007.

"He's a heck of a quarterback," the coach said. "We just hope that at some point he reconsiders and considers saddling up with the Bucs."

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Nike has no plans to dump Michael Vick from its roster of celebrity athletes, turning aside a request from the national Humane Society to cut ties with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback over alleged ties to dogfighting.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, yesterday released a letter that he sent to the apparel giant.

"We trust that Nike does not want to be associated with any celebrity who is linked to this odious form of animal cruelty," Pacelle wrote.

Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the company planned to honor its lucrative deal with Vick, who worked with the company to design a line of athletic shoes and has been used prominently in advertising campaigns.

"There is no change in the status of the agreement between Nike and football player Michael Vick," Stoyer said. "He is rightfully presumed innocent and afforded the same due process as any citizen, rather than be tried in the court of public opinion. Nike will continue to monitor the situation, but has nothing further to say at this time."

During an April 25 raid on a Virginia home owned by Vick, authorities seized 66 animals, most of them pit bulls, and equipment that suggested they were being used in a dogfighting operation.

Vick, a registered dog breeder, has claimed he rarely visited the home and was unaware it could be involved in a criminal enterprise. He blamed relatives for taking advantage of his generosity.

But authorities say they've been told that Vick was involved in dogfighting, and federal investigators searched the property this month. No charges have been filed.

"We recognize that Mr. Vick has not been charged with a crime," Pacelle wrote in his letter. "But we know that Nike has high standards for its spokespersons."

The Humane Society already called on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to punish Vick if criminal charges are filed against the quarterback.

Goodell met with Vick during the NFL draft and league investigators are looking into the case to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.

The new commissioner has made player conduct one of his top priorities, already giving Pacman Jones a one-year suspension and barring Tank Johnson and Chris Henry from the first half of the upcoming season.

In the letter to Nike, Pacelle noted that AirTran Airways ended its relationship with Vick in May. The quarterback had been a pitchman for the airline since 2004, doing radio ads and billboard advertising, but Vick's reputation was tarnished by the dogfighting case and other embarrassing incidents.

"At the very least, Mr. Vick was not vigilant enough and an unacceptable situation developed on one of his properties," Pacelle wrote. "It remains to be seen whether all the personal accounts and information about his role in dogfighting are sufficient to connect Mr. Vick to the alleged dogfighting operation."