Luke McCown Still A Backup

Jeff Garcia's back is making improvements, although Jon Gruden is a little sketchy on exactly how quickly the healing is coming along.

"We feel like he's making improvement, and that's a good thing," Gruden said of Garcia. "I want him to tell me he's ready to go and see him move around pain-free. He's getting better, and for the time being, we'll continue to work with Bruce (Gradkowski) and Luke [McCown]."

That's pretty much the story. But is The Times trying to create a quarterback controversy when absolutely none exists? Read the opening couple sentences of the article.

Thank you very much, Luke McCown.

Now get ready to return to your spot on the sideline Sunday.

That basically was the message Bucs coach Jon Gruden sent his backup quarterback Monday, one day after McCown threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-23 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Doesn't it sound kind of inflammatory? Like Gruden is offhandedly dismissing McCown back to the bench after he had such a stellar performance? I can't imagine an alternate reality where Luke McCown starts in favor of a healthy Jeff Garcia. And trust me, I can imagine some pretty fucked up alternate realities. McCown explicitly supports Garcia as the starter and says he knows his role on the team. I'm probably just looking for things to bitch about, but they always seem to want to make Gruden out to be some kind of asshole.