Believe it or not, there's method to Bucs' QB madness

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The Bucs had three active quarterbacks on their 2007 roster -- Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski (left to right) -- with NFL starting experience. But the Bucs added another QB in the 2008 draft.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Only two quarterbacks were on the field at One Buccaneer Place on Friday. Make it three, if you want to count Doug Williams.

Williams is long retired and working in the team's personnel department. But given the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are collecting quarterbacks these days, anything's possible. Officially, there are six quarterbacks on the roster.

For technical purposes, you could also count Jake Plummer. He's retired, but never has filed the official paperwork. The Bucs long ago gave up hope of Plummer playing again, but they still hold his rights. You could also count Sam Keller, an undrafted rookie from Nebraska who is getting a tryout at this weekend's rookie camp.

To date, the Bucs haven't tried to coax Vinny Testaverde or Steve Spurrier to sign, but that may be only because they've got just about every other quarterback from their history on the roster.

"I can't say I've ever had this many quarterbacks before,'" new Bucs quarterbacks coach Greg Olson said. "But it's a good situation to have. We have a number of quarterbacks who have won games for the Buccaneers."

Actually, that number is five. Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski and Luke McCown each have started and won for the Bucs at one time or another.

Throw in sixth-round draft choice Josh Johnson, who is splitting reps with Keller during rookie camp, and the Bucs have enough quarterbacks to stock a couple of NFL franchises.

The numbers might seem excessive right now, but there's a plan behind all this and it will sort itself out in the coming months -- in some cases, maybe even sooner. If this were a game of musical quarterback chairs, Garcia, Griese, Gradkowski, McCown and Johnson would be sitting right now.

Simms still would be standing. It was known around the league for months that Simms was available, but the Bucs apparently didn't get any strong offers for a trade during the NFL draft last week. Simms still is on the roster, but he's got a foot out the door.

He hasn't played since having his spleen removed early in the 2006 season. Simms apparently wants to start somewhere else and hasn't been participating in any team activities during the offseason.

The Bucs probably will have to grant Simms his wish and release him before long. That single move would go a long way in sorting out the Olympic-size quarterback pool. The Bucs plan to take five quarterbacks to training camp, and this competition isn't nearly as complicated as you might think.

That's because Garcia, who's coming off a Pro Bowl season, returns as the starter. Griese, a former Tampa Bay backup, is pretty much set as the backup after returning from a stint in Chicago. Barring an injury, that leaves McCown, Gradkowski and Johnson to compete for one, or maybe two, roster spots.

"Competition is healthy for a team," Olson said. "And it's certainly healthy at the quarterback position. I think it's going to make everybody better."

Olson was St. Louis's offensive coordinator before he was fired at the end of last season. He has a long history with Garcia, having worked with the quarterback in previous stops in San Francisco and Detroit.

"I broke into the league with Jeff in San Francisco and he was a true professional then," Olson said. "I'll never forget the first day I went to practice and he told me, 'Coach me like I'm a college quarterback.' In other words, he wanted me to be hard on him. He demands a lot of himself and he likes his coaches to demand a lot out of him."

Olson again will take that approach with Garcia and he'll take it with the rest of the quarterbacks because the Bucs are looking for more than a No. 3 guy behind Garcia and Griese. They're looking for a long-term quarterback for the future.

Garcia is 38. Griese is 33. Sure, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden has a history of winning with veteran quarterbacks (see Rich Gannon in Oakland and Brad Johnson in Tampa Bay). Gruden would like nothing better than to have Garcia keep playing the way he did last year, but the coach is smart enough to know that can't go on forever.

Gruden wants to start grooming his quarterback, and that's really what this whole clouded QB picture is about. Maybe it's Gradkowski, maybe it's McCown or maybe it's Johnson. They each have their selling points.

Johnson didn't play for a powerhouse at the University of San Diego, but he has good size, a live arm and numbers that would stand out on any level. Last season, Johnson threw 43 touchdown passes and one interception -- and that ball was tipped.

Gradkowski doesn't have a big arm, but he showed plenty of moxie while starting 11 games in 2006 after Simms went down. McCown had three starts late last season and has momentum in his favor as training camp approaches.

"We've got to be careful about who's getting the reps and who's not getting the reps," Olson said. "Coach Gruden's been doing a nice job of controlling that and giving guys a chance to develop. The guys that have been here for the [organized team activities] have had a chance to take some reps and everyone will have a chance to get some going forward. When you're not getting a lot of reps, you have to make the most of your opportunities. It puts a little more pressure on them to perform and I think that's a good thing."

Maybe that pressure will help McCown, Gradkowski or Johnson rise and become the Bucs' quarterback of the future.

If not, anybody got a number for Trent Dilfer? Or Jack Thompson?

Pat Yasinskas covers the NFL for ESPN.com