The Facts:
Garcia, addressing last week's firing of Jon Gruden for the first time Wednesday, said the Bucs "needed the change" and believes the coach's poor relationship with players played a key role in his dismissal. Garcia also suggested Gruden should share in the blame for the team's late-season collapse: "Statistics don't lie. When you look at how the team played in December, when you don't finish strong like you need to finish, and especially when you're in a playoff hunt like we were this year, we have to be accountable as players. But everybody has to take responsibility."
Reported by the St. Petersburg Times
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The QB had a long-running feud with Gruden and GM Bruce Allen stemming from the team's preseason courtship with Brett Favre and its reluctance to renegotiate his contract last summer. And it was long believed Garcia's two-year relationship with Gruden had deteriorated. Garcia's assessment of Gruden's handling of players mirrored receiver Michael Clayton's sentiments hours after the firings were announced Friday. Meanwhile, Garcia, a free agent who turns 39 on Feb. 24, said of his future: "I am open to listening if they want to talk. ... The ball's not in my court. It's in theirs."
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