The Buccaneers have been on a slide since their Super Bowl win in 2002. Although their actual records since then seem slightly erratic, their expected wins based on their internal efficiency stats tell a different story. They have been in consistent decline since the end of the 2002 season.
Although Bruce Gradkowski did well enough for a young back-up QB thrust into the starting roll on a losing team, he still performed well below average ranking 33 of 45 QBs. With the addition of Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay can expect a boost assuming Garcia can perform as well as he did in Philadelphia in 2006.
Gradkowski performed well enough to contribute -0.70 QB wins added in 2006, while Garcia contributed +1.83 QB wins added.
| Player | Cmp% Rank | Int Rank | Sk Rank | Wins Added | Total Rank |
| Garcia | 15 | 2 | 5 | +2.3 | 3 |
| Gradkowski | 40 | 17 | 23 | -0.2 | 33 |
Prior to the change in QB, the TB win projection stood at approximately 5 games for 2007. Doing some simple math, we can project TB is expected to win:
5 -(-0.2) + (+2.3) = 7.5 wins
I admit that this projection is based on some optimistic notions. It assumes Garcia stays healthy and plays as well for 16 games in TB as he did over a short 6-game stint on a talented Eagle team. Then again, he could play even better. The bottom line is: look for TB to improve significantly, from a 5 win team to about a 7 win team, mostly on the basis of their upgrade at QB.
