Acquiring Griese Was Right Move For the second time in as many years, the Bucs have traded for a quarterback during the early days of the free-agency signing period. The difference between the two deals is that the latest acquisition actually may report to training camp and don a Bucs jersey. That won't keep Tampa Bay fans from questioning the move. A second-day draft pick for Brian Griese? Some believe the draft pick, even if it's only a sixth-rounder, is more valuable. That's not the case. This wasn't a trade that resulted in a roster addition. It was a trade that resulted in a roster correction. The Bucs made a big mistake letting Griese go two years ago. It left them without an experienced backup quarterback. They began paying for that mistake as soon as Chris Simms went down with the spleen injury that put the brakes on his budding career. SIMMS STICKING One more thing on the quarterbacks. General Manager Bruce Allen said last week that the Bucs will take five quarterbacks to training camp. It will be six if Plummer shows up, but that won't happen so look for at least five to be in camp. Whether Simms is one of those five depends largely on how he performs during the offseason workout program. If Simms looks like his old self during the voluntary workouts, he'll likely earn a ticket to training camp. If not, he could be let go before camp begins. The next month or so is going to be huge for Simms - and the Bucs. A healthy and capable Simms may have more upside than any other quarterback on the roster right now. On the other hand, a struggling Simms may force the Bucs to spend an early-round pick on yet another quarterback of the future. They continued to pay for it even into last season, when the best the Bucs could get out of their lengthy corps of backups was one victory in three tries and a bag of mostly mixed results from Bruce Gradkowski and Luke McCown. Granted, Griese doesn't have the upside of Simms, McCown or even Gradkowski. And he is still a quarterback who is just good enough to get you beat. But he fills a need here because the Bucs still aren't sure what they're going to get out of their other three quarterbacks. Simms' future remains clouded in uncertainty. It will stay that way until long after he's returned to the field, tested his throwing mechanics and competed under fire. McCown has shown flashes of promise and even brilliance, but his problems sensing the rush and his inability to avoid turnovers and critical sacks has the potential for disaster. Gradkowski doesn't seem to have starter's skills. He's mobile enough but he doesn't have the arm strength to throw the deep ball accurately, so he's always going to struggle to produce at a high level. These are the reasons the Bucs felt a need to take a chance on trading for Jake Plummer last offseason, and why trading for Griese this offseason was a good move. If we've learned anything since Jon Gruden came to Tampa Bay seven years ago, it's that his offense is best run by an experienced veteran quarterback. Griese fits the bill. Could the Bucs have done better? Maybe. But this cost them next to nothing. They have plenty of time to recoup the 2009 second-day draft pick they gave up, and the bottom line is, Griese fills a need. It wasn't a need that got a lot of publicity but it was a need. If you disagree with that, think back to 2006 and how much different that season might have turned out had Griese still been around. Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune 10 March 2008