Gramatica Gone, Griese Good
(December 1, 2004)

It is hard to believe, but at 4-7 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are only one game out of the race for the last NFC playoff spot. While mathematically possible, it hard to envision this year's team making a postseason appearance. With the season about two-thirds over, the big stories have been Martin Gramatica and Brian Griese. Michael Clayton and Michael Pittman have made for good copy as well.

When he missed three field goals in Sunday's game at Carolina, Martin Gramatica admitted, "I don't know if I deserve to have a job here." Yesterday, the Bucs waived the kicker once known as "Automatica."

Martin Gramatica was born November 27, 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He played soccer in his native Argentina and did not play organized football until his final year at LaBelle (Florida) High School. In 1993, as a senior, he was good on 8 of 10 field goal attempts, including a 52 yard boot.

Gramatica was at Kansas State from 1994 to 1998, including a medical red-shirt season in 1996. He set numerous KSU records, including a total of 349 career points. As a senior, Gramatica set the school's single season record with 135 points and kicked a 65 yard field, which is the longest in NCAA history without a tee. As a junior he won the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the best collegiate place kicker. He received a bachelors degree in social science.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gramatica in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft and he has lead the team in scoring ever since. He was been the leading scorer five straight years (1999 to 2003) and set a franchise record with 128 points in 2002. He tops the Bucs career scoring list with 529 points. He was the first Bucs place kicker to go to the Pro Bowl following the 2000 season.

This season Gramatica made eleven of nineteen field goal attempts, but just four of eleven from 30 yards or more. Jay Taylor, who played in the Arena Football League, NFL Europe and the XFL, will assume the kicking duties this Sunday against Atlanta.

On the other side of the coin is Brain Griese. Since coming into the New Orleans game to replace the injured Chris Simms, he has posted some impressive numbers. Griese has completed 141 of 202 passes for 1,670 yards and an outstanding 69.8 completion percentage. He has twelve touchdowns, five interceptions and an excellent 104.2 QB rating. For comparison, Brad Johnson and Simms have combined for three TDs and four picks. The Bucs are 4-3 since Griese took over. Head coach Jon Gruden, if the Bucs are now playing for next year, will have a difficult decision on whether Griese or Simms is the quarterback of the future.

Another story are the Michaels. Michael Clayton has already broken the Bucs rookie receiving record (828 yards) and could be headed for rookie of the year. Michael Pittman, despite missing the first three games due to suspension, has rushed for 594 yards and is tied with Gramatica for the team's leading scorer with 54 points.

The Buccaneers are 4-7, in spite of out-scoring their opponents 206-203. If you buy into the "they're not out of it theory," here is playoff picture. Philadelphia, Atlanta, Green Bay, Minnesota and Seattle have winning records. The New York Giants and St. Louis are tied for the final wild-card spot at 5-6. Seven teams, everybody else except Washington and San Francisco, are 4-7. Technically, the 4-7 teams are just one game out of the hunt. The Bucs would most likely have to win the remaining five games and there is no real reason to belive that will happen. They might match last year's 7-9 record, which would mean a 7-5 finish after a 0-4 start.