What’s up with the Bucs? (QB Controversy Part 2)

After a great fill-in season last year, Jeff Garcia has certainly showed he can still start in the NFL. It was only a question of where he was going to end up (Philly has too much invested in McNabb to dump him, knee surgery or no).

So now he’s landed with the Bucs, a team that could’ve really used a good fill-in starter when Chris Simms went down in the 3rd game of last season.

And now both are competing for the job in Tampa.

American football is a team sport; in many ways it is really the epitome of team sports. Each position is so specialized, and each so necessary, that a team is incapacitated, not just diminished, by a vacancy in any section. A soccer or hockey team can still score when short-handed, a baseball team can fill spots with “designated hitters” and “pinch runners,” and the Sonics had the best record in the NBA in 1994 without fielding a true Center (we just used three forwards in those days).

You can’t do that in the NFL.

So being the ultimate team sport, team chemistry is that much more important. An NFL team is like a many-tentacled Kraken…and those limbs all need to work in concert to be an effective team.

And this applies to the relationship between coaches and players as well. Does anyone (well, any astrologers anyway) think it strange that Mike Holmgren (Gemini) has had such an outstanding rapport with his QBs over the years?

- Steve Young (Libra)
- Brett Favre (Libra)
- Matt Hasselbeck (Libra)

(for the non-astrologers reading…Libra and Gemini harmonize well due to the shared Air-Intellectual quality of the signs)

Sometimes I think folks forget about Jon Gruden (well, at least outside of Tampa). It wasn’t too many years ago he was showing up regularly on television…both as a Raider and as a Buc coach. As a big Leo, Mr. Gruden is quite “shiny and expressive;” it’s strange to me that both he and the Bucs have been so quiet in the years since winning the Super Bowl.

Yes, yes…I realize they limped into the 2005 play-offs on the legs of Cadillac Williams. But I’m talking about being a big splash in the NFC, not being a speed bump to other teams. The team needs all the pieces to be a real contender.

So let’s take a quick look at the Bucs QB position, especially in relation to the head coach (chemistry, remember!):

Coach Gruden is a big Leo (I always add the “big” as a prefix when talking about Leos…it just feels right, somehow…). In addition to a big, expressive personality Mr. Gruden has prided himself on his ability as a MOTIVATOR. The advanced Lion grows beyond simply expressing themselves (um…roaring, so to speak), to a place where they can encourage others to find their own inner “king of the jungle.” Of course, it’s challenging to keep one’s own ego small when you have a direct pipeline to the source of creativity…but, hey, we’ve all got our challenges, you know?

Besides which, Jon has more in his chart than just Leo…he’s got Venus right on top of his Sun, making him quite the harmonizer (similar to a Sun-sign Libra). He also has Mercury, Uranus, and Pluto all firmly in Virgo gifting him with a critical, analyzing mind fueled by some heavy hitting planets.

Unfortunately, without knowing Mr. Gruden’s exact birth time, it is difficult know just exactly how heavy-hitting we’re talking. For a variety of reasons, I wouldn’t be too surprised to find out he was born in the early afternoon.

ANYWAY…let’s look at the coach’s chemistry with his Tampa QBs:

Brad Johnson – Virgo
Brian Griese – Pisces
Chris Simms – Virgo
Jeff Garcia – Pisces

Interesting.

Virgo and Pisces are OPPOSITE signs in the zodiac. Whereas Virgo is all about critical analysis and refining of minutiae and facts, Pisces is the most “cosmic” of the signs…the Fish swim in a sea of faith and mysterious intuition. Virgo’s challenge is to not get obsessed with every little tiny piece of the puzzle; Pisces’s challenge is establishing some boundaries and not just absorbing everything going on around them.

Thing about opposite signs is that they can balance and compliment each other; Pisces learns how to focus from Virgo, and Virgo learns how to stop counting beans and make leaps of faith.

Now let’s dig a bit deeper.

Brad has Jupiter right on top of his Sun. Jupiter is a huge planet and colors the Sun Sign, giving it the expansive optimism, confidence, and energy…almost as if Brad was a Sun Sign Sagittarius with an analytical nature. Coach Gruden has his Jupiter in Aries, his Sun, Moon, and Venus in Leo…he enjoys fiery, exuberant folks (a good reason to have a profession in sports, really). And if he can connect with his player on a mental level (Virgo Mercury with Virgo Sun), so much the better. Let’s get together and figure out how to win a Super Bowl!

Brian is a Pisces, the exact opposite personality as Brad; except that he, too, has Jupiter right on top of his Sun. Another optimistic, energetic, exuberant personality; what fun! But as a Pisces he may have some difficulty making the mental connection. It depends on a lot of other factors, of course, but Pisces is more likely to just “pick things up” (i.e. from the Universe) than to get overly enthused about watching tape.

Cut to Chris…a Virgo’s Virgo’s Virgo (Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn all in Virgo). His Jupiter is close to the Sun (within 11 degrees), but not enough to carry the exuberance of Brad and Brian; he will enjoy watching tape, though. Chris also has his Mars in Scorpio, bringing a scary intensity of willpower to what he enjoys doing (I’m guessing, here: playing football). Coach Gruden is going to have an affinity with young Mr. Simms.

Finally: Mr. Garcia. Another Pisces. One with a competitive spirit (Mars in Aries). One with a brilliant mind (Mercury in Aquarius). A guy with Jupiter in Scorpio (which could be a whole post in and of itself). But I don’t see anything to indicate a strong, or at least an immediate, rapport with the head coach. Or course, a full chart might reveal some mitigating factors, and I’ve only got the basics here.

On the other hand, one thing about Pisces, they are the most malleable and adaptable of all the zodiac. You know how water takes the shape of any container into which it is poured? That’s Pisces. Along with a competitive spirit, a brilliant mind, and an obsessive, intense intuition, you’ve got a player who can step into a situation (say a starting position when the main man goes down with injury) and squish into shape with minimal effort. Not every player has it that easy.

(One example of another adaptable guy: Frank Reich. Being responsible for the largest comeback in both NCAA football history and NFL history, in both games Mr. Reich came off the bench to replace an injured quarterback. While Frank has no planets in Pisces, the final signature for his horoscope is Pisces (adaptable-water) and his Part of Fortune is in Pisces; I’d be interested in knowing Frank’s time of birth to check 12th house planets)

ANYWAY (what a digression!) it’ll be interesting to see who Coach Gruden decides to start this year, and how they’ll fare throughout the season. I’d expect Chris to start if his health is up to it, though Garcia should be just as capable to step in if Mr. Simms goes down. Hopefully, Mr. Gruden won’t do any more analyzing then necessary, and will be able to make his own mental “leap of faith” when it comes to choosing a QB. Just two more notes:

1) In addition to chemistry with the coach, a QB needs chemistry with his receivers. Both Joey Galloway and the newly added TE Jeramy Stevens are Scorpios (both originally from Seattle…can you believe it?!). Scorpios get along famously with both Virgo and Pisces…both should have no problems hooking up for big gains.

2) Although he said he will retire rather then play for Tampa, Jake “the Snake” Plummer is still listed on the Bucs depth chart and roster as of this date. Jake is a Sagittarius…exuberant, enthusiastic, confident. I won’t be too surprised if Gruden somehow gets Jake to play for the Bucs, nor will I be extremely shocked if Jake convinces the coach to let him start the season. But I would be extremely shaken if Plummer finished the season as the starter, and I would not put money on the Snake taking the Bucs into the play-offs this season!