Backups going forward

There was evidence on Sunday that suggests benching an NFL quarterback for poor performance isn't the end of the world and might actually help win a game here and there.

In Tampa, the Buccaneers benched the ineffective Jeff Garcia in favor of Brian Griese. Griese wasn't Manning-esque, but he completed 18 of 31 passes for 160 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions as the Bucs avoided 0-2 with a 24-9 victory over Atlanta.

"I thought he did a nice job really," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said during his Monday news conference. "We had the one turnover late in the football game. He managed the offense. He made some great decisions in the running game. We won the football game. I thought he was solid. I thought he played pretty good."

Gruden named Griese the starter for Sunday's game at Chicago, where he started six games a year ago.

"He warrants being a starting quarterback in the league, period," Gruden said. "With that said, we don't anticipate any changes at that position this week."

Gruden left ensuing weeks open for a possible switch back to Garcia.

"It's going to be a long season; we're going to need everybody on our football team and we certainly need Jeff Garcia," Gruden said. "What his role is will be defined on a weekly basis."

After all, if Garcia can be sent to the bench, so can Jackson for gosh sakes.

Garcia, 38, is a 10-year NFL veteran who is coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season. Jackson, 25, is a third-year player who would need a ticket to attend the Pro Bowl. Garcia led the Bucs to the playoffs last year. Jackson helped the Vikings to mediocrity last year and to 0-2 so far this year.

Garcia was benched after completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 221 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 71.3 passer rating in a loss to New Orleans in Week 1. Jackson kept his job after completing 45.7 percent for 178 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 59.0 passer rating in a loss to Green Bay in Week 1.

Griese, 33, wasn't the only aging veteran backup to win a game on Sunday. Kerry Collins, 35, replaced the injured Vince Young as Tennessee won at Cincinnati 24-7. (And if you think the fragile-minded Young will get his job back after his knee heals, you're nuts.)

The other backup quarterback to win as a starter on Sunday was New England's Matt Cassel. Making his first start since his senior year of high school, Cassel replaced injured league MVP Tom Brady in a 19-10 victory at the Jets. Cassel completed 16 of 23 passes for 165 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also did the unimaginable: He made Pats coach Bill Belichick smile during a news conference.

Buffalo's Trent Edwards, 24, who was drafted in the third round last year, completed 20 of 25 passes in a 20-16 upset at Jacksonville. Edwards calmly moved the Bills 74 yards in nine plays and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass with 4 minutes, 10 seconds left in the game.

Then there's Denver's Jay Cutler. He's also 25 and a third-year pro. He's a former first-round draft pick with more talented receivers but, then again, he also doesn't have Adrian Peterson or a defense to speak of. Cutler completed 36 of 50 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns and the go-ahead two-point conversion with 24 seconds left in a wild 39-38 victory over the visiting Chargers.