Veteran defensive lineman Kevin Carter chimed in on Jeff Garcia's contract dispute today and made it clear he wants to see his quarterback and friend taken care of.

"I'm a little biased because I love Jeff," Carter (left) said. "I love playing here. That's why I'm, again, a Buc, because I love to be here. That being said . . . we need to get it worked out. We need to put all this aside and get a deal done."

Carter recently went through a tough negotiation of his own with the Bucs after being released in February. After rejecting an initial offer to re-sign with the team and remaining a free agent for a few weeks, Carter signed with the Bucs days after visiting with Oakland, which was poised to offer a more lucrative deal.

Now that he's back onboard, Carter is thinking about what lies ahead, and he likes the direction of the team.

"I feel good about it," he said. "I think we're better now than we were in January. As a team I think our chemistry hasn't (wavered). I think we've gained some guys in free agency. But more than anything, the experience of our younger guys is gonna help us a lot. . . Our goals are to be playing there (he says this while pointing his finger) in February."

"There" is Raymond James Stadium, which was off in the distance and will be the site of Super Bowl XLIII.

[Brendan Fitterer, Times photo files]