The Bucs appear ready to make a change at quarterback.

Brian Griese took all of the reps during Wednesday's morning walkthrough, meaning he likely will start Sunday's home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeff Garcia, who led the Bucs to the playoffs last season, was not on the field for the walkthrough nor is he participating in this afternoon's practice. He suffered an ankle sprain against New Orleans on Sunday, according to coach Jon Gruden. He described Garcia as "questionable'' for the Atlanta game.

Garcia, 38, battled calf and pinkie injuries during training camp and was limited to one preseason appearance. His rust was evident against the Saints, as he struggled on third down and missed easy passes to Joey Galloway and Alex Smith.

He helped the Bucs battle back in the second half before a fourth-down pass was intercepted at the New Orleans 21-yard line with 38 seconds left. But today, some players already seemed resigned to Garcia missing the Atlanta game.

"It's a big blow," fullback B.J. Askew said of Garcia's absence. "But Brian Griese is definitely ready to step in and take over the job. . . The team has had some time to jell a little bit with him in the preseason, so hopefully we'll just pick up where we left off."

Garcia, who typically holds a Wednesday morning press conference, was not made available to the media.