Bob Garcia is enjoying watching his son return to NFL prominence
after resurgence with the Eagles
Gilroy – Bob Garcia made himself right at home during the recent Philadelphia Eagles’ Christmas party.
The Eagles had just beaten the Washington Redskins. Garcia and wife Linda were on the road watching their son, Jeff, in action. Bob Garcia may be away from coaching but his fiery personality follows him wherever he goes.
He approached head coach Andy Reid and yelled, “Are we fired up yet?” A startled Reid, who is about as laid-back as any football coach, replied in a more subdued tone, “Yes, we’re fired up.”
Anyone who knows Bob Garcia, a lifelong Gilroyan, knows why Jeff Garcia is the way he is and one of the reasons he is thriving as the Eagles’ quarterback. It also helps one understand why Jeff got flagged for a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Jeff Garcia wears his emotions on his sleeves, which is just what a team with a laid-back coach needs. While his father knew Jeff had plenty left at age 36, even he admits to some surprise at how things have turned out so far this season.
“It was surprising because I didn’t think he’d get the chance to play,” said Bob Garcia, 65, who coached at Gavilan for 23 years. “I thought he’d have to sit on the bench this season.”
Jeff Garcia knew what he signed up for last March when he joined the Eagles. He had second thoughts earlier this season. He shared them with his father after the first game against the Cowboys, which Philadelphia won 38-24. The Eagles were 4-1 at the time and on top of the division.
Father and son talk on the telephone daily. This particular call Bob Garcia remembered like it was yesterday.
“He told me it didn’t seem to him like he was contributing,” Bob said. “He felt like a non-factor.
“I said, ‘Jeff, this is what you signed for. If something happens, you have to be ready.'”
When Jeff Garcia speaks to young people, he stresses how they need to be ready when opportunities present themselves. Bob Garcia told his son to heed his own words. It was one season and things would take care of themselves afterwards. Go out and run the scout team and try and get excited.
“After that, he never brought it up again,” Bob said. “He was working out, lifting, doing what he had to do. All of a sudden, McNabb goes down and Jeff’s thrown into the fire.”
But this relationship with Philadelphia was still in the developmental stage. After all, A.J. Feeley was waiting in the wings. He had replaced McNabb in 2002 and guided the Eagles to a 4-1 record. When Philly lost to Indianapolis this season to fall to 5-6, and when Garcia got off to a slow start against Carolina the following week, the boo birds let him have it.
“It was upsetting in a sense,” Bob said. “Feeley had been there before and he was successful, so I understood.”
The Eagles began their four-game win streak against the Panthers on Monday Night Football. They then took care of all three division foes on the road, an unprecedented event this late in the season. They are in the playoffs regardless of what happens Sunday at home with Atlanta.
“Now he’s having fun,” Bob said. “He finally has a pocket, something he didn’t have in Cleveland or Detroit, and even toward the end in San Francisco.”
Bob Garcia feels a kinship with longtime Philadelphia offensive line coach Juan Castillo. Both are second-generation Mexican-Americans, although Castillo grew up in Texas.
Castillo told Bob his line loves Jeff because of his “warrior” mentality. And Bob knows that Jeff is the recipient of one of the best lines in football. When the line has its daily 15-minute meeting to discuss blitz packages, the quarterback and running backs are present.
“I’ll tell you what, they know when a blitz is coming,” Bob Garcia said. “If you have a great line, you can have a mediocre running back. You can even get by at quarterback.
“I always knew Jeff had the ability. But you could see in Cleveland, Detroit and in the later years in San Francisco that he would take three steps and he would be fighting guys as he was going back.”
With that in mind, when the Houston Texans made overtures to Jeff before the Eagles signed him, Bob said no to his son. He explained that the reason David Carr was getting a reputation for “happy feet” was because of all the running for his life he was doing.
Bob gets animated when discussing about how things have changed since when Jeff took over as starting quarterback and now.
“Winning takes care of everything,” Bob said. “When every games means something, when you believe in something, you can conquer the world. It’s a game of emotion.”
Like father, like son. Jeff hasn’t give coach Reid a hug … yet.
