Quarterback returns to practice field, could play this
Saturday
SANTA CLARA – Not even a bulging disc in his back could keep garlic-grown quarterback Jeff Garcia from returning to the practice field for the San Francisco 49ers. The three-time Pro Bowler, out of Gilroy, was back behind center at Sunday’s workout in Santa Clara after a 10-day absence.
“I felt good, a little bit rusty and not quite as sharp as I’d like to be but I guess that’s to be expected after 10 days of not throwing the football,” Garcia said. “I thought that everything else was good. I felt fairly sharp in the sense of strength wise and mobility wise. I thought I was moving around just fine.
“I thought I was making every throw required out of me and not feeling any sort of pain in the back,” he added. “That was a very positive thing for me today.”
A positive for Garcia is a positive for the Niners.
The extent and cause of Garcia’s injury has been a mystery since his back tightened up in late July – but the Gilroyan slinger spoke to reporters to clear everything up.
“I just think it was one of those things where I was probably at the point where something like this was going to happen. The disc has degenerated and there is no way of fixing that,” Garcia said. “You would like to think that you can prevent certain things like this, but it just came at a bad time. It happened doing a certain lift, but no, I don’t do that exercise anymore. I think I am more conscious of different exercises now that do put strain on the lower back…”
Garcia was in the squat position, rotating around with the weights in front of him when the injury occurred. The barbell he was using was only 60 pounds.
“I think it was a combination of that I was in the middle of the workout and I was straining through it. I was tired. I knew something was wrong,” Garcia said. “It was the first time I had really experienced any sort of back pain. I have been fortunate in that sense. When it happened, I didn’t really know what occurred at the time. I just knew my lower back had shut down and went weak on me.”
Along with sitting out the last 10 days of practice, Garcia remained in street clothes on the sidelines throughout Thursday’s 14-10 thrilling victory over the Oakland Raiders in the Battle of the Bay. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Ken Dorsey led the Niners back with the go-ahead touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
“Without a doubt, I plan on practicing every day this week. Obviously, it’s taking it one day at a time, and hopefully I can continue to go out and feel the way I felt today and not have any relapses of what occurred a couple weeks ago,” Garcia said. “I feel pretty confident that that’s going to be the case. If I continue to treat and listen to my body and not overdo it, that’s going to be the most important thing right now.”
Coach Dennis Erickson – in his first season with the 49ers – liked what he saw out of Garcia during practice.
“I thought Jeff threw real well. He was a little rusty of course but he came out and made some throws. I thought his timing was good,” Erickson said. “I was happy with what he did, we’ll try to do maybe a little more depending on how he feels physically. He is the only one that can tell that. But his performance I thought was good for the first time in 10 days or whatever it’s been.”
Garcia – who has seen a chiropractor since the injury – is treating his back by strengthening the muscles around the disc and the abs in his workouts, and stretching out as much as necessary. Garcia also received epidurals in two separate spots to alleviate the pain.
“It was not a problem at all. I didn’t feel any pain with it,” said Garcia of the epidurals. “The only thing afterwards is that your equilibrium seems to be a little out of whack. Then, I had a little bit of soreness and ache for the next couple of days until it settled in.”
If all goes well, Garcia could see action in the 49ers’ next preseason game Saturday at Candlestick Park against the New Orleans Saints.
“I think that if I can continue to increase my reps on a daily basis, I believe that I’ll have enough work to get me prepared for Saturday’s game against the Saints. I don’t think that that’s going to be a problem,” said Garcia, whose back will have to be tested sooner or later. “I want to get that first hit out of the way and that’s just going to happen. How I respond from that is going to be key… That’s something that I definitely anticipate. I wouldn’t say I look forward to those types of things, but I think you have to get those things out of your mind before you get into the normal stretch of the season.”
Garcia will not wear any special padding for his back because “that could be a distraction for me.” But even he admits that he is not yet back to his normal self on the football field.
” I would say that I am as close to normal that I have been in a while, but there is still just a minor ache in the lower back at times,” Garcia said. “I think if I am sitting for long lengths of time, that is definitely something that effects it a little bit more, but it is not to the point where I am complaining about anything.”
There is no surgery in the near future for Garcia – who believes he will be recovered and ready to go full steam by the 49ers’ regular-season opener September 7 against the Chicago Bears.
“No. I don’t have any doubt in my mind. How my mind thinks and how my body reacts, it is potentially two different things. As far as where I stand right now, I don’t believe there will be any doubt as to why I shouldn’t be out there opening day,” Garcia said. “I’m hoping to be out there next weekend. That is where I plan to be. I plan to be out on that field next Saturday against New Orleans competing again.”
