Gilroy
– Jeff Garcia is on his way to the Detroit Pistons-Philadelphia
76ers playoff game when he calls the Dispatch. We’d been hoping to
catch up with the former Gilroy High, Gavilan and 49er quarterback
since he signed with the Detroit Lions on March 15.
Gilroy – Jeff Garcia is on his way to the Detroit Pistons-Philadelphia 76ers playoff game when he calls the Dispatch. We’d been hoping to catch up with the former Gilroy High, Gavilan and 49er quarterback since he signed with the Detroit Lions on March 15.
Over the phone, as he navigates the streets of a brand new city, Garcia relates that Tuesday night’s NBA playoff clash at the Palace of Auburn Hills puts things into perspective for him. Boston may be the current owner of the unofficial “Titletown, U.S.A.” mantle, but Detroit deserves a mention in any conversation about the great sports towns of recent times.
The Pistons are defending NBA champions. The Red Wings won three Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2002. The Tigers, well, they’re still the Tigers … but they have a new ballpark and have won the World Series as recently as 1984.
The Lions, though, haven’t won a championship since 1957, well before National Football League title games were called “Super Bowls.” They haven’t won a playoff game since 1991. And they haven’t had a Pro Bowl passer since 1971, when Greg Landry was honored – the longest such drought at the quarterback position in the NFL.
Garcia doesn’t pretend that such a streak of mediocrity can be turned around in an instant. And as he has so often in his career, he comes into his new job with the deck stacked against him and numerous doubters ready to question his size, his arm strength, his age.
It’s a situation he accepts. It’s a situation he derives strength from.
“When everything is stacked up against me,” Garcia says, “it turns a switch on in myself. Here’s another situation, where I’m coming up against a guy who hasn’t necessarily done as much as I have done, but I’m with a coaching staff that knows me, has worked with me. That said, there’s a whole group of new teammates I need to prove myself to.”
That guy is fourth-year quarterback Joey Harrington, the starter for the time being. Three-time Pro Bowler Garcia was signed as a backup to the young signal-caller, who in 2004 threw more touchdowns than interceptions for the first time in his pro career.
But the Lions made it clear from the beginning that Garcia would at least have a chance to compete for the starting job. That, and the chance to be reunited with former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci and several former members of the San Francisco coaching staff, was what made the Gilroy native pick Detroit over several other teams courting him in the offseason.
“I still want to be a Super Bowl … type quarterback,” Garcia says, pausing to make it clear that he knows the distinction between bravado and having ambitious goals.
“It’s one of those things where I came into Detroit somewhat knowing my role, not accepting it, but knowing I’m not going to be the starter from the get-go,” he says. “All I can do is push myself as hard as possible. I’m concerned about winning. If that means it forces Joey Harrington to become a better quarterback, that’s great. And if he’s not the guy doing it, then I’m going to be prepared to do it.
“Yes, I’m getting older. Yes, the number of years I have left is diminishing. But I feel I have lots of good football left in me.”
The difference between knowing his role theoretically, and having it driven home became clear to Garcia at last week’s Lions minicamp, the first of the offseason.
“It was hard to swallow, not being the guy getting reps on the first team (at minicamp),” he says. “I’ve accepted my position, but it doesn’t change my mindset, to do everything I can do, to scratch and claw, but not to create a negative controversy.”
Back among friends
Whatever Garcia’s wishes, it seems a quarterback controversy in Detroit is inevitable. Until training camp opens, everything is speculation, but Lions watchers in Detroit are already calling on Mariucci to make Garcia the starter – in the papers, on the radio and on fan Web sites.
For the quarterback at the center of the storm, just being back with the coach who guided him to three Pro Bowls with the 49ers is reason enough to be happy after a disappointing year with the Cleveland Browns in 2004.
“It’s great,” says Garcia. “Not only having Coach Mariucci here, but having guys I’ve worked with in the past like Greg Olson as quarterback coach, Ted Tollner as offensive coordinator, (offensive line coach) Pat Morris, (running backs coach) Tom Rathman. They’re the type of people … the friendships carry over off the field, not just on the field.”
Garcia is also relieved to be back in the West Coast offensive schemes so suited to his talents.
When he signed with Cleveland after being released by San Francisco as part of a cost-cutting strategy, Garcia says he was “a guy that was looked at as being a savior” for the franchise. But while Garcia says he was assured by the Browns that they would modify their offense to suit his talents, offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie had a different plan.
The undersized quarterback was unable to utilize his athleticism and ability to make quick reads in Robiskie’s grind-it-out offense. Garcia complained in an earlier interview with the Dispatch that clock management was so poor with the Browns that it often caused delay-of-game penalties and hurried plays.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Garcia says. “I went in with an open mind – I still think it’s a great organization – but unfortunately there were some problems with the coaching staff that carried over to the execution and preparation on the field.
“Every week was an uphill battle trying to get the attention of the offensive coordinator, trying to show him what I could bring to the table. It wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball. There were things throughout the team. We lost a lot of close games that we could have won.
“I’m not bitter, I’m not mad. I’m disappointed. I was ready to make a four-year commitment to the organization.”
Contrasting that environment to the one he finds himself in now, Garcia says there’s no comparison.
“The whole team participated (in the recent minicamp),” he says. Guys had fun, guys worked hard. A month prior to this minicamp, 90 percent of the guys made a commitment to be here in the offseason to work to make this team good.
“In many ways, I hope that this is my last stop. I want to make the most of this opportunity.”
Still dreaming
“I was back at my parents’ for Easter,” Garcia relates, “and we were going through some old pictures, and we found this autobiography that I had done from the fourth grade. And I was saying I was going to be a pro football player.
“Now that was just a dream, back in the fourth grade. But it showed that I had this drive, this pride to succeed.
“I think the main thing that I try to tell kids these days, is don’t ever sell yourselves short. If you really believe with your heart and your mind, there’s no limit to where you can go. As far as where I am in my life, yeah, it’s a very small percentage that makes it to this level.
“But that doesn’t mean everybody can’t be successful in their own way.”
Garcia has always felt strongly about his ties to the Gilroy community and given back to it generously, particularly to its young athletes. But in recent months he has actually stepped up that giving spirit. In February, Garcia donated $350,000 to Gilroy High towards its new stadium and track surface. The new facility will be named the Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in honor of both sides of Garcia’s family – carrying on the legacy of his father Bobby Garcia and his maternal grandfather Maurice “Red” Elder, both longtime coaches and educators in the community.
“I’m very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in,” Garcia says, “to be able to utilize my name, and to be able to continue to do that and be able to give to the high school.”
Now the quarterback has announced that his annual charity golf tournament, which had been put on hold while he sorted out his career options, is back on … but with some changes. Unlike the lavish corporate-sponsored events of past years, the June 25 edition at Gilroy Golf Club will be a smaller affair. Rather than benefiting a grab bag of charities, proceeds will go solely to the Gilroy High and Gavilan football programs.
“It was somewhat disappointing that we weren’t going to do something at first,” he says. “Here was a great way to get the community involved and support the local organizations. We contacted (Gavilan football coach John) Lango and (Gilroy football coach Darren) Yafai and said, ‘You guys are crazy not to take advantages of this.’
“It will be kind of low-key, but it will allow some of the local people to be able to afford to get out there for some fun.”
A few hours after Garcia hangs up, the news comes across the wire that the Pistons have beaten the Sixers to make it to the second round of the playoffs. The defending champs are still very much alive in their quest to bring home another title for Detroit.
For the Detroit Lions’ young players and one cagey veteran who has been given new life, the challenge has been issued.
Jeff Garcia on …
Detroit’s NFC
North completion
Obviously, Minnesota is going to be a talented, good team. Green Bay is always good with Brett Favre at quarterback. Chicago should be improved. It’s going to be a very tough division. But I think we’ve got a very good, young team. Offensively, we have some good players. We have a good defense and we have really great special teams. On offense we’re young but we’re skilled.
teams’ patience with young quarterbacks
There’s such an urgency to win right now, there’s not enough time to rebuild, not enough time to spend four or five years on a guy. There’s not enough money to be patient.
What he leaves
behind in Cleveland
I’ve spoken to my quarterback coach, Steve Hagen (after being released). I’ve kept in contact with some of my teammates, some of the coaching staff. I haven’t talked to (former head coach) Butch Davis. I still have a house in Cleveland that I’m trying to unload, but that’s not an easy thing to do right now.
Detroit’s corps of young wide receivers
I’ve been around the Jerry Rices and the Terrell Owenses. These young guys have to realize that no matter how great they were in college, what separates the great professionals is the extra work they do, studying films, working out harder, etc.
Owens’ recent
travails in Philly
Just because the color of his uniform changed, doesn’t mean the color of his attitude changed. Same cat, different uniform.
Bill Walsh
He’s somebody that’s been very inspirational to me, especially in opening up opportunities to me. I just saw Bill not too long ago, at a San Jose State scrimmage, an alumni gathering. He’s still very sharp and very knowledgeable about the game.
