Gilroy’s quarterback ignores boos to bring Philly wins
When Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb went down a
month ago with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee
and was placed on team’s injured reserve list, many Eagles fans and
league pundits had all but written off the perennial powerhouse
team from the Northern Football Conference.
Gilroy’s quarterback ignores boos to bring Philly wins
When Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb went down a month ago with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was placed on team’s injured reserve list, many Eagles fans and league pundits had all but written off the perennial powerhouse team from the Northern Football Conference.
And when Eagles head coach Andy Reid opted to elevate Jeff Garcia, the 36-year-old, veteran three-time Pro Bowler from Gilroy, into the starting role instead of A.J. Feeley, the tough Philly crowd really gave up on the home team and started booing Garcia’s every move.
“That kind of thing is what fuels Jeff to do better. It always has,” said Jeff’s grandfather, Red Elder, from his home in Gilroy Dec. 12.
Evidently, those boos sparked Garcia once again.
Since replacing McNabb in the starting lineup, Garcia has thrown 8 touchdowns and hasn’t tossed a single interception since falling into the starting role. In fact, Garcia is the only NFL starter without one.
And after last week’s solid performance against the Redskins, Garcia’s statistics vaulted him ahead of McNabb, the team’s designated franchise player, in both passer rating and completion percentage.
Now suddenly it appears that Garcia may have helped right the ship for good as the Eagles appear to be in the driver’s seat to earn a wild card spot in the upcoming playoffs, which is quite a turnaround for a team that looked as though it might fall off the NFL radar screen just a few weeks ago.
“He’s more comfortable in Philadelphia than he was with Cleveland and Detroit,” Elder said.
Much of that newfound comfort is a result of Garcia being reunited with Eagles assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who served in the same capacity with the San Francisco 49ers from 1999-2000 – Garcia’s most productive years.
At the time of the injury to McNabb, the Eagles were 5-4 and getting blown out by the Tennessee Titans. Garcia entered that game to a slew of boos, then proceeded to methodically go 26-of-48, throwing for 189 yards and a touchdown. Despite Garcia’s solid effort, the Eagles lost the game anyway and the booing continued.
The following week Garcia went a near-flawless 19-of-23 for 140 yards and had a pair of touchdown tosses but it wasn’t enough to overcome the strong arm of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts as the Eagles slipped to 5-6.
By the time the Eagles came home the following week to face the Carolina Panthers in a must-win situation the boos for Gilroy’s favorite son were getting out of hand.
At one point during the game Garcia appeared to have gotten injured on a play and the crowd cheered but Garcia never was distracted in his mission.
By the end of the game, he had racked up more than 300 passing yards, threw three touchdown tosses and helped guide the Eagles to a 27-24 win in front of a national audience.
“I talked to a fellow from Oakland, who said that they (Philadelphia fans) get out of control. But Jeff has always done well when he’s had to prove himself. That’s what fuels him,” said Elder, who along with his grandson Jeff holds the distinction of being the only grandfather/grandson combination to ever play in the NFL.
That win over the Panthers moved the Eagles back to the .500 mark and last week’s win over the Washington Redskins put them at 7-6 and looking towards the playoffs.
This weekend, the Eagles will travel to New York for an NFC East showdown with the Giants. A win there and the boos may end for good – or at least for another week.
“His dad and mom will be at the game watching again this weekend. They went last weekend, too,” said Elder, who is now 90. “I’ll be watching at home. I have the NFL package that allows me to watch all of Jeff’s games.”
Undrafted out of San Jose State University, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback has had to prove himself time and time again. And just like the City of Brotherly Love’s favorite character Rocky has had to prove himself time and time again when given the chance, Garcia has done the same.
“We’re all just real proud of Jeff,” said Elder, who played in the NFL from 1937 to 1941 for the Los Angeles Bulldogs. “He’s a good person and he likes being back there. Of course, two wins in a row make a big difference. He’s a lot more comfortable now.”
And so are Philadelphia’s fans.
