We’re reacting to the sad tale of Jeff Garcia’s departure from
the San Francisco 49ers the same way we’d respond if Cinderella and
Prince Charming ended up in divorce court.
We’re reacting to the sad tale of Jeff Garcia’s departure from the San Francisco 49ers the same way we’d respond if Cinderella and Prince Charming ended up in divorce court.
After all, Jeff Garcia has been Gilroy’s Cinderella story: A humble, hard-working local “kid” scratches and claws his way up from relative obscurity in the Canadian Football League to the helm of one of the finest NFL franchises just a stone’s throw from home.
When Garcia joined the 49ers in 1999, it was magic. He became the latest in a storied line of quarterbacks that includes legendary Joe Montana and Steve Young. He quickly put up numbers that stacked up to the former greats. He earned three Pro Bowl honors. “Red-and-gold “JG” hats sprouted all over town. Perhaps most significantly, he played with passion and verve – and he didn’t whine like so many players (i.e. Terrell Owens) in this day and age.
Unfortunately, timing wasn’t on the talented Gilroy High and Gavilan College grad’s side. Shortly after Garcia arrived – and despite his noble and exemplary efforts – the slow disintegration of the once-proud 49ers franchise began. There was instability in the front office. There were many personnel changes from coaching staff to star players. Then, this year, for the first time Garcia succumbed to a series of nagging injuries that kept him out a few games. That caused some morons to question his value to the team. And, in what is becoming increasingly common bad-taste fashion, the team brass let the quarterback controversy simmer a bit.
When Garcia returned to the roster toward the end of the season, he played like the NFL star he has become.
Then came Garcia’s personal foul: a drunk driving arrest. Although he hasn’t even entered a plea, let alone been found guilty by a jury, the taint of scandal came at an inopportune time.
At some point, Gilroy’s aging quarterback must have come to the realization that his boyhood dream didn’t match up with reality. The 49ers weren’t going to win anytime soon, the organization he once revered had lost its class and its soul and he had a decision to make: Hold on and hope or take his future in his owns hands and take his best shot at a Super Bowl title elsewhere.
Garcia will land on his feet. He always has. And we predict he’ll sign with the team he has the best shot of winning it all with – as long as he believes the people running the show have character.
Longtime 49ers fans will take a little time to mourn this loss – it’s going to be an abysmal few years. But Garcia has provided us with play marked by gutsy determination that made us proud.
Thanks, Jeff. Rest assured wherever you end up we’ll be rooting aloud for our local hero’s success (though we do hope it’s not the Dallas Cowboys).
Best wishes for a Super Bowl ring. And thanks for the memories.
