The quarterback talks T.O., Cleveland and his future plans
Gilroy – For the first time in his life, Jeff Garcia wasn’t at home in Gilroy when he woke up Christmas morning. He woke up at his home in the Cleveland suburbs. He woke up 2,500 miles away.
And he woke up a fairly disgruntled, discontented man.
The angst doesn’t entirely come from the separation from his family and friends – although that’s a part of it.
No, it’s more about the unhappiness he feels in Cleveland, where his tumultuous first season with the 3-12 Browns ended when he sprained his MCL Dec. 12 at Buffalo.
He’s unhappy with the coaching staff. He’s unhappy with the offense. He’s unhappy with the press corps.
He’s just unhappy, period.
“If you work for a company and you hate that company and your boss is on your case all day … well, pretty soon everything there is going to seem negative to you,” said Jeff’s father, Bobby Garcia. “You’re gonna wake up one day and say ‘What am I doing here?'”
“So much negativity, it can pull you down. And I think it’s gotten to that point with Jeff. He’s just not happy … my gut feeling is that he wants out of there.”
After all but giving up on the press corps in Ohio, the younger Garcia attempted to explain his side of the story in a recent one-hour interview with the Dispatch. And the former quarterback at Gilroy High, Gavilan College and San Jose State doesn’t hold anything back.
He not only talks about the Browns’ situation, but also about Terrell Owens, retirement and even possible future employers, including the San Francisco 49ers.
Here is the exclusive interview:
Brett Edgerton: First of all, how is the recovery going?
Jeff Garcia: They say it’ll be six to eight weeks; it’s a third degree sprain of the MCL.
BE: With the way the year was going, did you view the season-ending injury as somewhat of a blessing in disguise?
JG: No, not at all. It’s definitely frustrating – just adding salt to the wound. As a player, you’d rather not go through rehab. You want to get the opportunity on the field. But the way things were going here, that opportunity to get back on the field was taken away from me. I was left to be in a position where I was somewhat conflicted, helping a young guy adjust to the NFL game. It’s a difficult position to be in, because I still feel like I can compete at the highest level and help this team win.
BE: Just how frustrating has this season been?
JG: It’s just one of those years, I guess. It’s left me wondering whether this was a good fit for me or not. It’s tested me as a player, in terms of attitude, personality, perseverance. It’s almost taken the excitement of the game from within me, because of the way I’ve been made to look in the media, saying I wasn’t the right fit or I wasn’t the guy to lead the offense. It’s just looking for an easy way out, pointing fingers and blaming the quarterback. I don’t think anybody could resurrect this situation with the things that are going on. For me, it’s been an uphill battle from the get-go. I think I’ve shown dedication and leadership to this team and this organization from the very start.
BE: When (offensive coordinator and current interim head coach) Terry Robiskie asked the leaders of the team to stand up at a team meeting a few weeks ago, you elected to stay seated. The video tape of that meeting ran on Cleveland TV stations and it created an uproar. Did you understand that or was the whole thing overblown in your opinion?
JG: Completely overblown. First of all, I don’t feel I need to stand up in a meeting to show my leadership. I’m not that kind of guy that wants to be bring attention to myself. And at that point, I was dealing with injuries, feeling heat from the media, wasn’t feeling good about the situation. Maybe earlier in the year, I’m more excited about something like that. I just don’t think people should be put in a position like that at this professional level. Everyone up here has those leadership abilities, or they wouldn’t be here. We all have each other’s back, we’re all there for each other, we all go to battle together. I just felt personally like I did step up and I was vocal, and I didn’t feel like anyone had my back.
BE: Did you find it at all suspicious that the video of a team meeting was released to the public?
JG: That’s just the way things are done here. That’s stuff that was never done in San Francisco, and probably not in most organizations. What we do in our own meetings is apparently open to everyone. I don’t know if that was a Butch Davis thing or what; wanting to give everyone a close look at how things were done on the team. Someone felt compelled to make those things available to the media, and of course the media got a hold of it and they exploited it, again trying to paint a negative picture of me.
BE: I’ve got to believe there are some writers over there that you get along with – or that have at least treated you fairly. Is that the case, or do you think it’s just been a collective witchhunt?
JG: It’s really been a collective witchhunt here. Most of the season I avoided reading the papers, but once I got injured, I read some of the stuff and it was just ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how negative it was and some of the things that were being said. I think it really increased my outlook as to how I feel about things here. Being back home I had the support of my family and friends. Being out here, away from everybody, I came into a situation where it was already so negative. It is worse than I’ve ever experienced.
BE: Explain to me what kind of offense you guys run in Cleveland. Honestly, I’m not sure how to describe it.
JG: I don’t think anybody is. I guess we utilize some concepts of the West Coast, but the concept here is to grind it out on the ground. And that’s tough to do when you don’t have the big guys up front for clearing holes. So you have to adjust, and maybe not run on the first two downs every series. But from the get-go, Robiskie wanted to show we could run the football and be tough on the ground. Well, we’ve only rushed for 100 yards four times all year, which doesn’t show much smash-mouth football. I mean we brought in a fullback and he’s only utilized half the time. It’s almost like he’s out of place. So I think there needed to be certain adjustments made and I don’t think they’ve ever been made. I just felt we could bring more to the table.
BE: From what I’ve heard, running the West Coast offense was part of the agreement when you signed with the Browns. Is that true?
JG: That was part of the original deal. They were going to adjust to a lot of my strengths and incorporate the type of player I am. And to make the offense even better, there was talk of bringing in Bill Walsh as a consultant to talk about blocking schemes and to help with the offense. Look at San Francisco, we weren’t just throwing the football. We ran the football very well. And what benefits an effective running game is an effective play-action game and movement game. Here we’ve tried to build a running game without play-action, without a movement game, without a screen game. And it’s easy for teams to stack the box and not respect the pass or the play-action. Or when we do them, it’s not a good sell.
BE: Your dad told me Bill Walsh called him awhile ago and said the Browns weren’t even returning his calls. Most people consider him one of the great minds in the history of the game. Do things like that make you even more frustrated?
JG: Well, let’s just say I think things would’ve been different if (former Cleveland president and CEO) Carmen Policy had not been run out of here and forced to retire. There would’ve been a better working relationship and a better view of how Walsh would’ve been utilized. Coach Butch Davis ended up controlling all the reigns and I’m sure Butch thought Robiskie could handle the offense on his own and not have to rely on one of the greatest minds in NFL history. And that’s really too bad. Bill was very willing to be a great asset and come in and help. Yeah, maybe it would’ve cost them some money, but I think the advantages would’ve been far greater than the cost.
BE: So do you think it was more about money or about proving they could handle the offense on their own?
JG: I think it was more of them thinking they could do it on their own. When I first got here, I started getting the feeling, and other people told me, ‘Just wait, Butch Davis likes to control everything at all times.’ And that became the reality. I think Butch was coming from a situation in college where he had to babysit and I think some of the things he tried to control are really some of the things players should be controlling on their own. Too many things went on that shouldn’t be taking place at this level. For example, we weren’t even allowed to leave our hotel rooms at night on road trips – even to step outside to get a breath of fresh air. I mean come on. I’m 34 years old. What are you talking about?
BE: It’s obvious you didn’t always see eye-to-eye philosophy-wise with Butch, but did you at least feel for him once you saw the heat he was taking in Cleveland and heard about the way his son was being treated at school?
JG: Oh, without a doubt. There was a lot of negativity around here toward Coach Davis. When we heard about things like his kid being harassed at school, you just have to feel for him and his family. It wasn’t a fair situation. I would like to say that even if some of us didn’t agree with his methods, Butch was determined to do the very best possible job he could do. It just go to the point where because of the games we’d lost and the situation we were in, he had to shoulder the burden. It was sad to see. All the sudden he was forced into a position where he had to protect his family. It really led to a negative experience.
BE: It’s my understanding you met with the owner about midway through the season. What was discussed between the two of you?
JG: I met with Randy Lerner and somewhat aired my concerns just about how I felt we were in a position we should’ve been in, in terms of wins and losses. It was frustrating to me. I felt we were being held back in ways. The defense was playing pretty well for the most part, but there was just no help from the offense.
BE: If the Browns did decide to go in a different direction at quarterback, what would they do with you and that year on your contract?
JG: They would release me. Take a hit on salary cap of about $3 million. If they kept me, I guess they’d pay around $5 million. So in essence, save about $2 million or so. But I don’t get into the numbers game. I leave that to my agent.
BE: If you were to sign somewhere else, would the West Coast offense be a requirement? And would you be willing to sign somewhere knowing you’d be a backup?
JG: Definitely. My thing is, if I did find myself in a situation where I was a free agent again, I’d lean heavily on coaches I’d been with in the past and the systems they run. That’s why two teams immediately come to mind: Atlanta and Detroit. At this point in my career, I do still believe I could be a starter at the highest level, but I also think about the best opportunity to be part of a championship-style football team. There’s not many more years left and I think realistically, I’ve probably reached the highest level possible at this point. Plus, as a backup, you’re always a play away from being the starter. I’d be willing to put my desire to start aside if it meant being with a team that was going to win a lot of games.
BE: Do you feel the decisions that were made by Robiskie concerning your role ever got personal?
JG: What do you mean?
BE: As in a vendetta against you? You did say some pretty harsh things about his offense throughout the season.
JG: It’s difficult to say. I would hope he didn’t take anything I said out of frustration personally. And I’ve had enough one-on-one talks with him that he knows I respect and appreciate him. So hopefully he hasn’t taken offense at anything I’ve said out of frustration. But the decision he made to pick another starting quarterback – as much as I don’t want to take it personally – it’s hard for me to look at it another way when you put in a kid, a player who is a rookie and hadn’t started any games. The thing that really got me was the comment that was made that if Kelly (Holcomb) was healthy, I wouldn’t have even been the No. 2 guy.
BE: Who said that?
JG: It was said by Robiskie or in the papers or something. To me, that just shows a complete underappreciation of me as a player. If you look each of our games, I played hard every single down. There were mistakes made, and I’m the first one to look in the mirror and say I need to play better football and do more things to help the team win. But it was never due to a lack of effort or preparation. That was hurtful. It made me feel lonely. It led to a lot of feelings.
BE: Like retiring?
JG: No. I just feel like I can’t go out on this note. I do feel like I’m near the end … I’ve played a lot of football over the years. But I don’t want to finish on this note. I want a situation where I can finish on my own terms, and I don’t feel I’m doing that right now. I should be able to walk away and still have so much excitement for the game and so much desire for the game, and do it at the high level I’ve been able to achieve. And I know I can still do that. I can show that. I know if I was to hang it up today, there would be sometime down the road where I’d say, ‘What could’ve happened that last year or two?’ So there’s no way I’m settling down now. I’ve come too far to go out this way.
BE: There were certainly a few rough spots while with the 49ers, but for the most part it was a pretty successful run. Do you ever think about those days?
JG: Without a doubt. There were some great experiences in San Francisco. It was a great thing to be so close to family and friends and all the local support that comes with playing so close to home. There were more positives than negatives, without a doubt. The experience there was so incredible and I’ll always have those positive memories. I do miss the coaches and players there in San Francisco. I think people like Dennis Erickson and Ted Tollner and I could go on and on – all those coaches are incredible people. It was really enjoyable playing for those guys. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by not only great football minds, but great individual people – people I still keep in touch with on a regular basis. I wouldn’t even completely rule out the opportunity to return home and finish off my career there. I still root for my old team like they were my own team. I still have so many positive feelings toward those guys.
BE: In the event you do leave, though, you’ve mentioned a few possible destinations. Is it safe to say Philadelphia is not on that list?
JG: (Laughter) I’m to the point where I really feel bad for the guy (recently injured Eagles’ receiver Terrell Owens). He’s had an incredible season and I do think he’s fun for the game. There are times when I don’t think he necessarily thinks to himself before he makes some of the decisions he makes. But I don’t think he’s a bad guy overall. I don’t think so at all. In fact, I’m really thinking about sending him a note to clear the air and wish him the best with the recovery. Whether we can be teammates again or have any type of friendship … who knows right now? There’s no grudges, though. I’m over it.
BE: You think you’ll end up sending that note?
JG: I’ve thought about it a lot. It’s probably something I will do. As a person, that’s who I am. I forgive and forget – do what I have to do.
BE: In the meantime, when are you planning on getting back to sunny California?
JG: I’m planning on getting back there around mid-January. I really wish I could come home for Christmas. This will be the first one I won’t be able to spend with my family. Of course I was always home with the Niners, and even in the CFL, we were always done by this point. I’ve never not been there, so that’s different for me. I can’t wait to get back home next month.
BE: Well, I appreciate you taking an hour out to talk to us. Just from talking to people around town, I can assure you a lot of people in this city still care about you and wonder how you’re doing these days. So thanks again for letting us get a glimpse into your situation.
JG: Before we go, just one more thing – please tell all the people back home that I’m very, very thankful for all the continued support. I’m so much appreciative of that and everyone there is close to my heart. When I go out there, I’m representing me and my family, but I’m also representing where I’m from. I’m representing Gilroy. And that means a lot to me.
