Gilroy native comes up big in game Eagles had to win
Jeff Garcia knew the feeling but it was one he hadn’t felt since he was playing in San Francisco.
The Gilroy native, now quarterbacking the Philadelphia Eagles, was on center stage Monday as the Carolina Panthers visited Lincoln Financial Field.
After a slow start in which the defenses dominated, Garcia came up big in the second half in a game the Eagles had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. When Lito Sheppard intercepted a Jake Delhomme pass in the end zone with 25 seconds left, Philadelphia had its victory, 27-24.
For Garcia, the numbers were big — 21-of-39 for 312 yards and three touchdowns. But it was more than numbers that made this such a special game for Garcia. It was re-establishing the confidence of his teammates and shutting up the naysayers who have been questioning his abilities since he was an All-Pro with the 49ers.
“It was a feeling I haven’t felt like in a while, since my San Francisco days,” Garcia said by telephone Tuesday. “It was one of those special moments. I knew my friends and family in Gilroy were watching, and it was just an awesome feeling for myself.”
As for the skeptics, Gilroy has been dealing with them since his days as a three-time Pro Bowler in San Francisco. Much of it had to do with his build. Listed at 6-1, 200 pounds, he doesn’t have the size of a prototypical NFL quarterback.
“There are always skeptics out there,” Garcia said. “It doesn’t matter what I have done in the past. People want to create their own opinions, what they envision. I really believe my teammates and the staffs on teams I have played on have believed in me.”
After Monday night, it won’t be hard for Eagles fans to believe. Philadelphia trailed 21-14 the fourth quarter and was up against of the league’s better defenses. After Garcia guided the Eagles 63 yards in 10 plays to set up a 28-yard David Akers field goal, Carolina answered three minutes later when John Kasay booted a 45-yarder.
Philadelphia (6-6) turned around and went 73 yards in four plays. Garcia’s pass down the middle hit Reggie Brown in stride for what turned out to be a 40-yard touchdown an tied the game at 24. Garcia then guided a third scoring drive that set up Akers’ game-winning 25-yard field goal. Sheppard’s interception saved the win.
“It was a special night,” Garcia said. “It was great to have it happen on national television. It was much needed and helped me quiet some of the critics out there.
“Of course, I hear it on a weekly basis. It’s just one of those things. I’m not so much concerned with them (critics) as I am trying to win football games.”
Garcia acknowledged that it took a while to get started.
“In the first half I was a little too excited to be out on the field and I was rushing things,” Garcia said. “Personally, I needed to settle down. Once that happened, things got better for us. The defense definitely helped us in the first half. It was one of those games where we stayed persistent.”
As for the future, Garcia said he will let that take care of itself. He’s currently under a one-year contract with the Eagles. And yet he knows that if he keeps playing like he did Monday, another multi-year contract is a possibility. But that’s secondary now.
“My main focus is how we can be better against Washington,” Garcia said. “I want to give this team a chance to be a playoff team. I don’t see beyond that.
“Yes, I’m 36. In a lot of ways, I feel rejuvenated. I feel as good as I did during my Pro Bowl years. I feel the ability is still there. I get more comfortable with each game. Age is just a number. I feel I can compete with the 20-year-olds. That’s what drives me, competing with the young guys.”
And about those critics, including a Monday Night Football commentator?
“That’s the fuel that ignites the fire within,” Garcia admitted. “I use it in a positive way. I don’t sulk about it. I just try to get my teammates to believe in me. More than anything, if I am able to do that it satisfies everything else.”
It also proves that there is still life in the arms and legs of one 36-year-old Gilroy quarterback.
