Anyone who knows 49er math can easily figure out why San
Francisco beat the New York Giants last Sunday on Candlestick
Point. Huh?
Anyone who knows 49er math can easily figure out why San Francisco beat the New York Giants last Sunday on Candlestick Point. Huh?
It’s simple.
Think about it: 49er math.
Joe Montana wore a number 16 on his jersey, right? Steve Young wore a No. 8, right?
The two numbers combined equal 24-the exact number by which the Niners trailed the Giants in the third quarter of last Sunday’s wild card playoff game.
Are you starting to get it?
I know I’m reaching, but how else (besides an exceptional, scrambling quarterback) do you explain the second biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of NFL playoffs?
Just as the numbers on the former quarterbacks’ jerseys combine to equal 24, Garcia had summon the magic of those two players to pull off the amazing win.
He had to take all the best attributes of each and make them part of his playbook.
He did.
The result – a trip to Tampa Bay this Sunday and perhaps a trip to San Diego on the 26th.
Any 49er fan watching that game on Sunday at times probably wondered if they were really watching Jeff Garcia. The kid who never was drafted by an NFL team. The guy who once threw touchdown passes for Gavilan College. He looks like a Hall of Famer out there. (He also made Bill Walsh look like an even bigger genius.)
Jeff Garcia took his game to another level.
Against the Giants, Jeff ran like Young. At the same time, he was as accurate, elusive and had the same tenacity as Montana. He hit clutch passes in key situations. He avoided sacks. He scampered into the end zone and he took command of the huddle.
He also never gave up.
Yes, Terrell Owens may have been the vocal one at halftime in the locker room that helped ignite the rally spark Sunday. But Garcia’s play ignited the red and gold fire.
Now he’s heading to Tampa to face a team that’s not as balanced as the Giants, but does pack an awesome defense. And if Jeff does what he did against the Giants, there’s no stopping the Niners. Good luck, Mr. Gruden.
