Oh for a ring
Larry Bird might have looked awkward putting up a jumper and
Jeff Garcia might look odd jumping up before he throws a pass. But
just as the former Celtic superstar used to find a way to win,
despite his unorthodox moves, Gilroy’s Garcia is coming through for
the 49ers in the clutch as well. This season, he has orchestrated
four come-from-behind victories and his achievements keep
mounting.
Recently, he earned another trip to the Pro Bowl- his third . He
also guided the 49ers to the playoffs the last two seasons. And he
has continued to post numbers that make him a statistician’s dream
and the envy of even his future Hall-of-Fame predecessors, Joe
Montana and Steve Young.
Larry Bird might have looked awkward putting up a jumper and Jeff Garcia might look odd jumping up before he throws a pass. But just as the former Celtic superstar used to find a way to win, despite his unorthodox moves, Gilroy’s Garcia is coming through for the 49ers in the clutch as well. This season, he has orchestrated four come-from-behind victories and his achievements keep mounting.
Recently, he earned another trip to the Pro Bowl- his third . He also guided the 49ers to the playoffs the last two seasons. And he has continued to post numbers that make him a statistician’s dream and the envy of even his future Hall-of-Fame predecessors, Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Not too shabby for a guy who once threw touchdowns for the Gilroy Mustangs and went un-drafted in the NFL.
But there is a problem in all of Jeff’s achievements.
Now that Niner fans know that he can do it, the expectations have soared in San Francisco. And it’s sad to say this, but without adding a Super Bowl title to his football bio, the gunslinger from Gilroy won’t ever be completely embraced by the die-hard Niner fan.
Remember the numbers that Steve Young put up before he led San Francisco to a Super Bowl Championship against San Diego? They nearly mirrored his predecessor Joe Montana’s. Still, no one cared because Steve hadn’t brought the city by the bay a ring as a starter. And the pro bowls, the touchdowns and the big scrambling runs were meaningless until he did.
I remember when Steve Young finally did get over the hump by throwing six touchdown passes in the Niners 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. Shortly after the game, Al Michaels said that he finally got the monkey off of his back.
And that’s what Jeff Garcia needs to do if he wants to be compared to Joe Montana and Steve Young.
In any other city Jeff Garcia could run for mayor and win. But Gilroy’s favorite son plays in San Francisco-the home of football’s most storied franchise.
A city with expectations that are so high that even the team’s head coach, Steve Mariucci, is on thin ice despite going 22-10 over the last two regular seasons. And if he doesn’t win it all, talk will soon stir about coaxing Mike Holmgren from Seattle back to the Bay Area. Mark my words.
But Jeff is smart and knows all of this.
He knows that in order to truly capture the hearts of fans who follow the red and gold, he must bring home a Super Bowl ring.
And this year, I believe he’s going to get it. Why? Because it’s his time and his team.
Since becoming the Niners fulltime starter in 2000, Jeff has slowly but surely made his way up the NFL quarterbacking totem pole. In 2000, he proved to the fans he could take over for Steve Young.
In 2001, he backed things up by guiding the 49ers to a 12-4 regular-season record and a post-season trip to Lambeau Field. Despite the 25-15 loss to the Packers, Jeff showed tenacity and poise on the frozen tundra and would have pulled off a victory had a pass that he threw to Terrell Owens in the closing minutes flown an extra foot.
But this year all the cards seem to be lined up.
He’s more mature, more comfortable in the pocket and he’s surrounded by a supporting cast that’s young, quick, confident and most importantly-healthy. Or at least they will be by Sunday.
I know. I know. The 49ers hobbled into the playoffs with a 10-6 record and lost to the Rams on Monday night. And I realize that they lacked the killer instinct down the stretch all season. And the New York Giants are a tough team etc, etc…
But I also know that they have potentially the most explosive roster of all the teams that remain.
And as long as Jeff Garcia is on the field, you can’t count them out. Just ask Larry Bird.
