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Bob Grotz: Garcia gives Eagles a real backup plan
06/04/2006
The caliber of backup dictated that injury, not performance, would be the only way Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb would leave a football game in his seven NFL seasons. Perform McNabb did, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl and leading the Eagles to five straight playoff berths and an appearance in the Super Bowl, often in pain, and sometimes on the brink of exhaustion.
In two of the last three years, however, McNabb was unable to finish due to rib, groin and chest injuries.
It hardly was a coincidence the Eagles went to the championship the year he stayed whole. Or, that they missed the postseason entirely when the now 29-year-old veteran could play just nine games this past season, the year Andy Reid gave the ball to the overmatched Mike McMahon.
At the same time, there was security in McMahon. Even during those unavoidable bumps starting quarterbacks endure, no reasonably sane critic could get away with benching McNabb to go with McMahon, Koy Detmer, A.J. Feeley or Jeff Blake. Certainly not with the intention of winning.
This year there is no Feeley, no Blake and with all due respect, no McMahon.
This year the Eagles added a veteran in Jeff Garcia who is quite capable of winning more football games than he loses.
This year there will be competition at the quarterback position even if it’s not for the coveted starting job, for that is the essence of Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl passer that got the most out of average arm strength.
This year McNabb will be a little bit tougher, judging by his energetic approach to his rehab and even his comments at minicamp. For those who missed it, McNabb is about winning games, not making friends.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Morhninweg, whom Garcia enjoyed success with in their days with the San Francisco 49ers, knows the history. The same can be said of Reid, who knows what he’s getting into, unlike the problematic wide receiver now practicing in blue tights for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other than Brett Favre, no quarterbacks have more quality starting experience in the West Coast offense than McNabb and Garcia.
"I believe I still have the ability to be a No. 1 quarterback," Garcia said this past week. "It just wasn’t in the cards this off-season and it wasn’t the situation here. But I think I can be good for Donovan in the sense that I can help him grow and continue to get better on the field."
Garcia made the preceding point clear before he signed the one-year deal in March. Preliminarily, all signs indicate he’s sincere.
Despite the competitive instincts, Garcia insists he only wants to help McNabb get more out of his considerable talents, reasoning that the Eagles will be better for it.
"I think it’s more so a sense of maintaining that consistency, maintaining that edge on the field, the speed, not relaxing, not being too complacent," McNabb said. "And I don’t think he does. Donovan seems to be a guy that seems to work hard and really is self-motivated and he’s going to push himself. But I think there’s always room to grow and get better. I really felt like for me, when I was having those good years in San Francisco and I was going to the Pro Bowl year in and year out, I still didn’t think I reached my full potential.
"And that was just my inner focus and my inner push -- to strive and try to be better and help this team be better. And I think that’s something that hopefully I can help Donovan continue to realize -- that there’s no resting on your laurels. It’s important that every day you take advantage of the situation and continue to grow."
Case in point -- practice. Reid always has been a proponent of a team that practices fast, plays fast. That means zipping through the quarterback drops and the reads to the point where, as Garcia says, "When it comes down to game time, it all of the sudden starts to slow down for you instead of speed up."
Garcia impressed the Eagles the way he took command of the huddle at the minicamp a few weeks ago. The next chapter begins Monday when the quarterbacks and the rest of the team get together for full-squad organized workouts the next two weeks at the NovaCare Complex.
In time, Garcia may be the most confident backup to a franchise Eagles quarterback since Jim McMahon lockered near Randall Cunningham in 1992. That relationship didn’t work partly because it was McMahon who had the Super Bowl championship ring and Cunningham a heedful of doubts aggravated by a couple of major injuries, not to mention Rich Kotite’s type A play-calling.
The McNabb-Garcia pairing promises to be different for their journey begins with a commonality. That would be a certain wide receiver that shall remain nameless until his book comes out on the eve of training camp.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16735051&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6
06/04/2006
The caliber of backup dictated that injury, not performance, would be the only way Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb would leave a football game in his seven NFL seasons. Perform McNabb did, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl and leading the Eagles to five straight playoff berths and an appearance in the Super Bowl, often in pain, and sometimes on the brink of exhaustion.
In two of the last three years, however, McNabb was unable to finish due to rib, groin and chest injuries.
It hardly was a coincidence the Eagles went to the championship the year he stayed whole. Or, that they missed the postseason entirely when the now 29-year-old veteran could play just nine games this past season, the year Andy Reid gave the ball to the overmatched Mike McMahon.
At the same time, there was security in McMahon. Even during those unavoidable bumps starting quarterbacks endure, no reasonably sane critic could get away with benching McNabb to go with McMahon, Koy Detmer, A.J. Feeley or Jeff Blake. Certainly not with the intention of winning.
This year there is no Feeley, no Blake and with all due respect, no McMahon.
This year the Eagles added a veteran in Jeff Garcia who is quite capable of winning more football games than he loses.
This year there will be competition at the quarterback position even if it’s not for the coveted starting job, for that is the essence of Garcia, a three-time Pro Bowl passer that got the most out of average arm strength.
This year McNabb will be a little bit tougher, judging by his energetic approach to his rehab and even his comments at minicamp. For those who missed it, McNabb is about winning games, not making friends.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Morhninweg, whom Garcia enjoyed success with in their days with the San Francisco 49ers, knows the history. The same can be said of Reid, who knows what he’s getting into, unlike the problematic wide receiver now practicing in blue tights for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other than Brett Favre, no quarterbacks have more quality starting experience in the West Coast offense than McNabb and Garcia.
"I believe I still have the ability to be a No. 1 quarterback," Garcia said this past week. "It just wasn’t in the cards this off-season and it wasn’t the situation here. But I think I can be good for Donovan in the sense that I can help him grow and continue to get better on the field."
Garcia made the preceding point clear before he signed the one-year deal in March. Preliminarily, all signs indicate he’s sincere.
Despite the competitive instincts, Garcia insists he only wants to help McNabb get more out of his considerable talents, reasoning that the Eagles will be better for it.
"I think it’s more so a sense of maintaining that consistency, maintaining that edge on the field, the speed, not relaxing, not being too complacent," McNabb said. "And I don’t think he does. Donovan seems to be a guy that seems to work hard and really is self-motivated and he’s going to push himself. But I think there’s always room to grow and get better. I really felt like for me, when I was having those good years in San Francisco and I was going to the Pro Bowl year in and year out, I still didn’t think I reached my full potential.
"And that was just my inner focus and my inner push -- to strive and try to be better and help this team be better. And I think that’s something that hopefully I can help Donovan continue to realize -- that there’s no resting on your laurels. It’s important that every day you take advantage of the situation and continue to grow."
Case in point -- practice. Reid always has been a proponent of a team that practices fast, plays fast. That means zipping through the quarterback drops and the reads to the point where, as Garcia says, "When it comes down to game time, it all of the sudden starts to slow down for you instead of speed up."
Garcia impressed the Eagles the way he took command of the huddle at the minicamp a few weeks ago. The next chapter begins Monday when the quarterbacks and the rest of the team get together for full-squad organized workouts the next two weeks at the NovaCare Complex.
In time, Garcia may be the most confident backup to a franchise Eagles quarterback since Jim McMahon lockered near Randall Cunningham in 1992. That relationship didn’t work partly because it was McMahon who had the Super Bowl championship ring and Cunningham a heedful of doubts aggravated by a couple of major injuries, not to mention Rich Kotite’s type A play-calling.
The McNabb-Garcia pairing promises to be different for their journey begins with a commonality. That would be a certain wide receiver that shall remain nameless until his book comes out on the eve of training camp.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16735051&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6