Is Garcia the new leader of the Eagles offense?
Sat, Jan 13th 2007 - Author: Jeremiah Julian
The Philadelphia Eagles have been the talk of the NFL since reeling off 7 straight wins, including an unprecedented 3 straight division road games. Even more impressive is the fact that it has been Jeff Garcia leading the offense, not Donovan McNabb. With Garcia at the helm, the Eagles have become a more balanced offense, and has made some question McNabb’s place with the team.
When McNabb went down, the Eagles were left for dead in the NFC East, and many fans actually wanted Coach Reid to start A.J. Feely, not Garcia. However, that was not the case and Garcia has not looked back since taking over.
Garcia could not be a better backup quarterback for the Eagles. This is truly a case of the right place, at the right time. Garcia, 36, has been a Pro Bowl quarterback, and has playoff experience. The best part about Garcia at quarterback is that the Eagles offensive coordinator is the same guy who got him to the Pro Bowl in San Francisco, Marty Mornhigweg.
It was Mornhigweg who led Garcia to his career best season statistics, and knows the quarterback very well. This certainly plays into Garcia’s effectiveness since taking over for McNabb. What goes around comes around & there is no doubt it has come back around for Garcia.
Although Garcia has been the perfect fit since McNabb went down, he is not the perfect fit for the Eagles with a healthy McNabb. We will ride him until the wheels fall off or McNabb gets his flat fixed. Garcia’s numbers this year are so close to McNabb’s that there is no better place for Garcia than behind McNabb.
While the Eagles are more balanced on offense, it is not a product of Garcia, but of play calling. McNabb averaged nearly 34 passing attempts per game, where as Garcia is only averaging 27 attempts.
The star running back Brian Westbrook’s total touches went from 19 a game with McNabb, to 26 touches without him. The balance that Reid & Mornhigweg have found on offense since the injury to McNabb needs to be applied when McNabb returns.
Considering these numbers, the question is not whether it's Garcia's or McNabb’s offense, but instead whether it's McNabb's or Westbrook’s. Westbrook’s statistics this season are the kind of numbers Eagles fans have been waiting to see, and need to keep up when McNabb returns.
This tandem and the newfound balance will develop into what fans have been craving and should lead to more playoff appearances for the Eagles. The offense will not fall on either player’s shoulders, but on both of their shoulders. By balancing the offense, Reid is allowing McNabb and Westbrook to develop into the most explosive tandem in the NFL.
Expect to see Garcia back in uniform for the Eagles next season, regardless of how the finish in the playoffs. He will be there to start the season and handle the offense until McNabb fully recovers. He would be crazy to go anywhere else when he is clearly in the right place at the right time.