The Great Garcia

Jeff Garcia has led the Eagles on an improbable run to the postseason since taking over for Donovan McNabb and tomorrow he will try to lead the Eagles to another division title when they host the Falcons. His return to prominence has been almost storybook-like.

Two weeks after replacing the injured McNabb, Garcia and the Eagles needed a win at home against Carolina. Although Garcia played good in his first start of the season against the Colts the game did not go well for the team as they lost 45-21. The game against Panthers didn’t start off good either as the Eagles trailed 14-7 at halftime. In the third quarter, Garcia was hearing the loud boos from the Philly fans when he led the Eagles and beat Carolina, 27-24. Garcia completed 21 of 39 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He’s been on fire ever since…

Garcia is now a fan favorite in Philadelphia. The Eagles are red hot, having won four straight games to reach 9-6 and come within one win of earning their fifth NFC East title in six seasons.

I’m not saying that they are the team to beat in the NFC. I still think the Bears are, even with their own QB inconsistencies. But the soon to be 37-year old Garcia has picked up the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia like few have before and in such a short time no less. It is very reminiscent of his play with the 49ers back in 1999. He made that team and city believe that they were still a championship quality team. His three seasons of 2000, 2001 and 2002 were as good as they get statistically. As a passer he was accurate and very good and he added the running element to his game that made him an even greater threat.

Pct. Yds. TD INT Yds TD
63.3 4278 31 10 414 4
62.7 3538 32 12 254 5
62.1 3344 21 10 353 3

He might be getting up in age now but the San Jose State alumnus is on a mission to prove that he can still be a quarterback that does the job in the NFL, where there are about a dozen teams that need significant help at the position.