Scouts Inc.: Garcia's future up in the air

BasX · Mar 9, 2009

Jeff Garcia had an up-and-down season with Tampa Bay last year and at 39 years old, there are a lot of questions as to what he has left in his NFL career.

Garcia's greatest strength is probably the way that he values the football. He doesn't force the issue, plays an intelligent brand of quarterback and doesn't put his team in a bind very often with a poor decision or unwise throw.

Garcia has not thrown double-digit interceptions since the 2003 season. He remains a tough, crafty player who competes very hard, which can rub off on his teammates. He also has a great understanding of West Coast passing principles, which is more than many quarterbacks running similar systems can say right now.

His trademark running ability isn't what it used to be, but Garcia can still make plays with his feet, either as a runner in a timely manner or eluding pass rushers and buying himself time to throw. Garcia is also an accurate short-to-intermediate thrower who delivers a catchable ball.

However, his list of negatives is as evident as what he does well. Physically, Garcia has never been overly imposing. He is short and small overall for the position at this level. Garcia's arm strength never has been great and it is on the decline. He has to really wind up and get his whole body into his deep throws, and he also struggles to zip a throw between defenders in a quickly closing window.

This limits what his offensive coordinator can call and, at times, the defense doesn't have to defend the entire field when Garcia is behind center. Also, while his energy can sometimes be a positive, he is far too frenetic overall within the confines of the pocket. His movements are erratic and often have little rhyme or reason behind them.

This style of play can be maddening to his coaches and teammates, and developing an anticipatory offense is tough to do as a result. Because of his stature, his field vision is subpar and he struggles to find adequate throwing lanes. Also, the last time Garcia played in all 16 games of a season was 2002.

Garcia is not for everyone, that is for sure. The fact that he will join his sixth team since 2003 (assuming he doesn't return to Tampa Bay) speaks volumes. True starting-caliber quarterbacks simply do not change teams that often in the NFL.
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Scouts Inc.: Garcia's future up in the air

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Scouts Inc.: Garcia's future up in the air

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