Jeff Garcia: The Incredible Underdog the NFL Forgot! (Part 5)

In the next round, Jeff Garcia and the Niners ran into the No. 1 defense in the league in the Jon Gruden-led Bucs. That would be too much for the inconsistent Niners to overcome. They were blown out 31-6, becoming victims of the team that went on to win that year’s Super Bowl. Things were looking bright for the Bay Area team, though. With Garcia and Owens being compared to GOATs Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, everything seemed to be trending upwards. It wouldn’t remain that way, however.

Garica and Owens’ Time Together

Owens, before Garcia made his way into San Fran’s locker room, had shown signs of the all-time talent he would eventually become. Including a 1,000-plus-yard and 14-touchdown season in 1998. Under Garcia’s talent and leadership, Owens blossomed into a superstar, leading the league twice in receiving touchdowns and three straight seasons of at least 1,300+ receiving yards. It led to Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods. The very thing that led him to become that great ran the show. That being Owens’ ego.

Stirring up controversy back in 2000, when he scored against the Dallas Cowboys, he celebrated his two touchdowns by dancing on the Dallas star. Something that Cowboys Safety George Teague leveled him at midfield for. It started a fight between the two teams. Teague was even ejected from the game, and Owens was suspended.

A more lighthearted but still ego-driven celebration came against the Seahawks when Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown. He then gave the ball to his financial advisor, even causing the NFL to ban players from celebrating with foreign objects. So while Owens’ ego made him a sideshow, it was justified by his talent and work ethic and never got in the way of his play or his relationship with Jeff Garcia. Until 2003, that is.

A Coaching Change Came In 20023

The injuries and the mounting pressure Garcia faced, being compared to Steve Young and Joe Montana, two of the greatest to ever do it, made it hard for him to adjust to the new system. Suddenly, Pro Bowl Garcia was gone. That made T.O. unhappy. To make things worse, Garcia suffered an injury, causing him to miss three games. Backup Tim Rattay led the Niners to 2 wins in those 3 games. He was earning praise from the very man who made him a star.

Garcia wasn’t the type to take things lying down, so when he came back from injury, Jeff Garcia said, “We cannot let the sickness spread.” Owens, knowing what sickness Garcia was referring to, wore a surgeon’s mask at the following practice. The Niners kept losing, however, so they decided to split the bickering couple. They traded Owens to the Eagles and cut Garcia, who signed with the Browns.

Upon his departure, the quarterback said about the pressure he had to follow up two Hall of Famers. “Have somebody step into my shoes and feel what I had to deal with throughout that whole time in San Francisco. The dust would start to settle, and all of a sudden, more fuel was thrown into the fire. It was such a negative situation.”

Thanks a bunch for reading. Stay tuned for the next part of the Jeff Garcia story!