Coach’s Corner: Tampa on bye, GHS kisses undefeated season goodbye
Editor’s Note: Below is a questions and answers column running each Tuesday called “Coach’s Corner.” Sports editor Josh Koehn and former Gavilan football coach Bob Garcia, father of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia, will talk about all things football. Check in each Tuesday throughout the football season to read Garcia’s thoughts and feel free to comment or ask a question that can be answered in future articles. (This column ran in the Nov. 11 edition of he Dispatch)
Koehn: Lets start with the Gilroy game since Jeff is on bye this week.
Garcia: Okay.
K: They fell apart.
G: So they got beat by (North) Salinas. Hey, you know what, we’re not robots. We’re not made to do the same thing over and over. We’re human beings. We have to think, we have to react. We have to perform and sometimes were not up to it.
G: You know, Tuesday night I met with (Gilroy coach Rich) Hammond, I’m coaching the Barnstormers—
K: Wait. So you’re going to do that?
G: Yeah, I was there (for tryouts) Saturday and I’m gonna be doing some offensive coordinating and stuff. So, I like some of the things Hammond does and we met with him … just asked him about, ‘How you do this? How you do that?’ I really like some of the stuff he does. I really think it’s innovative. And the thing about it, he was saying, ‘We have some good ballplayers, but some of our players are average. And we’re gonna do things that we think they can have success at. We’re gonna put them in a position to succeed.’ Hey, if they get run over every play, they’re not going to succeed. So he’s doing a great job.
K: I think so, too. Well, that’s pretty exciting. I think I’m gonna have to get out to some Barnstormer games.
G: Hey, don’t be bad-mouthing the coach and the play-calling. Haha.
K: I’m sure you’ll win games and won’t hear any heckling.
G: Well, like I told the guys, it’s been 18 years since I coached. And the amazing thing, we went out there Saturday and there were 38 guys and we were going through different groups and stuff and, it’s amazing, I got right back into it like it was yesterday. All the things about technique, and form running, and the elbows and the toes, and the forward body lean, and how to relax your jaw and your hands, and reach out with your toes. It was like I was doing it yesterday.
K: Just like riding a bike, huh?
G: Haha, yeah.
K: You’re going to Tampa for the game (against Minnesota) this weekend, what do you expect?
G: Rock ’em, sock ’em football game. … Today, I guess, a guy told me that in (Buccaneers coach Jon) Gruden’s [press conference], he finally said some good things about Jeff.
K: Good, he should have some nice things to say about him since he’s winning games.
G: I know, but their last game against Kansas City, the post-game, he didn’t mention Jeff one time. He mentioned everybody else.
K: Man, he must really hold on to grudges.
