Coach’s Corner: I’m no fortune teller
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.
Koehn: Bobby, it’s Josh Koehn.
Garcia: Hey, Josh. What’s happening?
K: Not much. How you doing?
G: I’m doing all right, just got a little chewed out by my son a little bit.
K: Really?
G: Well, that last article we put out, Tampa Bay, I don’t know which paper it was, ran it in its full content. I feel bad that I mentioned, like, Derrick Brooks, a pulled hamstring, that he looked like he was in a wheelchair. He was really trying — it kind of hurt him.
K: Well, you mentioned he had an injury and everything.
G: I know it. Anyhow, whatever. I feel bad about that. I really did.
K: Well, we’re not trying to —
G: We’re not trying to rip anybody. Whatever. … I except full responsibility for what came out of my mouth. What the hell? What more can I say?
G: Well, we’re going to try to keep you out of trouble this week and just talk about the playoffs then.
K: Well, you know what, my two teams that I picked (for the Super Bowl), hell, they’re already out the door. So, I gotta hang it up, man.
K: You probably shouldn’t be a fortune teller, but you still have some expertise.
G: Not as far as predicting. I told you the time we went to Tahoe, me and my brother-in-law, hell, between our coaching (experience) we got 50 years, or whatever, and out of six games I think we got one right.
K: That’s why I say anybody that bets on football, especially the NFL, is crazy.
G: Oh, yeah, you really don’t know. I thought Atlanta had been kind of rolling pretty good. They have a good running attack, they got the good rookie quarterback, good, young receivers, and the defense wasn’t playing bad. And Arizona, losing the last two games, and just not playing very well, but they stepped up. Any given day.
K: You had Baltimore beating Miami so you had that one right. Then you had Eagles and Vikings.
G: Who did I have on that one?
K: You had the Eagles.
G: Well, I thought they were rolling pretty good into that game. And then which one did I have?
K: You had San Diego and Indianapolis and you took Indy. You kind of waffled on that one.
G: Yeah, I thought playing at home (on one hand), but then LaDainian Tomlinson being a little hurt (on the other.) But who knew about this (Darren) Sproles kid?
K: Man, that just shows it really doesn’t matter how big you are. If you’re a good player, you’re going to get it done on the field.
G: The guy is a good player. He has tremendous speed and once he gets to the outside, I’m telling you, the little guy, hey, he can run. They say, ‘Is he an every-down player?’ Well, you know what, he was that game.
K: Hey, Warrick Dunn did it. Maybe he can be as good as him.
G: Anyhow, I’ve said ever since I watched Baltimore a couple games, especially against Dallas, their defense is just unbelievable.
K: We talked about how good Ray Lewis is. How about Ed Reed? He’s gotta be one of the best safeties of all time.
G: Well, people talk about who’s the best centerfielder of all time in baseball. Is it Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio? Well, you know what, who’s is the best to ever play safety? This guy just knows how to play that position.
K: That last play he broke about 25 yards across the field to pick off that last pass. He really is so good with the ball, there’s no other defensive player, that I can think of, since Deion Sanders, who is that good at taking away the ball.
G: There might be some strong safeties who are that good, like (Troy) Polamalu and (Bob) Sanders. Those guys, for their size, they make so many things happen. I think that Baltimore has a lot of those types of guys on their defensive side. When they sell themselves, they sell themselves. They don’t think about it. When they come, they’re coming. … They got some other guys, too. That guy McClain—
K: Oh, yeah, LaRon McClain.
G: Yeah, that guy’s a horse! Then they put that fullback in who’s been playing for 35 years from Fresno.
K: Lorenzo Neal
G: Oh, man. Geez! OK, so what do we got this week?
K: All right, let’s start with Baltimore at Tennessee. It’s probably going to be the most physical game of all of them.
G: I’m gonna go with Baltimore.
G: I think the defense is really starting to show off and offensively, Tennessee, hmmn, not really there. … And [Baltimore’s] got (Joe) Flacco, who’s not making any mistakes.
K: What about San Diego at Pittsburgh?
G: The quarterback back?
K: I haven’t heard anything that he’s not gonna play.
G: Well, if (Ben) Roethlisberger is back I’ll take Pitt.
K: What about Arizona at Carolina. You had Atlanta going to the Super Bowl last week.
G: I know it. How about that? That’s why I said I better hang it up. I’m gonna go with Carolina.
K: I don’t see them losing.
G: I don’t either. But with those two receivers they got (in Arizona), and if (Kurt) Warner gets hot … they can stick in there. But if they played 10 times, Carolina would win seven of them, or a majority of them. … Arizona is scary, though.
K: They are, but I think Carolina’s running game is going to demolish them.
G: Their running game is great, but then all of a sudden people forget about (Steve) Smith and (Muhsin) Muhammad.
K: Ok, the game I think everyone is waiting to see, Philadelphia at the New York Giants.
G: Eagles at New York. Well, you know what, I’m gonna go out on a limb and pick the Eagles.
K: Really? You’re not doing this as a homer pick because Jeff played with the Eagles and you like some of the guys?
G: No, no. You look at the Giants, their defense and their running backs, but you know what, the Eagles, you got (DeSean) Jackson and six or seven receivers, you name it, and they can all catch the ball. And (Donovan) McNabb is gonna get them the ball. And then you got (Brian) Westbrook. They can hold him for whatever, but then he gets a little daylight and he’s gone.
K: Well I remember writing a column last year when the Giants were playing at Tampa Bay, and I said, to me it’s the matchup of the quarterbacks. And if it was up to me, I would take Jeff over Eli Manning. And then the Giants go on to win the Super Bowl, amazingly. I didn’t see that one coming, but I could see Philadelphia winning this one.
G: Well, last year, New York came out and surprised everyone with their down linemen defensively. They just put a hurting on everybody. They really didn’t peak until the end of the year. They were good, but not that dominant the last four or five games of the season.
K: Yeah, but its carried over to this season.
G: Yeah, but they weren’t that good at the end of the year (this season).
K: They went 1-3 to finish, I think.
G: That’s what I’m saying. But I think I’m going with Eagles because they’re playing well.
K: OK, that means we need to revise your Super Bowl prediction. You’ve got Baltimore playing Pittsburgh in the AFC championship, and Carolina and Philadelphia in the NFC championship. So who’s your Super Bowl?
G: (Long pause) I’m gonna take Baltimore in the AFC and, (long pause), and Carolina in the NFC.
K: Baltimore and Carolina. That would be a smash mouth Super Bowl.
G: Hahaha.
K: Well, Bobby that’s all we got this week. Thanks for the time.
G: Have a good one.
K: We’ll try to keep you out of trouble the rest of the season.
G: I know it. All right. Bye.
