Coach’s Corner: Super Bowl thoughts and season wrapup
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: Hey, how you doing?
Garcia: I’m all right, just walked in. How you doing, Josh?
K: I’m doing good. You got a second to talk about the Super Bowl?
G: Sure, lets talks about it.
K: OK, real good. It was one of those games where it was pretty slow for three quarters and then the fourth quarter was a pretty epic finish.
G: I think both teams had their opportunities to win. I think it came down to a couple guys making big plays. I think that receiver from Pittsburgh—
K: Santonio Holmes.
G: Holmes, he did a great job. But, then again, the quarterback had to get the ball there (on the last touchdown) and there were three guys there. It’s like a breakdown in defensive coverage, you leave a guy open. They go to one side and it’s almost there, they go to the other side and all of a sudden they get it. I always thought Pittsburgh, because of their defense – hey, that interception before the half. If somebody stops him it’s over. It’s still only a three-point ballgame, but right there that’s a 14-point turnover.
K: Yeah. James Harrison, the league’s defensive MVP, he definitely played like it on that play.
G: And that other one, where he go that roughing, I don’t care how good the guys is, that’s not called for. Especially when you’ve been around a a league and you’re a player that everyone looks up to. That was unbelievable. They should have kicked [Harrison] out.
K: Was that the punch?
G: Yeah, well, a punch, it was the one where he got the guy down and then he pushed him back.
K: Yeah, you know I thought that was actually going to give Arizona the ball back for a a personal foul.
G: I thought so too. And then that last pay of the game —
K: How did they not review that?
G: You know, less than two minutes, and (Arizona coach Ken) Whisenhunt said, ‘If it was more than two minutes, I would have thrown a (challenge) flag.’
K: It makes no sense to not get that call perfect.
G: That’s right. If you’re going to [review plays], do it consistently. I don’t think they were trying to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, whether it’s Pittsburgh or Arizona, just like that one touchdown where it was … the one where he barely got in. …
K: When Roethlisberger —
G: When he ran into his own guy and his guy helped him into the end zone, across the goal line. And they reviewed to see if he got int. Well, you know what, that’s illegal in the NFL to help a guy, use force to help him get in.
K: Yeah, they almost never call that one, though.
G: Well, why not? That touchdown could have been nullified.
K: Yeah. It definitely could of.
G: So, I’m saying, if you’re gonna do it, uphold the laws and rules, and call it like it’s supposed to be. And you say, well that’s a chicken-shit call. Well, it’s a rule. If it’s not a rule (they’re going to call), then throw it out.
K: You’re right.
G: My brother in law and I and my nephew, we said, hey, if they’re going to review it, they should review that, too. But they only review what’s in question. But, anyhow, it was a great game. And you look at the individual performances. (Ben) Roehtlisberger played a great game. (Larry) Fitzgerald played a great game. Uh, Harrison played a great game. There were so many guys. The defensive tackle for Arizona, what was his name?
K: Darnell Dockett.
G: Dockett, he played a great game.
K: Adrian Wilson, too, the safety for the Cardinals.
G: Everybody. There were great individual performances all around. It was slow to stat, but it heated up and, shit, it could have gone either way.
K: What do you think about six Super Bowls for the Steelers? Now they’ve pulled ahead of the Niners.
G: They’ve had their time. I don’t know if they’re reloading or what they’re doing, but if you look at the Steelers … Pittsburgh has always been in the mix. You compare them to Indianapolis, the New England Patriots, it’s the people running the programs that continue to find the right guys, compete at a high level, and the coaches they get are real competent. And the assistants are competent because they can go elsewhere and be successful.
K: The one constant [Pittsburgh has] had over the decades has been the ownership, the Rooneys. It shows if you have good ownership in sports you’re going to be way ahead of other teams year-in and year-out.
G: But you still gotta have the right people, because the owners don’t make that many decisions on who’s running the team and so on.
K: Yeah, but the owners hired Mike Tomlin—
G: Who hired him? Was it Rooney who hired him or the general manager?
K: I think it was Rooney.
G: They had a choice. Whisenhunt thought he was going to get it.
K: Yeah, he and Russ Grimm, the O-line coach.
G: Well, you can’t say the best man got the job because both of them have done a great job. Tomlin came into a program that was firing on all cylinders and Whisenhunt came into a program that was sputtering. He went in and all of sudden they got to the Super Bowl.
K: You’re right. They’re both great coaches.
G: That’s right. The people that are involved in the Pittsburgh program seem to have something going for them.
K: They do seem to have something special going on in that organization.
G: And they’re good and they’re young. I could see them being back in the mix next year.
K: Pittsburgh does have a lot of good players and the same goes for the Cardinals.
G: Yeah. Yeah. So, it was a great game and, hey, the halftime was great. And I thought (Jennifer Hudson) sang a fabulous National Anthem at the beginning. I don’t know what could be any better.
K: She was great. Are you a big Bruce Springsteen fan?
G: Oh, yeah. Where was “Born in the USA”? How come we didn’t get that one going?
K: I don’t know.
G: I want to hear some of the old ones, man.
K: Well, I guess they told him he only had 12 minutes. Otherwise, he would have gone four hours.
G: Hey, he had them jumping.
K: Did you talk to Jeff at all about the game?
G: Well, I was supposed to go down and watch it with him but I got a little sick and didn’t want to be around the baby. …
K: Now, you’re talking about Pressley, correct? Because I heard Carmella, (Jeff’s wife), is supposed to be pregnant again with a second child. When is she due?
G: June.
K: June, OK. Do they know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?
G: A boy! They’ve already named it.
K: What’s his name going to be?
G: It’s gonna be Jason Jeffrey.
K: OK, after Jeff’s brother. That’s gotta be very exciting. Congratulations.
G: Well, thank you.
K: So, I guess Jeff is still winding down from the season?
G: Yeah, he had a number of appearances at the Super Bowl he was quite happy with. And now they’re just coming back and re-establishing their home in Manhattan Beach. But I think they’re trying to move toward San Diego.
K: Oh, really?
G: Yeah, Manhattan Beach is a great little community, three or four blocks from the ocean, a healthy atmosphere, a lot of outdoor cafes and restaurants, and so on. Everybody is riding a bike, You go down to the beach, they’re walking and running, and volleyball all over the place, people surfing. And the thing about it, you think LA, but it’s not a lot like LA. There’s not the traffic. You get onto those little off streets and it’s a lot like Gilroy. Everything is close by. But the homes are so close together there’s no space. … There’s no room for kids. For kids to play, they’re saying, ‘We need some room.’ And they have a couple dogs.
K: You mentioned trying to get healthy. I joined a gym recently, Gilroy Health and Fitness, and I was told you were the one that started that gym.
G: I started that gym as a dream in 1978 (and sold it 20 years later) … I liked the idea of a gym not only as a workout place but a social place. It’s amazing how many people I know that met another person at the gym and ended up getting married. … Apparently [the gym is] doing OK. I go by there and see a lot of cars there.
K: Well, I’m going. I’ll let you know if I bump into anyone I think about getting married to at the gym.
G: Haha. Hey, listen. When I was there, all the good women used to come in. Once I left, I heard it dropped off.
K: Oh, OK. So it’s you that’s missing.
G: Haha.
K: Well, this is our last talk Bobby. Do you want to say anything to the readers; because this will be the last time we talk until next season?
G: Well, I just want to say that’s it’s been a great, enjoyable year, being able to sit down with you, Josh, and go over the games both pros and college and so on, and the high school. I think we got our feet wet and hopefully it got better. I’m really looking forward to it next year and I hope the readers are also looking forward to it next year.
K: Well, I think a lot of people really enjoyed it. I had a lot of good comments and I really appreciated all your time. I’ll talk to you real soon.
G: All right, take care.
