Editor’s Note: Below are excerpts from 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. A longer version of the discussion will be posted to our sports blog, GarlicSports.com. This week the column is broken in to two parts. Part I was conducted before Monday Night Football’s game between Tampa Bay and Carolina, which Carolina won 38-23. Part II came after the game.
Koehn: Bobby, it’s Josh Koehn.
Garcia: Hey Josher, what’s happening?
K: You ready for tonight’s game (between Tampa Bay and Carolina on Monday Night Football)?
G: We’re getting ready for the battle. We’re getting ready for the war.
K: I bet. It’s going to be a big one.
G: It’ll be, hey, best team wins.
K: That’s true. You having a lot of people over?
G: No, no. Just my wife and my daughter and basically myself. I don’t have people over because they talk to much during the game.
K: I bet. You gotta be focused.
G: There’s no talking. Hey, all we do is watch.
K: Did you talk to Jeff before the game?
G: Yeah, I talked to him earlier, a little while ago.
K: How’s he feeling?
G: He’s ready. He said the team is ready. The weather is 30-something degrees, crisp. No wind. Beautiful football weather.
K: Real good. Well, I was going to see if I could call you after the game tonight.
G: Sure. Sure.
K: OK, well let’s talk about some of the games from this past weekend.
G: Sure. Lets talk!
K: Is Tim Tebow the baddest guy on the planet? Or at least in college football?
G: Oh, he is, the guy’s unbelievable. How big is he too? I mean, he’s a big ol’ horse. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Below is our weekly 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.
Koehn: So, how you doing?
Garcia: Well, the darn Cowboys took it to us.
K: I saw just the end of the game. It looked like Tampa had a chance to win but just came up short.
G: You gotta give [Dallas] a lot of credit. Their defense put a lot of pressure on Jeff.
K: They were coming after him from what I read. They were blitzing heavy the whole game.
G: Yeah, they didn’t really give [Jeff] an opportunity to set up, but they had an opportunity to win, so what the heck. What can you say, you know? And that Roy Williams made a nice catch with, what, two seconds in the half. … That was the game.
You just gotta regroup and get ready for Kansas City next week. [The Bucs] played pretty well, but offensively, god, we haven’t been able to run the ball the last two games.
K: The numbers I saw were pretty poor.
G: Well they’ve been poor for quite a while, even against Denver. Jeff said, ‘Hey, they stayed in that Cover 2 and we tried to run the ball but we [couldn’t].’ There’s no openings. I’m watching other teams where, shit, the guy is just running through a hole into the secondary. But our guys have a tough time getting through the line of scrimmage. (more…)

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.
Koehn: I saw Jeff did pretty well Sunday, you gotta be proud of that?
Garcia: Well, I though he did pretty well myself.
K: What are some of the things you thought he did especially well?
G: Well he was quick in the pocket, made the right reads … and the main thing is he got all the reps in practice this week. The week before he hadn’t gotten many reps. … If you haven’t been working with the guys it’s tough to get in sync with them.
K: Now that he’s got that win, (coach Jon) Gruden has guaranteed that he’s going to start the next game. If he wins this next one, do you think he’s back as the full-time starter?
G: No doubt in anybody’s mind. The guy [Brian Griese] throws eight interceptions or 10 interceptions in three games, how the hell … c’mon. Hey, I kept waiting for the damn thing to backfire on [Gruden] because he was going to teach Jeff a lesson or whatever the case was, not that it didn’t come down to the Denver game, but they didnt move the ball much those first three quarters. But it haunts you if you’re just saying, ‘I’m gonna do what’s best for the team (by sitting Jeff).’ Well you know what? Jeff is what’s best for that team because he has more talent, he understands the offense and he doesn’t turn the ball over.
K: Talk about turnovers, what about the Niners? (more…)

Editor’s Note: Below are excerpts from 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. A longer version of the discussion will be posted to our sports blog, GarlicSports.com. 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.
Koehn: Bobby, How you doing?
Garcia: I’m good. I’m in Stamford, Connecticut.
K: Stamford, Connecticut?
G: Yeah, hahaha!
K: What are you doing in Connecticut?
G: I was in New York City for a wedding. It’s been great.
K: Did you see Tampa’s game yesterday.
G: No, I didn’t watch it, but one of the guys at the wedding, while it was taking place, had his Blackberry, or whatever, and it was play-by-play the whole way through. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Below is a new column the Dispatch will be running each Tuesday called “Coach’s Corner.” Sports editor Josh Koehn and former Gavilan coach Bob Garcia will talk about all things football and then the discussion will be posted to our new sports blog, www.GarlicSports.com. 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.
Koehn: They took different paths to become the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, but how much does the situation involving current starter J.T. O’Sullivan remind you of when your son Jeff took over the team as a virtual unknown?
Garcia: In a sense, yeah, but it’s taken O’Sullivan a little longer (to get his shot). The thing that O’Sullivan has going for him is he knew the offense. By being in Detroit last year with (offensive coordinator Mike) Martz, the Niners said they signed him as an afterthought. But knowing that offense (has helped him) and knowing full well, whether you like it or not, that (Alex) Smith has struggled, O’Sullivan deserves it.
He’s just one of those feel-good stories where the kid sticks in there, never quits and then the door opens. That’s Jeff’s philosophy, it’s always been his philosophy. O’Sullivan could have said, ‘The hell with it. I’ll just go get a regular job.’
The sad thing about Smith is every year it’s been a different system. (more…)