| |  The Air Apparent vs. The Professional
By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
At least from one perspective, Jeff Garcia joined the rarest of company after bringing back the San Francisco 49ers from the dead in a 39-38 victory over the Giants.
"When did Joe ever play better? When did Steve Young ever play better? This was breathtaking, just marvelous."
The owner of those words was the silver-haired genius himself, Bill Walsh, the former head coach and present-day consultant to the 49ers. In the offensive system he designed, Joe Montana and Steve Young won five Super Bowl MVP trophies. Garcia's effort against the Giants moved Walsh to effusive praise.
"I don't think there is anyone in the NFL who could have done anything better than Jeff did today," Walsh said. "His throwing, his instincts, his decisions in the second half … they were flawless."
When the 49ers fell into a precipitous 38-14 hole in the third quarter, Garcia and the 49ers went into a two-minute drill that never stopped. In the second half alone, Garcia completed 22 of 33 passes for 220 yards. He threw two touchdown passes -- the winner to Tai Streets with 60 seconds left -- and ran for another.
All this from the spare athlete who threw up all kinds of numbers at San Jose State, but was not one of the 222 players taken in the seven rounds of the 1994 draft. Two years earlier, when Florida State's Brad Johnson went in the draft, he was the 227th player taken. The only reason he wound up with the Vikings in the ninth round was that there were 12 rounds back then.
Johnson, who wasn't even a starter as a senior in Tallahassee, started zero games in his first four seasons before working himself into the lineup in 1996. He grew into a consummate professional. Three years later, Minnesota traded him to the Washington Redskins - for a first-, second- and third-round pick. But after two seasons, the Redskins did not re-sign him after the 2000 season, raising questions about the health of his throwing shoulder.
Is it a coincidence that the Redskins have struggled to find a reliable quarterback since then? Is it mere happenstance that Washington is 15-17 the last two seasons, while the Bucs are a glowing 21-11 under Johnson? He's played 29 of those 32 games and helped Tampa Bay to a franchise-record 12 regular-season victories.
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A bruised back -- it was reported as a cracked vertebrae in some places -- knocked him out of the last two games and set off fear and loathing (Rob Johnson played in his place) in the Tampa Bay area.
On Jan. 1, after acupuncture treatments, elaborate massages and vast quantities of heat and ice, Johnson took each of the 43 offensive snaps in the Bucs' practice.
"It's over, the story is over," Johnson said. "There should never be another question about this injury. Whatever you write, there should be nothing after that. I'm moving great. I feel great. I'm not worried about any hits, I'm not worried about anything."
If you are the 49ers, this is disturbing news.
The numbers
Jeff Garcia: 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, 32 years old, 4th season with the 49ers … Not drafted in 1994 out of San Jose State … Played for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders from 1994-98 … Completed 328 of 528 passes (62.1 percent) for 3,344 yards, 21 TDs and 10 INT, 85.6 passer rating.
Brad Johnson: 6-foot-5, 226 pounds, 11 NFL seasons, 3rd NFL team (Vikings, Redskins, Buccaneers) … Drafted in the 9th round in 1992, No. 227 overall, out of Florida State … Played for the London Monarchs of the World League in 1995 …
In 2002, set franchise records for touchdown passes (22), completion percentage (62.3), passer rating (92.9) and lowest interception percentage (1.3)
Greg Garber is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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