Garcia being shopped. Maybe Belichick knew?

[tedylb]

This is the no brainer of all no brainers. Do I want a fairy tale ending where Matt Cassel pulls a 2001 Tom Brady? Of course. It would likely be the most memorable sports rooting event of the last 20 years or more. But you can't let the dream for the perfect be the enemy of the good. No brainer.[/QUOTE]

I've alway liked Garcia, but don't you think the Pats want to check the extent of his injury? It may be a no-brainer IF he's healthy enough to contribute over the last half of the season and into the playoffs.

 

[SVN]

garcia wants to be a starter and has 2 yrs left on his contract. i dont see BB trading for him for 1 yr and then letting him and cassel both go next yr

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I've alway liked Garcia, but don't you think the Pats want to check the extent of his injury? It may be a no-brainer IF he's healthy enough to contribute over the last half of the season and into the playoffs.

Well, of course -- I'm not advocating trading for him without a physical.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

No brainer is right.

Should the Pats actually be in position to get Garcia, then someone, somewhere, is truly a Patriots fan.

 

[37Harrison]

Well we can take Simms out of this equation as he has signed with the Titans to be the backup for Collins. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/09/10/titans.simms.ap/index.html

I really believe Culpepper is out of the question too, which would only leave Rattay and Garcia (if he's cut).

Now how many teams have QB issues? Off the top of my head I say... Chicago, SF, StL (depending on how Bulger is, he didn't look good last Sunday), Balt, Atl, and maybe Miami?

I don't think BB is going to go with a guy that has no experience in this system and designate him as the starter over Cassel. If Garcia gets cut, I believe he will choose a place where he has a legitmate chance to become the starter and believes they have a shot at winning the division (Chicago). Now if garcia is willing to take the backup job, it wouldn't hurt to bring him in. Just my opinion.

I am ready to move forward with Cassel as the starter, sink or swim. I have resigned to the fact that Tommy isn't coming back and this year will not be our "redemption" year, until proven otherwise.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

garcia wants to be a starter and has 2 yrs left on his contract. i dont see BB trading for him for 1 yr and then letting him and cassel both go next yr

And let's not forget that the Pats likely expect O'Connell to be Brady's primary backup no later than 2010, if not next season.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

He has four distinct disadvantages when compared with Matt G.

1. He is hurt.
2. He doesn't know the play book.
3. He will cost cap space.
4. He will cost at least one draft pick.

Can't disagree with any of that. If number 1 is a big issue, then it's a no brainer. And if the Patriots don't have the money to do it, and 3 is disqualifying, so be it. But I think they could make that work.

The play book issue, I'm not sure what to make of. Is it a concern? Sure. Would you trade Peyton Manning right now for Matt G.? Of course. And Peyton would need some time to learn the playbook. I'm not suggesting Garcia is Manning, but merely that at some point it's a balance and you'd take a guy with talent despite having to spend some time learning the system. Garcia is a known, proven commodity one year removed from taking a 4-12 team to the playoffs.

For me, the current problem is that the Patriots have a high powered offense but no quarterback that has ever started an NFL game. Giving up a draft pick to change that for a career pro who manages games, has a good arm, and doesn't throw picks seems like an easy call, which is not to say I don't respect opposing opinions.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I think the Pats would rather wait for Garcia to be cut. Then they can sign him for the vet minimum.

 

[LloydBraun]

Garcia would be perfect vet insurance. He comes in and takes a couple of weeks to learn the offense. Then, if Cassel is playing well he just sits and is perfect insurance. If Cassel struggles, we have arguably the best type of QB for the Bb system.

Jimmy Johnson was on weei this morning and made a few good points. One, he said that BB wants the player who makes the fewest mistakes, not the one who makes the most great plays. He said some players in the league are great 1 week, bad the next. I took that as a shot at Culpepper or Favre. He also said something along the lines that favre is a good QB, but he also makes his share of INT's.

Perhaps when Schefter and Lombardi mentioned that BB had a plan when he sent Simms and Rattay home that Garcia was that plan.

 

[ClevTrev]

Not to throw a wet blanket on this, but if Gruden and Garcia are at each other's throats, imagine how Belichick would be with this guy. I don't see this as a viable option at all. NE is a team. Garcia wants to run a team. Oil and water.

Develop the in-house QBs and suck it up to make the best showing this season. The team just might surprise some people.

 

[Dagg]

If your a pats fan and you dont think this is a good consideration your a blind koolaid drinking fanboi.

Please dont put all our eggs this season in Cassells basket.

 

[JAYHAWKS34]

This would be a great pick up for us

 

[LloydBraun]

Not to throw a wet blanket on this, but if Gruden and Garcia are at each other's throats, imagine how Belichick would be with this guy. I don't see this as a viable option at all. NE is a team. Garcia wants to run a team. Oil and water.

Develop the in-house QBs and suck it up to make the best showing this season. The team just might surprise some people.

TB nearly traded for Favre and they wouldn't give Garcia an extension, thus the tension.

Garcia comes here, wants to win. He wins as the starter, Brady returns. Garcia makes a mint as a free agent.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

The guy is like 40 years old. He doesn't have much left for FA contracts.

Besides, he has had success in "West Coast Offenses". Talk about a "system" guy.

I see him running around driving Randy Moss nuts.

 

[PAPatsjunkie]

Living in PA and watching what Garcia did in 06 to energize an Eagles team that were considered dead, I am totally in favor of bringing him in. He doesn't try to do too much, and he plays with passion, definitely a team leader.

 

[ClevTrev]

TB nearly traded for Favre and they wouldn't give Garcia an extension, thus the tension.

Garcia comes here, wants to win. He wins as the starter, Brady returns. Garcia makes a mint as a free agent.

Understand your point, however, the assumption is that Garcia can come in here, toe the line, win, and doesn't cause deterioration of team chemistry.

The key question is whether he can pick up the playbook in time and actually perform better than Cassel. Otherwise, you're simply hiring him as a backup (and probably an expensive one).

These discussions are remarkably similar to when Brady replaced Bledsoe. The only difference was that Bledsoe was not IR'd and was due back that season.

There's a reason Gruden wanted to replace Garcia. He was willing to take a Bret Favre who is not the QB he used to be. Garcia has had problems with being a leader, and Favre hasn't. That's the quality Gruden was trying to acquire. Do we want to bring that problem to New England?

 

[billdog3484]

wow garcia would be an amazing pickup. he did great for the eagles when mcnabb went down

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Well we can take Simms out of this equation as he has signed with the Titans to be the backup for Collins. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/09/10/titans.simms.ap/index.html

I really believe Culpepper is out of the question too, which would only leave Rattay and Garcia (if he's cut).

Now how many teams have QB issues? Off the top of my head I say... Chicago, SF, StL (depending on how Bulger is, he didn't look good last Sunday), Balt, Atl, and maybe Miami?

I don't think BB is going to go with a guy that has no experience in this system and designate him as the starter over Cassel. If Garcia gets cut, I believe he will choose a place where he has a legitmate chance to become the starter and believes they have a shot at winning the division (Chicago). Now if garcia is willing to take the backup job, it wouldn't hurt to bring him in. Just my opinion.

I am ready to move forward with Cassel as the starter, sink or swim. I have resigned to the fact that Tommy isn't coming back and this year will not be our "redemption" year, until proven otherwise.

That's about where I'm at too. If Garcia weren't so injury prone and a **** to boot it would be a good fit. But he is what he is - in his entirety. He was of no use to Gruden down the stretch or in the playoffs last season and that team folded in the interim waiting for Jeffie to come back and right the old pirate ship. Didn't happen. He's been injured every other week since TC.

If Garcia were healthy and Simms been able to hold onto a roster spot I'd have gladly added a guy like Griese as a somewhat functional veteran presence. Heck Pennington if he'd been cut for Farve in week one... But Jeff has some baggage and serious chronic injury concerns that just keep mounting. He'd be a bigger distraction here than actual insurance against anything...

FWIW he "took" them to the playoffs with the worst record of any division winner because they play in a bad division. He missed the stretch run and was not remotely ready when the playoffs started. Then he threatened to holdout this season if they didn't give him a contract extension at 38... That's what he is now which is why Gruden was a lunatic for not figuring out he needed to fix the QB position in Tampa once and for all or even short term with Pennington and Farve on the market just over a month ago... Instead he kept an oft injured, overly emotional and selfishly ego motivated player who already can't help him in week 2.

Jeff probably could have helped the Iggles last season, he had no interest in doing that. He wanted to replace McNabb as a starter on the pre season depth chart and a commensurate contract or he'd that opportunity elsewhere. That's why they let him walk.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

For those of you on the fence, I give you Mrs. Jeff Garcia. (Apparently, Terrell Owens was wrong about Jeff being gay.)

http://xoomer.alice.it/ginello/cdc/images/04-lrg.jpg

 

[mcsully]

Re: Garcia on the trading block?

Really? I disagree completely.

First, I'd rather see what Cassel has than sign any other FA.

But Garcia is a much better option than Simms or Rattay. I think it was Football Outsiders who last year was singing Garcia's praises and basically saying he is one of the most underrated QBs of this era. He's had a QB rating over 90 four seasons in his career and his career rating is 87.0. Simms has a career 71 rating and Rattay with 81.9 in much more limited playing time, for reference.

Garcia is a good starting QB in the NFL. Can't say that about Simms or Rattay.

I agreed u.. That is why I said I rather see Garcia then Simms or Rattay..