Jeff Garcia Led All-Time Favorite Philadelphia Eagles Team in 2006

From 2001-2004, the Philadelphia Eagles won four straight NFC East titles and made four straight NFC Conference Championship appearances.

Jan. 23, 2005 will always be remembered as the day the Eagles ended their streak of losing three straight NFC Championship games by defeating Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons 24-10.

Despite losing to the New England Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX, that season will always be one for the memory books for the Eagles and their fans.

After making NFL history (not the type teams want to be remembered for) by losing three straight NFC Championship games, with two straight at home, the team and their fans finally experienced the feeling of winning a conference title and a Super Bowl appearance.

In those four straight years the Eagles appeared in the NFC Conference Championships, they had little trouble when it came to playing teams within the NFC East.

• In 2001, they finished 5-1 within the division and finished three games in front of the Redskins.
• In 2002, they finished 5-1 within the division and finished two games ahead of the Giants.
• In 2003, they finished 5-1 within the division and finished two games ahead of the Cowboys.
• In 2004, they finished 6-0 within the division and finished seven games ahead of all three teams.

The 2005 season was a season to forget as the Eagles failed to win their fifth straight division title. Donovan McNabb's season ended early because of a sports hernia and thumb injury.

The Terrell Owens controversy took a turn for the worse as he was suspended four games before being deactivated for the remainder of the season. The team finished with a 6-10 record and became the first team in history to finish 0-6 in their division a season after going 6-0.

The city of Philadelphia was experiencing a feeling they hadn't felt in nearly five years. A division that had been theirs to claim for so many years was becoming one of the most competitive divisions in football.

Eli Manning was emerging as a young star as he led the Giants to their first division title since 2000. Clinton Portis continued to soar in his second season with the Redskins. All of a sudden, the NFC East was emerging as one of the toughest divisions in football.

In 2006, the Eagles bounced back from their horrendous 2005 season by claiming their fifth NFC East title in six years. The season may have ended early after a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but from a fan's perspective, the way the Eagles won the division title that year will always be one for the memory books.

The Eagles started out the 2006 season with a 4-1 record, with a healthy Donovan McNabb looking like his former self. Through the first five games, he threw for 1,602 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only one interception. Unfortunately, the fast start took a turn for the worse during the next couple of games.

After a 4-1 start, the Eagles went on to lose four of their next five games. During a game on Nov. 19 against the Tennessee Titans, McNabb tore his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee and would have to sit for the remainder of the season.

All of a sudden, the 5-5 Eagles' season looked to be a lost cause since their star quarterback would be out until the following season.

Since McNabb was unable to play for the remainder of the season, head coach Andy Reid decided to start newly acquired Jeff Garcia at quarterback. As usual, the typical fans didn't hold back expressing their feelings about Reid's decision.

The fans of Philadelphia (including myself) at the time wanted to see A.J. Feeley start over Garcia. Feeley was part of the Eagles' playoff run in 2002 in which the team finished 5-1 without McNabb, who broke his ankle against the Cardinals the game before. They assumed if he had done it once, he could do it again.

In his first official start as a Philadelphia Eagle, Garcia put up solid numbers against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished 19 of 23 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to stop Peyton Manning and company, as the Eagles were blown out 45-21 and found themselves in third place in the division with a 5-6 record.

The following week, the Eagles found themselves in a Monday Night Football matchup against Jake Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers. It was no surprise the fans showed no brotherly love toward Garcia in his first official start at Lincoln Financial Field, as he received constant booing through most of the game. That is, until he showed them he had what it took to be McNabb's replacement.

Trailing 21-14 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Garcia helped the Eagles score 13 points in the final quarter as they went on to beat the Panthers 27-24. He had a history of playing well against Carolina, and this pivotal game was nothing different, as he finished 21 of 39 for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

All of a sudden, the fans who had been hating on Garcia the entire time were supporting him with nothing but brotherly love. Little did they know this was only the beginning of his era in Philadelphia.

The month of December consisted of three road games for the Eagles against each of their division rivals. If the Eagles even wanted a shot at making the playoffs, they would most likely need to win the remainder of their regular season games.

That's exactly what they did.

It's hard to imagine a team marching into each of their division rival's stadium three weeks in a row and pulling off a road win each time. Somehow, Jeff Garcia and the Eagles pulled it off.

After three straight wins at Washington, New York, and Dallas, the Eagles all of a sudden found themselves playing for more than a playoff spot. After winning in Dallas and clinching at least a wild card berth, the team found themselves in the final week of the season with a chance to win the NFC East title for the fifth time in six years.

In the final week of the regular season, both the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys sat atop the NFC East standings with a 9-6 record. However, the Eagles held the tiebreaker since they had defeated the Cowboys twice already.

If the Cowboys could beat the Lions and the Falcons could beat the Eagles, the Cowboys would receive a home playoff game while the Eagles would find themselves on the road.

Long story short: The Eagles would automatically play at home with a win against the Falcons or a Cowboys loss.

At the time, it was assumed the Eagles would have to win their regular season finale considering the 9-6 Cowboys were playing the 2-13 Lions in Dallas—a team with everything to play for going against a team already looking ahead to next season. There was no way the Cowboys could lose, right?

There is a famous quote in the NFL about how on any given Sunday, any team can do the unthinkable and win. This quote fit the Cowboys-Lions game perfectly as Detroit pulled off the miraculous win on the road, defeating Dallas 39-31.

With the loss, the Cowboys lost every chance of winning the NFC East title, which meant they had to settle for a first round matchup at Seattle. Meanwhile, the Eagles-Falcons game was meaningless for Philadelphia as they automatically locked up the No. 3 seed with the Dallas loss.

The Eagles went on to defeat their division rival New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs 23-20 after a game-winning field goal by David Akers. Unfortunately, they were eliminated by the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in the next round and fell short of reaching their fifth NFC Championship in six years.

The Eagles' hopes of a Super Bowl appearance may have been shattered following the heartbreaking loss to the Saints. However, the Eagles concluded their 2006 campaign with a finish that fans will remember for years to come.

Fans can say there is nothing special about being eliminated in the playoffs. They can even say there is nothing special about winning the NFC East title since they had won it so many times before.

However, this season was memorable because nobody expected the Eagles to finish the way they did. When they won four straight division titles in the four straight years they appeared in the NFC Conference Championship, many fans and analysts expected them to be in that position because of their previous success.

When Donovan McNabb went down in Week 11, the Eagles were in need of a miracle if they were to play in the postseason. With a 5-6 record heading into Week 13, it seemed as if the only way the Eagles could make the playoffs is if they won their final five games while receiving help from other NFC teams. Nobody expected it to actually happen that way.

Nobody could have predicted the new light Jeff Garcia shed on the Philadelphia Eagles. He took a team that had lost five of their last six games and helped them win the next five to finish as NFC East Champions with a 10-6 record. Garcia finished the regular season with 1,309 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, and just two interceptions.

The 2006 season may not be the same as other playoff runs for the Eagles. There was no celebration for winning the NFC Championship. In fact, there wasn't even a conference championship.

However, the season gave fans the excitement of a late playoff run when all chances seemed to be impossible weeks before. The 2006 season will always be remembered as the season Jeff Garcia helped the Eagles clinch another NFC East title when all hope seemed lost at one point.

He may have only been with the team for one season. However, Jeff Garcia will always be appreciated by the city of Philadelphia for all of the memories he gave them that one year with the team.