Favre The Fantasy; Vikings Should Have Cherry Garcia For Reality

While the Vikings continue to flirt with Favre, said drama could, and should have been wholly

avoided if the club aptly signed Jeff Garcia last month.  On April 6th, Garcia instead took a

one-year offer to back up JaMarcus Russell in dysfunctional Oak-Town. 

Tampa Bay opted not to resign Garcia in the offseason.  He may indeed have proven be a

single-season, patchwork solution to the Vikings’ most glaring offseason need, yet in a

league that breathes on a week-to-week basis, one year of scooping up Cherry Garcia is still 

better than the Vikings’ other realistic and/or tangible options.

Despite his advanced years, it’s well worthy of note that Garcia has only started 116 NFL

games, a measured number considering his 10 years in the league.  Viewers of Tampa’s

Week 11 win over the Vikings can attest to Garcia’s continued mettle and footwork, a contest

in which the vet went 23-for-30 with 255 yards and no picks.  There’s still some tread on that

tire.

Garcia critics abound, and many will surely note his 58-58 career record as a starter, his

pedestrian 2-4 postseason mark, and his tendency his succeed with good coastal clubs

(San Fran and Philly) while fluttering with poor mid-country teams (Cleveland and Detroit). 

But let us not forget Garcia’s five years in Canada with the Calgary Stampeders (1994-98), a

run which began as a third-stringer to Doug Flutie and concluded with a Grey Cup

Championship and MVP. 

In those CFL years, Garcia saw some bench time as well, riding pine for his first

season-and-a-half.  Add to that the fact that in his 10 NFL years he’s played all 16 just three

times (and not since ’02), and Garcia is more 35 than 39. Older? Yes. Old? No. 

Furthermore, it should be well-noted that much of his lack of playing can be attributed to

dearth of opportunity, as opposed to habit of injury.

In addition, after going 3-7 as a starter with crappy Cleveland in ’04 and 1-4 as a starter with disastrous Detroit the following season, Garcia’s last three years—working with quality

talent—have signaled a rebirth.  He’s 19-11 as a starter since 2006, and working with

“quality” in Minnesota would have served as an understatement to Adrian Peterson’s ascending

luminary status.

Those waffling over Cherry’s age should note that his 64.9 completion percentage from last

season was the best of his career—this for a four-time Pro Bowler.  Garcia has managed a

90-plus QB rating in each of the last three seasons, added evidence that there’s still mojo in

that tank.

Jeff Garcia has long offered results when in the environs of result-oriented and proven players. 

He didn't end up as the answer for the Purple, but considering the other options, he would

have been a more realistic option—and presented fewer questions—for the Vikings than the fantastical Favre.