6 Best Philadelphia Eagles that only spent one year in town
. . . Jeff Garcia, 2006. . player. 54
We know! Jeff Garcia actually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles twice.
Sure, we know what you’re thinking. One, Jeff Garcia is far from Nick Foles. Second, yes he was actually signed to this team twice, but does that second stint really count? What was that? Two weeks? He played in one game and took one snap. We get it though. You can’t really compare a guy that won a game on Christmas to someone that helped bring the first Vince Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia.
Garcia did have his moments though, including the 2006 season in which one of the many quarterbacks that have worn the number 7 jersey began the campaign as a backup to franchise legend Donovan McNabb.
The 36-year-old may have been towards the end of his career (or at the minimum no longer in his prime), but he helped save the Eagles’ season in 2006.
In Week 10, the Eagles boasted a 5-5 record, but things, when it appeared that they couldn’t get any worse, took a major turn when McNabb tore his ACL and put the fear of God in Eagles fans. Garcia was thrust into a starting role, just as Foles would be many moons later, and like Foles, Garcia made the most of his opportunity.
Some backups rise to the occasion when their number is called, and that’s exactly what Garcia did. He’d lose in his first start, but he’d lead the Birds to five straight wins to close the season. In those six starts, he completed 61.7 percent of his passes and finished with 1,309 passing yards, ten touchdown passes, and a 95.8 QBR, which is still the eighth highest in Eagles franchise history.
Garcia wouldn’t get Philly to the Super Bowl as Foles did over a decade later, but he would lead his team to the playoffs and help the Eagles defeat their division rival, the New York Giants, in a Wild Card matchup. The Birds fell to the Saints in the next round.
Garcia would follow 2006’s run with two seasons in Tampa Bay, where he would add another Pro Bowl to the resume. He’d finish a great NFL career with the Houston Texans in 2011 after spending a single season with the United Football League’s Omaha Nighthawks in 2010.