yayarea_raider
04-07-2009, 01:24 PM
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 8:12 am in Oakland Raiders.
NBC Bay Area, which broke the original story of Jeff Garcia signing with the Raiders, managed to get a few questions in to the club’s newest quarterback at the security gate before he went into seclusion:
Jeff Garcia: It’s great to be back in the Bay Area, to be back close to home and obviously, having been a fan of Bay Area sports ever since I was a little kid, just to be back and have a chance to maybe finish off my career here in Oakland would be the ideal thing for me. Today was just a lot of getting back to football related issues and getting to meet my teammates for the first time, and getting to meet with the coaches, and do those necessary things in order to hopefully help this team win football games.
Q: Before heading to Tampa Bay, talk that you might come to Oakland. What wasn’t right about it at the time, what is right about it now?
Garcia: At the time it wasn’t right because I just had feelings that they were going to go after a quarterback in the first round, which is what they did, and I felt like at the time, Tampa Bay was just a better fit for me as far as where I was as a player and what I could do for that team, basically having been given the starting spot by signing there. Me coming back , I know that I’m somewhat at the latter part of my career. I still feel like I still have a lot to offer, still have a lot to bring to a team. But it’s really about my family now. My family, personally, is getting bigger. We live in California. We didn’t want to have to pack up and move across the country again. It’s great to be close to home. It’s great to be playing for a team I grew up being a big fan of. I was a huge fan of so many of the former Raiders, the Ken Stablers, the Jim Plunketts, the Mark vanEeghens, so many of the historical names that are associated with this team, and now to be associated with that is a very positive thing for me.
Q: Status behind Russell . . .
Garcia: I realize that JaMarcus right now is the anointed starter. I’m going to support him and help him any way that I can. Part of helping him is by pushing him and showing him what I’m capable of as a player also. I think that it’s important to show that this team has depth in all positions and quarterback is definitely going to be one of those positions that there will be positive depth at and if he, for some reason, can’t do it, then hopefully I’m the guy that can do it. It’s one of those things where I’m going to be very supportive of him. He has so much talent within himself, hopefully I can just help to bring it out, in him, and also, help be a leader on this team, and help bring this team together as a unit and allow us to play together as a team every Sunday and compete at a high level.
Raiders hope Johnson a system fit
Marcus Johnson spent an underwhelming four years with the Minnesota Vikings unable to seize a starting position despite enough skill to make him the 49th player selected in the 2005 draft.
The Raiders hope Johnson, officially signed Monday along with Garcia, has enough mobility and athleticism to make a successful conversion to the zone blocking system.
Johnson’s ability to play both tackle and guard (he’s predominantly a right side player), along with the presence of fellow free agent signee Erik Pears, makes things more precarious for veteran tackle Cornell Green.
The loser of the Khalif Barnes-Mario Henderson battle on the left side could also figure at right tackle.
Johnson’s signing with Oakland put the finishing touches on a Vikings draft class that was a complete bust.
sounds good...
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 8:12 am in Oakland Raiders.
NBC Bay Area, which broke the original story of Jeff Garcia signing with the Raiders, managed to get a few questions in to the club’s newest quarterback at the security gate before he went into seclusion:
Jeff Garcia: It’s great to be back in the Bay Area, to be back close to home and obviously, having been a fan of Bay Area sports ever since I was a little kid, just to be back and have a chance to maybe finish off my career here in Oakland would be the ideal thing for me. Today was just a lot of getting back to football related issues and getting to meet my teammates for the first time, and getting to meet with the coaches, and do those necessary things in order to hopefully help this team win football games.
Q: Before heading to Tampa Bay, talk that you might come to Oakland. What wasn’t right about it at the time, what is right about it now?
Garcia: At the time it wasn’t right because I just had feelings that they were going to go after a quarterback in the first round, which is what they did, and I felt like at the time, Tampa Bay was just a better fit for me as far as where I was as a player and what I could do for that team, basically having been given the starting spot by signing there. Me coming back , I know that I’m somewhat at the latter part of my career. I still feel like I still have a lot to offer, still have a lot to bring to a team. But it’s really about my family now. My family, personally, is getting bigger. We live in California. We didn’t want to have to pack up and move across the country again. It’s great to be close to home. It’s great to be playing for a team I grew up being a big fan of. I was a huge fan of so many of the former Raiders, the Ken Stablers, the Jim Plunketts, the Mark vanEeghens, so many of the historical names that are associated with this team, and now to be associated with that is a very positive thing for me.
Q: Status behind Russell . . .
Garcia: I realize that JaMarcus right now is the anointed starter. I’m going to support him and help him any way that I can. Part of helping him is by pushing him and showing him what I’m capable of as a player also. I think that it’s important to show that this team has depth in all positions and quarterback is definitely going to be one of those positions that there will be positive depth at and if he, for some reason, can’t do it, then hopefully I’m the guy that can do it. It’s one of those things where I’m going to be very supportive of him. He has so much talent within himself, hopefully I can just help to bring it out, in him, and also, help be a leader on this team, and help bring this team together as a unit and allow us to play together as a team every Sunday and compete at a high level.
Raiders hope Johnson a system fit
Marcus Johnson spent an underwhelming four years with the Minnesota Vikings unable to seize a starting position despite enough skill to make him the 49th player selected in the 2005 draft.
The Raiders hope Johnson, officially signed Monday along with Garcia, has enough mobility and athleticism to make a successful conversion to the zone blocking system.
Johnson’s ability to play both tackle and guard (he’s predominantly a right side player), along with the presence of fellow free agent signee Erik Pears, makes things more precarious for veteran tackle Cornell Green.
The loser of the Khalif Barnes-Mario Henderson battle on the left side could also figure at right tackle.
Johnson’s signing with Oakland put the finishing touches on a Vikings draft class that was a complete bust.
sounds good...