With McNabb hurting, Eagles sign QB Garcia
Following the rib injury to starting quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles have added some insurance by bringing back quarterback Jeff Garcia, who started for the team in McNabb's absence in 2006.Garcia had signed with the Raiders in the offseason after two years with the Buccaneers but was released before the regular season. During Garcia's only year with the Eagles, McNabb suffered a torn ACL; Garcia was thrust into the starting role and flourished, as he went 4-2 in six games and led Philadelphia to a playoff berth.
The Eagles also made a strong showing in that year's postseason, beating the Giants at home in the wildcard round before bowing out in a close game at New Orleans.
Garcia may be inserted as the starter once again, as it is currently unknown if McNabb will be able to play in the coming weeks. Eagles head coach Andy Reid has not ruled McNabb out of the team's game against New Orleans next week, but he said earlier Monday that backup Kevin Kolb would take the first- team reps in practice on Wednesday.
Without Garcia, the Eagles had only two quarterbacks on the active roster. A.J. Feeley, formerly the third string QB, was released prior to the season due to the presence of Michael Vick, who is not eligible to play until the third week of the season against Kansas City. Vick was suspended for his role in a dogfighting ring that led to a two-year jail sentence.
Garcia has spent the last 10 years in the NFL with Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit and Tampa Bay. He has appeared in the Pro Bowl four times and has a 58-58 career record as a starter.
He played in 12 games -- 11 starts -- with the Bucs last season, compiling a 6-5 record while throwing for 2,712 yards and 12 touchdowns against only six interceptions.
In his career, which has spanned 124 games, he has recorded 25,537 passing yards, 161 touchdowns and 81 interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of his pass attempts.
