Last week, our own Pat Holloway had a chance to chat with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia. The interview was part of a promotion for the new American Flag Football League. The league is holding a Launch Game on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in San Jose, and Garcia will be providing color commentary for a stream of it.
Garcia was gracious with his time, and Pat was able to have an extensive conversation about a variety of topics. Over the weekend, we looked at what Garcia had to say about his unexpected rise from the CFL to the NFL. It was a whirlwind, particularly when Steve Young got hurt, and it remains a fascinating story.
Garcia also took a few minutes to chat about one of his most notable former wide receivers, Terrell Owens. Pat asked Garcia whether or not TO should be in the Hall of Fame, and why he thinks the receiver is not in yet. Here’s what Garcia had to say.
Yea, it’s a no-brainer. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame, and it’s unfortunate that it hasn’t happened yet. But it’s just a matter of time. I think you look at what he did as a professional football player throughout the different organizations that he played for. He was always very productive. He was one of the top wide receivers in the National Football League.
The reasons why he’s probably not in as of yet, are probably the reasons everybody knows. Just because of personality situations, I’m sure. It’s not because he lacks the talent or the credibility from a performance standpoint. It’s unfortunate that it comes down to maybe a decision like that, but hey, it’s the sports writers. They need to make the call, whoever’s deciding on the votes, they need to make that call, and like I said, it’s a matter of time. Whether it’s next Hall of Fame vote, or the following one, it’s gonna happen within the next few years. And it’s getting a lot of attention for the fact that he’s not in it yet. And, like I said, it’s matter of time and he’s gonna be in there one day — much deservingly so.
There is really no denying that TO put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. There will be hot take folks who will throw out some kind of nonsense, but the numbers are incredible. It always comes back to the issues he had with teammates, organizations, and the media. Garcia was no stranger to that during their time together in San Francisco, and yet, he still recognizes what TO was able to do on the football field.
TO should eventually get in the Hall of Fame, but some in the media might be inclined to make him wait. Part of it is the personality stuff, but part of it is the piling up of quality receivers. We’ve seen some great receivers wait at least a couple years, and that could also slow down TO’s entrance. He has not reacted kindly to the voters keeping him out thus far, so it will be interesting to see if they hold that against him in the short term.