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Shotgun formation. Three-receiver set. Only 34 seconds remaining in the first half. Third-and-three at the Seattle Seahawks 41-yard line. Then it finally happened.
Quarterback Jeff Garcia rolled right. Formerly a staple move of the 49ers, it's
been missing this season.
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The result: Garcia kept sliding away from the troublesome left side of the 49ers offensive line. He rolled and rolled and found wide receiver Cedrick Wilson on the right sideline for a 5-yard completion. That kept alive a drive that resulted in a field goal to put the 49ers on the scoreboard and give them some momentum before halftime of an eventual 20-19 loss. NFL Tickets
"We haven't utilized movement as much as we have in the past," Garcia
said Monday. "That's something that has been an important aspect to our
game in years past. For some reason, we haven't been able to utilize it as much
this year. It's something we still want to put some focus into and look at,
but it just hasn't been a main emphasis in our game, yet."
Asked if he's executed such plays a couple times a game this year, Garcia replied:
"At the most. There really hasn't been a whole lot of movement with me."
Well, at least "designed" movement. He hasn't been anything close
to stationary in the pocket this season. Injuries to his offensive linemen have
resulted in many Garcia scrambles. His 29 carries (for 146 yards) are the third
most among NFL quarterbacks. So as beat up as his body might be, he's still
able to go on the move, which is how he's thrived in the past. NFL Tickets
Coach Dennis Erickson said the 49ers decided to move Garcia around quite a bit
more in the second half of Sunday's loss.
"When I say move, it's not necessarily sprinting, but it is running bootleg
and play-pass," Erickson said. "It is sliding the pocket more than
actually sprinting out on the corner. We just feel like we have to do that."
It's something they'll likely have to do often Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and NFL sacks leader Simeon Rice come into Candlestick Park. Left tackle Derrick
Deese and left guard Eric Heitmann are listed as doubtful for the game because
of aggravated ankle sprains, leaving rookie tackle Kwame Harris and second-year
guard Kyle Kosier in charge of protecting Garcia's blind side.
"It's going to be important for us to look at how we're going to approach
this game this weekend as far as protection goes," Garcia said. "We're
up against one of the best pass rushes in the league, so it's obviously going
to be an important factor this week in protecting me and allowing me to make
throws down the field."
Garcia got sacked four times against the Seahawks but only once in the second
half, when the 49ers used more play-action and three-step drops for Garcia.
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NOTES: Wide receiver Terrell Owens, as a guest on Sporting News Radio's "Peter
Brown Show," said he doesn't have to be friends with Garcia in order for
the 49ers to be successful. "I don't think so. I think the thing is, as
long as we are friends on game day, that is the only thing that matters,"
Owens said. As for his recent on-field struggles, Owens told Channel 5, "I'm
trying to make too much out of one play." Garcia said he and Owens patched
up their fractured relationship before an Oct. 5 game against the Detroit Lions.
Owens hasn't spoken to the local media since Sept. 28. ... The 49ers released
defensive tackle Josh Shaw, a fifth-round draft pick in 2002, from the practice
squad. ... The trade deadline passed Tuesday without the 49ers making any moves.