Garcia and Papin Give San Jose Something to Worry About
Tim Ball
Friday June 21, 2002
Steve Papin returns to San Jose for the first time since joining the Dragons in the off-season and Aaron Garcia will play in his first arena game since signing with the 49ers before the start of the season. San Francisco made the move to release Garcia after signing “experienced” NFL quarterback Cade McNown, (go figure…) and New York spent no time in re-signing their star.
Even with the Dragons at 2-7, the combination of Garcia and Papin promises to be worrisome for fans at the Compaq Center. Both players are capable of scoring a lot of points in a very short time. No one knows this better than SaberCats fans who cheered for Papin over the last few years. And it was Garcia and the Dragons who brought San Jose’s 15-game consecutive win streak to an end last season in New York
What was thought to be not much of a match-up between an undefeated powerhouse and a struggling, injury-riddled team is now worth the price of admission.
Papin is more than warmed up, as he is on this season’s leader boards for receptions (58) and return yardage (1494) and Garcia (104 TD’s in ’01) is in top physical shape from his intense training over the last few months. Garcia is a good running quarterback and combined with Papin’s “Don’t Blink” capabilities, San Jose’s defense is going to earn their pay.
Garcia and Papin
“I’m looking forward to playing with the Dragons again,” said Garcia. “I’m committed to the 2002 season and my options with the NFL will be examined after the season. The Dragons are very good and there’s still a long way to go with five games left to play.”
Garcia still has NFL teams interested according to his agent Dwight Moss but the next opportunity will have to wait. “Aaron looked good in camp. The NFL is loyal to players in the league and Aaron knows and accepts the business side of the sport. He wanted to commit to New York and that’s the way it’s going to be,” said Moss. “He has a good relationship with Coach Gregory and wants the Dragons to win more than anything else.”
Before the start of the season I spoke with Steve Papin and he was disappointed at the loss of Garcia from the team, as the productive QB was a big reason for Papin choosing New York. Going into San Jose, where Papin established stats that rank among the best to ever play Arena Football, there is no doubt he is going to want to perform well for the San Jose crowd.
The question of Garcia’s timing and rhythm remains to be seen but the possibility of opportunities will be ever present.
Coaches, Players and Teams
Head coaches John Gregory and Darren Arbet instill loyalty and leadership in their players and teams. The Dragons are going to want to win for all the right reasons, including that the players believe Coach Gregory deserves a winning team. SaberCats players are going to want to stay on the winning path as well, for Arbet.
The SaberCats play a clean, stylish brand of football and have earned their place as the best in the league. Though they hit hard and score from every direction, twice this season the SaberCats have stopped just inches from 80-point victories and let the clock run out. Credit Arbet and his coaches with the leadership that instills how you win as much as how muchyou win by and applaud the players for giving respect to their staff and peers.
You Get What You Pay For
This game will be worth the price of admission because of the players and teams involved as much as what is on the line. The Dragons can bring the SaberCats down to earth and elevate their losing season with a victory over the undefeated SaberCats. San Jose gets to prove to New York why they’re undefeated.
Matchups like Papin against DS Clevan Thomas and Garcia verses Barry Wagner have the makings of real drama. The competitive nature of the players on the field Saturday night are going to be at an all time high as you have AFL royalty going head to head. Check out the rosters on the teams and you’ll see what I mean.
Garcia will be starting opposite the highest rated passer in the league as Mark Grieb has led the SaberCats with excellence all season long. If Garcia wants to get back in the swing of things quickly, here’s his chance.
Nothing Personal
After the coin toss and “good luck” handshakes, the only other time friendly arms will be extended is to help a player up from being flattened during a play. Let’s hope Garcia’s conditioning will pay off as San Jose’s defense is going to want to pay somebody back for the 32-points scored on them in one quarter last week by Chicago.
For a game that started off with not much on the line, one stroke of a pen on a contract turned the whole thing around.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
