When it comes to the flight of the ball, there is hardly a difference. 49ers quarterbacks Jeff Garcia and Tim Rattay each throw the same type of pass, a quick-spinning spiral that comes in easy even when thrown hard.
``Some quarterbacks throw a ball that is hard to catch for whatever reason,'' tight end Jed Weaver said after practice Thursday. ``But our guys aren't like that. Even when they throw it with some heat under it, it still comes in nice and smooth.''
Rattay is hardly a Garcia clone, however, and when he fills in for the starter again Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Candlestick Park, it will be obvious that the smooth spinning spirals are coming from a different source.
For one, there is the matter of personality. Rattay is usually stoic and reserved; Garcia can be fiery and loquacious. Rattay reveals little during interviews, providing just enough to answer the question without risking a sound bite. On the day he was announced as the starter this week, Rattay muttered a few niceties such as, ``If we can execute and do our stuff, I think we'll be pretty good'' while Garcia stole the headlines with a crackling condemnation of the quarterback controversy.
Rattay is the same way on the field. Coach Dennis Erickson and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp each used the word ``stoic'' to describe the quarterback's demeanor. They noted that his father, Jim Rattay, is a standout high school coach in Arizona. ``You know his dad would have probably kicked his butt if he would have bragged or did anything like that,'' Erickson said.
The calm personality served Rattay well against the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 2. In his first career start, he directed a 30-10 victory at Candlestick Park. Instead of feeling rattled, Rattay completed his first pass, to Aaron Walker, for 22 yards and went on to hit nine receivers. Rattay defused blitzes by recognizing the Rams' formation before the snap and changing the play with an audible. Twice, he switched running plays to pass plays and delivered a touchdown throw.
``He's businesslike, but he's not unapproachable,'' Weaver said. ``I'd call it more of a relaxed confidence. He just exudes that. You can tell that he's been preparing for this moment for his whole life.''
``Tim is a very modest, quiet guy,'' Erickson said. ``He opens up with people that he knows and trusts. That's how he's always been since I've been around him. He's a quiet kid. He's not an outgoing guy like some guys.''
Erickson has made it clear that Garcia, who suffered a sprained left ankle Oct. 26 against the Arizona Cardinals, will return to the starter's role when healthy. That means Rattay's reign might have just one game left, against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense. The Steelers rank seventh in the NFL with 23 sacks and are coming off two consecutive five-sack performances.
Pittsburgh blitzes frequently and creatively out of its 3-4 defense.
``They have guys coming from everywhere,'' Rattay said. ``Usually when you blitz, you have fewer guys in coverage. They do a lot of different things where they are only blitzing four and are just coming from all different spots.''
Knapp said Rattay excels at recognizing blitzes, especially in those crucial seconds before the ball is snapped. Without much playing time, the quarterback honed that skill by studying more film than Roger Ebert. He also prepared for pop quizzes from Knapp and quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner about what he might do against a specific formation.
``If you're not physically getting reps, you need to challenge yourself mentally,'' Knapp said. ``That's what he does. He loves the game. He loves the college game. He loves the pro game. He's always been around the game. He grew up a football rat.''
On Monday, Rattay's relaxed personality will get a test before a national television audience. Expect him to be as stoic as a Buckingham Palace guard.
``Part of it,'' Rattay said, ``is that you can't tell I'm going crazy.''
9ers and over!
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``Some quarterbacks throw a ball that is hard to catch for whatever reason,'' tight end Jed Weaver said after practice Thursday. ``But our guys aren't like that. Even when they throw it with some heat under it, it still comes in nice and smooth.''
Rattay is hardly a Garcia clone, however, and when he fills in for the starter again Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Candlestick Park, it will be obvious that the smooth spinning spirals are coming from a different source.
For one, there is the matter of personality. Rattay is usually stoic and reserved; Garcia can be fiery and loquacious. Rattay reveals little during interviews, providing just enough to answer the question without risking a sound bite. On the day he was announced as the starter this week, Rattay muttered a few niceties such as, ``If we can execute and do our stuff, I think we'll be pretty good'' while Garcia stole the headlines with a crackling condemnation of the quarterback controversy.
Rattay is the same way on the field. Coach Dennis Erickson and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp each used the word ``stoic'' to describe the quarterback's demeanor. They noted that his father, Jim Rattay, is a standout high school coach in Arizona. ``You know his dad would have probably kicked his butt if he would have bragged or did anything like that,'' Erickson said.
The calm personality served Rattay well against the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 2. In his first career start, he directed a 30-10 victory at Candlestick Park. Instead of feeling rattled, Rattay completed his first pass, to Aaron Walker, for 22 yards and went on to hit nine receivers. Rattay defused blitzes by recognizing the Rams' formation before the snap and changing the play with an audible. Twice, he switched running plays to pass plays and delivered a touchdown throw.
``He's businesslike, but he's not unapproachable,'' Weaver said. ``I'd call it more of a relaxed confidence. He just exudes that. You can tell that he's been preparing for this moment for his whole life.''
``Tim is a very modest, quiet guy,'' Erickson said. ``He opens up with people that he knows and trusts. That's how he's always been since I've been around him. He's a quiet kid. He's not an outgoing guy like some guys.''
Erickson has made it clear that Garcia, who suffered a sprained left ankle Oct. 26 against the Arizona Cardinals, will return to the starter's role when healthy. That means Rattay's reign might have just one game left, against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense. The Steelers rank seventh in the NFL with 23 sacks and are coming off two consecutive five-sack performances.
Pittsburgh blitzes frequently and creatively out of its 3-4 defense.
``They have guys coming from everywhere,'' Rattay said. ``Usually when you blitz, you have fewer guys in coverage. They do a lot of different things where they are only blitzing four and are just coming from all different spots.''
Knapp said Rattay excels at recognizing blitzes, especially in those crucial seconds before the ball is snapped. Without much playing time, the quarterback honed that skill by studying more film than Roger Ebert. He also prepared for pop quizzes from Knapp and quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner about what he might do against a specific formation.
``If you're not physically getting reps, you need to challenge yourself mentally,'' Knapp said. ``That's what he does. He loves the game. He loves the college game. He loves the pro game. He's always been around the game. He grew up a football rat.''
On Monday, Rattay's relaxed personality will get a test before a national television audience. Expect him to be as stoic as a Buckingham Palace guard.
``Part of it,'' Rattay said, ``is that you can't tell I'm going crazy.''
9ers and over!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------